The Use of and Commitment to Goods

Abstract

In social theory, goods have usually not been included in the social world. However, in the sociology of consumption, they have been seen as mediating social relations and offering opportunities to make social distinctions. It is precisely the symbolic aspect of goods that makes this possible. In helping to make these distinctions, goods are only given a passive role in our lives. They only get to function as markers of social differences, tastes, and so on. However, the use value of goods cannot be reduced to their symbolic aspect. Generally speaking, the use value also has two other aspects which I will call the ‘functionality’ and ‘productivity’ of goods. I am going to argue that because goods also comprise these aspects, they are not just ‘dead’ or ‘asocial’ elements or phenomena in our everyday lives, but also play an active role in our relationship to other people. Moreover, I will pay attention to the process of appropriating goods. On the one hand, I will focus on how we internalize purchased commodities (i.e. how we make them our possessions in the social meaning of the word); and, on the other hand, I shall also draw attention to the ways in which we surround our goods with the aura of ‘me-ness’ (i.e. how we externalize them). I will then conclude by looking at the active role that goods play as our partners when we try to cope with everyday life. They are ‘something in order to’, as Heidegger puts it. We are therefore prone to treat them well,‘to take care of them’, and they may have an even more important role in our lives than is usually thought.