Your body and other parties

We are at an interesting point in history where technology, consumerism, and identity have seemed to bleed into one another, and it’s become increasingly difficult to decipher where one ends and the other begins. It’s ironic because people today are so indignant about separating themselves from the crowd, trying to craft an individual, unique self. Yet, so much of what is fed to us online, on our feeds and in ads, in social trends, is uniform across the board. For the most part, most of what we consume is invariable from one person to the next. And with trends and materialism so heavily ingrained in our psyche, what we consume has begun to influence who we are as people. 

Cultural identity is an individual’s or group’s sense of belonging to a culture, which can be shaped by celebrations, rituals, values, beliefs, fashion, food, etc. Developing cultural identity is a complex and dynamic process of socialization, and within its temporal range, it has always encompassed elements like ethnicity, nationality, and religion. But as we have begun to witness this shift in what defines individualism, everything that typically makes up a cultural identity is now being capitalized on. This isn’t necessarily a new concept, but with the Internet and social media and the ever-growing political and social discourse everywhere, it has been exacerbated beyond comprehension. 

People nowadays, especially the younger generation, including myself, have begun identifying themselves with goods and services to create their own personal identity. The most relevant example I can think of right now is the ad campaigns from Gap and American Eagle. Gap’s ad features Katseye, a new, young, diverse, hip music group, whereas American Eagle’s ad features Sydney Sweeney, wherein her dialogue talks about having good jeans, a double entendre for good “genes”, aka being white. Though American Eagle claimed that this message wasn’t what they meant to portray with their campaign, the connotations were immediately picked up online and spiraled into conversations of race, culture, and capitalism. What we’re beginning to see now with such instances as these two ads is that people are starting to base their cultural realities on literal commercials. People online are boasting about how they are boycotting American Eagle and only buying denim from Gap because of their selection of representation, arguing that this company is more diverse than the other. 

Ads themselves are in a unique position because they hold this power over the masses in terms of visibility. They can influence a wider range of people to pay attention and involve themselves in political discourse. This isn’t to say that representation isn’t important or something we shouldn’t aspire to, especially when it comes to something so pervasive, but at the end of the day, these are ads. They’re manufactured to sell a product. These companies are using people of color as tokens to reign in sales. Returning to the previous example, people have glorified Gap because they believed their Katseye ad was in response to American Eagle, when in reality, it was probably just produced on the same timeline because of the back-to-school season. We should not be “stanning” companies because when it comes down to it, the only thing they really care about is our dollar. 

Everything boils down to capitalism. Material goods are targeted to specific audiences for a reason. Ad campaigns exist for a reason. Advertising firms will do whatever it takes to convince people to buy, and employing a “social message”, platforming a diverse celebrity or creator, is a whole strategy for consumers to spend. Now more than ever, we have resorted to the consumption of goods and media to build our identity, surrounding ourselves with “woke” brands to build a persona. Suddenly, owning Gap jeans is part of our status, believing that because we are aligning ourselves with this company, which had a “diverse” ad campaign, suddenly elevates us morally. We want to associate ourselves with the “better” brand when in reality, neither companies actually give a fuck about actual discourse or social issues because their only priority is making money. 

When we buy a product from a business, influenced by their ads or presence online, we’re buying into their marketing. I remember when Wendy’s “clapbacks” on Twitter went viral-- people flocked to their restaurants solely based on their tweets. Though this wasn’t a paid campaign to bring in customers, it was still extremely tactical in the way it drew attention to their brand. Suddenly, you weren’t just buying a cheeseburger from a fast food chain; you were allying yourself with this brand that was quick-witted and sharp, and in doing so, you believed that you would be perceived the same way. It’s the illusion of choice that blurs the lines of our consumption and who we are as individuals. These ads and supposedly progressive agendas from conglomerates give people only a semblance of a teeny, tiny bit of power over their choices. And when we live in a society where every split second of our time is commodified, it’s easy to get sucked into these traps.

Our personalities, our interests and passions, and our identity do not, and should not be defined by consumption. On the flip side, it’s hard not to judge others for supporting companies or people who are “problematic” because these tendencies have become inherent in the digital age. The ever-expanding capitalistic nature of our world has bred increasing judgment and precarity in the way we browse online. Now, what you like in capitalism represents your own beliefs, and it’s a hard line to walk to reject this sentiment. It’s not our fault that our brains are now wired in this way. Capital has grown to the point that it’s become how everything is perceived. Commodity has transformed into an image object, and it’s colonized social life to the point where pretty much everything that was once directly living and breathing has receded into its representation. We can’t break down the system with a couple of viral videos and Substack essays, but starting the conversation and keeping it going is all part of the movement forward to a freer today.