Material Culture: Everyday Life

After reading Arning's insightful text on semiotics and packaging I've discovered another new facet of my consumerism I hadn't been aware of till now (at least not willingly). Taking my last three "big" purchases as an example, there are a few similarities that pop up and perhaps shine light on me as an individual.

The first is a school planner. I would classify myself as a "messily organized" person. I have the constant need for everything to be planned and organized, however, I am extremely messy, from my handwriting to any kind of drawing which severely hinders my organizational capabilities. So I bought this planner, which reeks elegance, from the covers to the inside where each month, class, assignment is elegantly portrayed. Now, this planner is in navy blue, made from rugged leather. It was packaged very neatly in navy blue as well, with nice ribbon on the front. These details on the packaging made the planner itself an even more enjoyable purchase, so much that I kept the packaging and placed it on my shelf.

Next I purchased a new coat. It's been getting cold and I needed it to complete my wardrobe transformation to a more elegant one. There goes that word again, elegant. It's a navy blue coat, again, which nicely complements the rest of my wardrobe . The inside is decorated in these beautiful, almost monarchy-like designs rich with navy blue colours. I'm seeing a pattern here. The coat itself arrived in a garment bag covered in various monarchy designs, just like the inside of the coat, reminding me of this coat I saw the Queen in online as she was taking a stroll through Scotland. Needless to say that as a student of English, the garment bag's colour (navy blue) and designs resonated with me and I enjoy the act of taking the coat out of it almost as much as wearing the coat itself.

Lastly, I've fallen into the Black Friday frenzy and bought myself a new pair of earbuds. These weren't any ordinary earbuds though, I've been eyeing them for some time now. They are truly wireless earbuds, and considering I listen to music a lot through the day, these were a must for their practicality. They are rather expensive so seeing them on such a discount made the decision a no brainer. But after reading Laura Oswald’s opening quotation: “Consumers shop for meaning, not stuff.”, I started to question whether I needed them at all? I already had bluetooth earbuds already, but they weren't truly wireless. The previous ones I owned were working just fine, but they were grey. These new ones were blue. Navy blue. I needed to seize the opportunity, it was perfect. Not only would I upgrade my enjoyment, but I would have navy blue earbuds to complete my image. But it wasn't only that. I was eyeing them because of the attractive packaging as well. Pure white background and the navy blue earbuds right there in the middle. Around them is text detailing all the various features it has, in French no less further adding to this idea of elegance I have in my brain. The backside of the packaging shows the two earbuds through a plastic window, calling you to tug on the silky strap at the bottom and take out the whole box out of the case. Remarkable really how I let myself get played. And now that same package stands tall right next to the packaging of my school planner. I really am a sucker for consumerism, but hell if we all don't love it.