Identity and Consumption, Jansson-Boyd.
 |
| Fig. 1. Apple iPhone 6 Advertisement 2014. |
Jansson-Boyd talks about how we as humans relate to products, through different means of identification. He speaks about how we learn from a very early age about identity and goes onto to say this is translated onto realising others identities. This is then used by companies to sell products, creating an identity for a brand that we come to know, love and associate with on such a level that it we don't even think before buying we just do it. Businesses play off the fact that we relate to certain colours, shapes and objects; this can be shown within sci-fi films often characters not meant to be human have human like features, because it is familiar. There are more red cars on the road than any other colour as it can be argued that from such a young age we are shown cars to be red. The same reasoning that men are drawn towards products aimed at men and woman for products aimed at woman, from very early on we have this idea of identity so this is used to make us consume. "There has been extensive research into the relationship between objects and identity, and in particular how objects have the capacity to mould and manage people's identities." (Jansson-Boyd, 2010, pg 55) This particular quote plays works on a modern day idea of why people have to have the latest gadget even if it is barely different from the last. Apple release a new iPhone every year because they know every year people 'have' to have the newest one, they play on this and use it to sell the product. (see fig.1.) Overall Jansson-Boyd shows how companies use a biologically built in response to sell products on a mass scale sometimes even with the buyer being fully aware but they cannot beat that in built response.
