Book - Consumerism as a Way of Life, Steven Miles 1998.

Steven Miles, Consumerism as a way of life (New York: SAGE, 1998)

Key Points:

• This book provides insight into the background of consumerism. 
• Topics cover fashion, music and sport, however not art. 
• Critical tone, with theorist contributions from Marx, Webber, Pierre Bourdieu.
• Marx's theories on consumption;
• 'it was the production of commodities rather than their consumption'
• Marx definition of commodity; 'a product that has not been produced for direct personal consumption on the part of the consumer, but rather the intention of selling it in the marketplace'. 
• Themes of sociology, society and consumptions affect on those, rather than themes of art.

Further research

• Marx

Reflections:

• The book doesn't have anything to do with art specifically, but it provides a good piece of contextual information for my research. If we apply what the theorist are saying about commodity, to art, it does make sense. 
• What Marx summarises a commodity to be can applied to art, if we think of art as the commodity - specifically commercial art as this does have the intention to sell within the marketplace.