Discovering Lineage amidst Urban Anonymity

Abstract

Images of commodities and what they communicate continue to be the preoccupations of the second chapter as well. However, here it moves away from the class dimensions and focuses on other aspects such as representation of the urban space, anonymity, multiple identities, and niche clientele. Such commodity representations provide an interesting and alternative reading of social and spatial transformations post 1990s. It captures a shift from utility and function to experiences and aspirations in the material culture of a globalized world. It argues that there is a conscious effort to seduce the consumer by emphasizing on the desirability and the personality of the commodity by constantly connecting it to imagined ideal selves. That is how mundane is transformed into exotic, and commodities become more personal, intimate, and identifiable. These persuasive images are central to the project of comprehending the changing consumerist landscape.