Alienationin the Consumer Society

Introduction. This article addresses the discursive neglect of alienation theory in contemporary social science and the humanities. The author demonstrates that, despite the shift in scholarly discourse away from understanding alienation, this phenomenon remains characteristic of contemporary consumer society. Methodology and sources. The author draws on a variety of data from scholarly works by Russian and international authors. Both classical works and contemporary studies are analyzed. The Marxist approach provided a fundamental understanding of alienation. The neo- Marxist method allowed us to explicate the various forms of alienation present in contemporary society. Using a philosophical and cultural approach, we examined the problematic of alienation as related to the specific functioning of consumer culture. The philosophical concepts of alienation by K. Marx, G. Marcuse, and E. Fromm, as well as A.V. Buzgalin's theory of the perverse sector, served as the methodological basis. The author analyzed a number of works not yet translated into Russian. Results and discussion. Alienation is the loss of connection with the most significant elements of existence and the lack of understanding of this loss. Alienation is constituted in our society primarily through advertising, fashion, and propaganda. A person socialized into a consumer society reproduces alienation themselves. Alienation has a special charm. In their key positions, Marxist and post-Marxist theories of alienation are quite adequate for describing contemporary consumer society. Conclusion. Consumer society is characterized by alienation from: 1) the products of one's labor, 2) productive activity (having no control over the means of production and being forced to alienate one's labor force), 3) other people in the context of an atomistic, "fractured" society of individualistic consumers, 4) awareness of real class interests, 5) making (unforced) personal choices, 6) influencing political decisions, 7) high moral ideals and personal conscience, 8) solidarity and collective action, 9) the environment, 10) authentic consumption, 11) genuine – creative and developing – activity.

Authors: Aleksey N. Il'in

Direction: Philosophy

Keywords: alienation, consumer society, capitalism, Marxism, fashion, advertising, needs, manipulation

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