Course:WMST307:Student Pages: Pamela Vallejos

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Commodification is the process in which an object, action, or idea can be made into something that can be bought or sold (O’Brien and Szeman 354). This concept is often related to Karl Marx’s theory about commodities in Capital. He defines a commodity as “an object outside of us, a thing that by its properties satisfies human wants of some sort or another” (Marx 26). However, in modern popular culture, activities and movements have been commodified by corporations and organizations.

The main argument against commodification is that certain things should not be treated as tradable goods in an economy. The profit-maximizing mentality in capitalism encourages “tapping” into new markets as a way to increase economic gains. This economic model has led to the commodification of activities. Richard Butsch comments on this phenomenon by citing Marx’s theories of workers becoming consumers and vice versa. Marx argues “capitalism not only transforms much of the population into workers, but makes those workers into consumers as well” (cited in Butsch 218). Butsch claims that the commodification of every day activities leads to the dependence on consumable goods and services.

Another example of things that should not be “commodities” is the recent development of breast cancer awareness and fundraising programs. Smith writes about how the breast cancer awareness movement and the pink ribbon were started to show solidarity and shed a light on a relatively obscure disease. “But slowly, the pink ribbon came to mean something else. Rather than being a symbol of survival and strength, it became more generally a symbol of support, and then it was appropriated by firms that wanted to slap pink ribbons on their products for more profits.” This is a perfect example of how corporations have managed to “tap” into the new market by commodifying a disease.

References:

  • Butsch, Richard. "The Commodification of Leisure: The Case of the Model Airplane Hobby and Industry." Qualitative Sociology 7.3 (1984): 217-35. Web.
  • Marx, Karl. Capital: A Critique of Political Economy. Trans. Samuel Moore and Edward Aveling. Ed. Frederick Engels. Vol. 1. Moscow: Progress, n.d. Web.
  • O’Brien, Susie; Szeman, Imre. Popular Culture: A User’s Guide. Toronto: Nelson Education Ltd. (2010) p. 354. Print.
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