rr(Patel, 2007) argues the power of large corporations are able to control consumers' food choices, and thereby shape our decisions. Food choices can be mapped onto 'consciousnesses'. It is shaped by the stories about food - what gets told and what doesn't about food we eat in the system (Kuttainen, 2015).
(Foucault, 1973) states that the panopticon principle may be an apt metaphor for differing types of organisations and social structures that shape our decisions and choices. This principle may also be applied to Facebook- a large social media corporation - as we make connections with 'friends'. Facebook's deeper purpose may be the commodification of products, as within the boundaries of its 'built' virtual world, there is noticeable influences on consumer's behaviours and thought patterns.
"Individual consumer's shopping behaviour may be affected and changed by the emergence of social networks, Cvijikj et al (2010, p. 23). These author's describe it as "web-based communities have allowed consumers to share their personal experiences by writing reviews, commenting and rating others' reviews". As well, "consumers are more likely to believe recommendations from people they know and trust - their friends and family members". According to research, "networks (like Facebook) are driving an increase to volume of traffic to retail sites and may become the entry point for e-commerce".
When making decisions or choices in our busy, daily lives, it may be easier to accept opinions of others we trust to make decisions for us. If our brain becomes overwhelmed with 'choice overload', people may decide on an 'easier' default option. Whether it be about making choices about foods to buy in supermarkets, or what to buy online, actual 'freedom to choose' may have subsequently been taken away in a 'subtle' psychological process used by the powers of large 'real' or 'virtual' corporations. 'Panopticonic' places of commodification may have been affected.
References
Cvijikj, I. P., Cetin,
G., Karpischek, S., & Michahelles, F. (2010). Influence of Facebook on
purchase decision making. In Proceedings of the 8th International Conference
on Pervasive Computing Pervasive 2010. Retrieved from http://cocoa.ethz.ch/downloads/2013/05/1071_ThingBook.pdf
Foucault,
M. (1977). Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison. New York: Vintage
Books.
Kuttainan, V. (2015). Our Space: Networks, narratives, and the
making of place. Lecture 8: Food networks [owerPoint Slides]. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au
Patel, R. (2007). Stuffed and starved: The hidden battle for
the world food system. Brooklyn, N.Y: Melville House Publishing.
Image
People shopping [Image]. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/wearechapterone/5562319614
Food and the powers controlling the production and distribution of food is fascinating. When looking at just the coffee bean production I have witnessed first hand how large corporations have significant influence of places and spaces. So as mentioned in this week lecture (kuttainan, 2015) we spoke briefly on the effects on farmers and how the power shifts from corporation and farmer.
ReplyDelete