According to Marx, commodity fetishism is the hidden value of a commodity. This occurs under a condition where the commodity establishes its own value and status in a market. Marx states that the origin of this idea occurs in a specific and social characteristic of the commodity’s production labor (Marx, 65). The fascination with a commodity is visible in its status in a market and its exchange value. In this situation, the commodity establishes a material relationship between a person and social and that object (Marx, 65). Commodity fetishism leads and worsens the alienation that is felt by workers. The pressure of a large demand on production causes capitalist to force more work upon their wageworkers. This pressure on the workers causes them to experience alienation.
Technology is a good example of commodity fetishism and alienation; one widely known example of this idea is Apple products. Things like iPad, iPhones, and MacBooks have such a cult following that they drive people to be infatuated with the products. Evidence of this commodity fetishism with Apple products can be seen in the social affects that these commodities have on society. For example, when a new Apple product is released to the market, it has become socially acceptable for people to form extensive line outside of Apple stores hours in advance in order to be one of the first to own the latest technology.
This social preoccupation of owning the latest forms of technology cause the commodities to discredit its use value and the wage-labor behind the production of a single object. People tend to forget about the labor needed to create the commodity and insist on focusing on its exchange value and social affect. The popular demand of such a product, like iPhones, cause the need for more production of the commodity and leads to worker’s alienation. This alienation is not visible to society because consumers narrow their attention to the object and not the mode of production behind it.
Commodity fetishism causes a social relation between the capitalist and his workers. The combination of social relation and the fetishism with the commodity leads and deepens the alienation felt by the workers. For example, Foxconn workers, the corporation that produces Apple products, face all four types of alienation described by Marx. Since these workers are mistreated, they face alienation from the process of work because they are force to work long hours for a minimal wage. Also, Foxconn workers face alienation from product of work since they don't take ownership in the commodities they produce. Most importantly, Foxconn workers experience alienation from others and species-being. The workers are not able to voice their opinions in the workplace and are forced to work long hours each day that they don't receive much personal leisure time.
One specific case of the Foxconn worker’s alienation is Ma Xiangqian, a nineteen-year-old worker who committed suicide from being miserable at his workplace. According to Barboza’s article, Ma’s paystub showed that he has worked 286 hours the month before he died (Barboza, 2010). Following the death of Ma, there was even more reports on suicides and suicide attempts from Foxconn employees. This social issue of alienation is extremely visible in Foxconn employees, but its safe to say that all wageworkers experience one or multiple forms of alienation from their work to some degree. The workers’ alienation is not presented to consumers when they are waiting in line for the latest phone or computers. Because of commodity fetishism, consumers only care for the product and not the value and the labor put behind each product by a wageworker, making the consumer blind to alienation.
Link to article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/business/global/07suicide.html?pagewanted=all
Technology is a good example of commodity fetishism and alienation; one widely known example of this idea is Apple products. Things like iPad, iPhones, and MacBooks have such a cult following that they drive people to be infatuated with the products. Evidence of this commodity fetishism with Apple products can be seen in the social affects that these commodities have on society. For example, when a new Apple product is released to the market, it has become socially acceptable for people to form extensive line outside of Apple stores hours in advance in order to be one of the first to own the latest technology.
This social preoccupation of owning the latest forms of technology cause the commodities to discredit its use value and the wage-labor behind the production of a single object. People tend to forget about the labor needed to create the commodity and insist on focusing on its exchange value and social affect. The popular demand of such a product, like iPhones, cause the need for more production of the commodity and leads to worker’s alienation. This alienation is not visible to society because consumers narrow their attention to the object and not the mode of production behind it.
Commodity fetishism causes a social relation between the capitalist and his workers. The combination of social relation and the fetishism with the commodity leads and deepens the alienation felt by the workers. For example, Foxconn workers, the corporation that produces Apple products, face all four types of alienation described by Marx. Since these workers are mistreated, they face alienation from the process of work because they are force to work long hours for a minimal wage. Also, Foxconn workers face alienation from product of work since they don't take ownership in the commodities they produce. Most importantly, Foxconn workers experience alienation from others and species-being. The workers are not able to voice their opinions in the workplace and are forced to work long hours each day that they don't receive much personal leisure time.
One specific case of the Foxconn worker’s alienation is Ma Xiangqian, a nineteen-year-old worker who committed suicide from being miserable at his workplace. According to Barboza’s article, Ma’s paystub showed that he has worked 286 hours the month before he died (Barboza, 2010). Following the death of Ma, there was even more reports on suicides and suicide attempts from Foxconn employees. This social issue of alienation is extremely visible in Foxconn employees, but its safe to say that all wageworkers experience one or multiple forms of alienation from their work to some degree. The workers’ alienation is not presented to consumers when they are waiting in line for the latest phone or computers. Because of commodity fetishism, consumers only care for the product and not the value and the labor put behind each product by a wageworker, making the consumer blind to alienation.
Link to article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/business/global/07suicide.html?pagewanted=all