A Study on the Logic of Commodities and Its Culture Implications in the Characteristics of Advertising as 'Commodity sign'

Park, Joo Ha(Department of Journalism and Mass Communication The Graduate School of Sung Kyun Kwan University)

The purpose of this study is to provide the theoretical framework for interpreting the phenomena of advertising in contemporary society. Especially and sign in distincitive qualities of modern advertising, because the logic of commodity and its implications in characteristics of advertising as 'commodity sign' is the heart of a problem to understand the phenomena of advertising in consumer society. Therefore, it is very important that the critical mind of this study has its orgin in such comprehensive question as 'What is advertising'.

This study focuses on the following issue.

1. In existing critical research camp, how have recognitions on the phenomena of advertising been interpreting? 1) How to grasp the understandings of advertising in a viewpoint of commodity? 2) How to grasp the understandings of advertising in a viewpoint of sign?

2. In which directions have the understandings of advertising to grasp in a viewpoint of commodity sign unifying organically relationships with angle of vision between commodity and sign, and what are these contents in a viewpoints of commodity sign? 1) Is it the political economy of the sign, or the political economy of symbolism? 2) what are the contents in a viewpoints of commodity sign?

3. In which forms are commodity sign appeared in advertising formats, and what are its functioning principles? 1) In what manner does commodity sign exist in advertising formats? 2) What are functioning principles of commodity sign?

4. What are cultural implications implying in characteristics of advertising as commodity culture? 2) What are social and cultural implications in connection with commodity culture?

This study has drawn the conclusion on each question as summarized below.

First, there are two spectra in existing critical research camp. These various viewpoints in this camp are classified according to the relation between reflection and representation at the aspect of interrelationship culture with society, in addition to, the relation between false consciousness and social consciousness by a ideological pont of view. One is a framework of reflection - false consciousness', which are including mass culture criticism and culture industry theory. The other is a framework of representation - social consciousness' coming under structuralism and culture studies.

These classicfication are proved that the understandings of advertising are analyzed multiple interactions among econoical or cultural demension, production or consumption sphere, commodity or sign form. By and large mass culture criticism are focused on the framdwork of 'economical dimension - production sphere - commodity form', but structuralism and culture studies are focused on the framework of dimension - consumption sphere - sign form'.

The former has concentrated on the ideological manipulation which afford a basis for commodity production, but the latter has converged into cultural symbol centralizing on sign consumption. Immediately there are complicated controversies on the problem of relation between commodity and sign.

Second, the concept of commodity sign in this study is presented for taking in commodity form and sign form. It seems that the concept of commodity sign ensures dialetic synthesis between commodity form and sign form. Here is two ways to see advertising form a different angle. One is Baudrillard's perspective called 'political economy of sign', the other is Jhally's perspective called 'political economy of symbolism'. Both perspective proved very significant in attention with transformation from commodity to sign, and in groping for organic unification. None the less the latter is more worthwhile than the former on gronds that Jhally has tried to define the nature of commodity sign as commodity discourse by unifying commodity form and sign form through the discourses dissimilar to Baudrillard.

Advertising in contemporary society is discourse mediating with commodity. According to Jhally, advertising rise to prominence in modern society as 'a discourse through and about objects'. Moreover in discourse there is not separant from production and consumption, but also detach from rdflectionand representation. Discourse as social experiences is not consist of results from text, but made up of fruits of cultural practies. It is a sort of social processes producing and reproducing a meaning. Accordingly commodity sign is not only objects but also constituent of commodity discourse.

Third, to refer to previous discussion commodity sign has existed in commodity discourse. It requires consideration in all its aspects. Above all commodities do not assert themselves qua things but rather qua a kind of logic. Hence the functioning principles are nothing but the logic of commodity. The logic of the commodity form consist of a shifting combination of three elements - abstraction, equivalence, reification.

Abstraction has its roots in the separation of use value and exchange value brought about by the extension of the commodity form.

Transformation commodity form into sign form is expressed as theme of abstraction in advertising. Equivalence means that the quantiative value of things becomes dominate, to the neglect of that which is individual, personal and specific. Equivalence in the logic of advertising is revealed that commodity form and sign form comes to the same things. Reification refers to the tendency for human beings and social relations to be transformed into things, while those nonhuman objects seems to assume human powers. The phase of reification in advertising turns up that sign form transforms commodity in contrast with abstraction.

Fourth, cultural implications implying in characteristics of advertising as commodity sign are detected commoditification in meanings of a daily experience. So to speak advertising in contemporary consumer society has represented how powerful does cultural impact of commoditification's disruptive cultural moment actually leaves a logical gap.

The cultural tensions of commoditification thke the form of conflicts and struggles over mundane idelolgical values. And they are provoked all along the seam of economy and culture where the market's lust for expansion(i.e. economy) rubs up against pre-existing forms of normativity and moral value(i.e. economy). Market pressure to shift the moral boundaries, to some degree a necessarily discontinuous process, always runs the risk of opening up radical culture and commodity which was responsible for the spell-binding integration of the commercialized sign.