Cultural Capitalism

Cultural Capital can be defined as forms of knowledge, skill, education or any advantages a person has which gives them a higher status in society.

Embodied cultural capital consists of both the consciously acquired and the passively "inherited" properties of one's self (with "inherited" here used not in the genetic sense but in the sense of receipt over time, usually from the family.) Cultural capital is not transmissible instantaneously like a gift or bequest; rather, it is acquired over time as it impresses itself upon one's character and way of thinking, which in turn becomes more attentive to or primed to receive similar influences.

Objectified cultural capital consists of physical objects that are owned, such as scientific instruments or works of art. These cultural goods can be transmitted both for economic profit (as by buying and selling them with regard only to others' willingness to pay) and for the purpose of "symbolically" conveying the cultural capital whose acquisition they facilitate. However, while one can possess objectified cultural capital by owning a painting, one can "consume" the painting (understand its cultural meaning) only if one has the proper foundation of conceptually and/or historically prior cultural capital, whose transmission does not accompany the sale of the painting (except coincidentally and through independent causation, such as when a vendor or broker chooses to explain the painting's significance to the prospective buyer).

Task: Collect images and ideas which demonstrate your understanding of cultural capital

Capital Consumeris

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Consumerism is in fact an international phenomenon. People purchasing goods and consuming materials in excess of their basic needs.

Capital consumerism explores the idea of purchasing goods which are said to be ‘en vogue’ or in fashion. We are under the influence of others when deciding what we ‘need’.

Capitalists’ solution to the current economic downturn is to increase the circulation of capital; in other words, increase consumerism, a system of economy driven by consumer spending. However, consumerism leads to materialism, or the mentality for the need for excess.

People in consumerist societies live by the influence of advertisements, and often methodically buy things they do not need, and in most cases, cannot afford. This, in turn, leads to greater economic disparity, and despite having the most or latest products, consumerists have a feeling of unfulfillment due to spending a lot of money yet having nothing of personal importance.

Task:Research what the effect of capitalism has on a consumer society