Commodification and its Influence on Society
Commodification is considered as the transformation of idea, goods and services and other entities that are not regarded as goods. The concept of commodification is flourishing in the capitalistic economies, and is outstripping the social and political capacity for adjusting this process because in the capitalistic economies one commodity is produced with the help of the other commodity and with profit motive (Leys, and Harriss). This concept is becoming more popular due to market, parental and peer influence. In this globalised world, competition is forcing the employers for profit maximization and in order to maximize their profits the employers are adopting various techniques influenced either by market conditions or by peer influence.
They are converting things and services into latest and new commodities. For example due to the market demand independent craftsman and farmers are converted into the wage laborers and the demand of wage goods has been created i.e., all things from bread, beer to the shoes that are required by the workers, who cannot produce these for themselves and the commodified services e.g., transport. However, each of them has become the fields of new and different capitalistic production having same unplanned commodifying influence in other activity fields. Commodification is also affecting the society through peer influence.
Considering the fact that a person is influenced by peer’s latest mobile phone and he also wants to have the same or other cell phone with more advanced features. So, new wants that become needs later on, create demand for the product. So, new cell phones with more sophisticated features have to be manufactured. The logical and ultimate outcome of this whole process is commodification for earning profit unless social or political barriers prevent it.
Commodifiction and its influence on the society can also be seen in context of the parental influence on the commodification of children, which is the powerful role of the commodity market in educating, raising and grooming children (Bauman 114-119). Children depend on parents for guiding them the right path and they consult parents whenever decisions are made regarding education or while purchasing. So, parents influence children through their behavior and their training and after achieving the age of majority children exert their influence on the society. If groomed properly then the outcome will be positive with no self-centric approach as it is in case of the capitalistic commodification, however if grooming is negative then the results will be devastating for the society.
The children are considered as knowledge seekers and knowledge choosers, so parents also consult their children before making final purchase. This will create confidence in children and helps in the destruction of profit motive objectives. Furthermore, for future generation, the social consequences of commodificaction are very disturbing and destabilizing as new jobs are created in the newly formed industries that come into existence by the commodification of the older jobs but at low wages (Jakab). In the present economy where inflationary pressure is prevailing commodification is making the survival of new comers difficult. The graduates are having difficulty to find the job of their own choice that match with their skills. Moreover, with the advancement of technology and increase in commodification, the people are laid off from the old jobs and they are unable to rear their children properly, which is leading to unskilled workers in the society, which is quite harmful for the society. If this process continues then the in future generation people will just consider their own self interests without taking care of others and this will result in complex cultural and social consequences for them.
References
Bauman, Zygmunt. Liquid Life. Great Britain: Polity Press, 2005. 114-119. Print.
Leys, Colin, and Barbara Harriss. "Commodification: the essence of our time ." Our Kingdom: Power and Liberty In Britain, 2 Apr 2012. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.
http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/colin-leys-barbara-harriss-white/commodification-essence-of-our-time.
Jakab, Spencer. "Low Wages Work Against Jobs Optimism." Wall Street Journal. (2013): n. page. Print.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323997004578642093534378694
