My Mac

MacBook Pro

Dell Inspiron

         In this post I want to continue analyzing brands from Naomi Klein’s perspective and start thinking about them in relation to Veblen’s and Baudrillard’s consumption theories. Instead of studying another Tommy Hilfiger ad, I will reflect on the MacBook Pro I’m using to write. What would Klein, Veblen, and Baudrillard say this brand represents and what does it show about my consumption?

I started using Macs because my family always had. For many years, Macs were the only computers readily available to me, but now I would certainly choose a Mac over a PC. I’m a Mac lover for a few reasons. On the superficial level, I understand how to use them and do not particularly want to relearn PC programs even though I know I should expand my computer comfort zone. On a deeper level, my desire for a Mac matches well with the Klein’s, Veblen’s, and Baudrillard’s consumer theory. In No Logo, Klein reports that Renzo Rosso, Deisel Jeans owner, said, “We don’t sell a product, we sell a style of life… It’s the way to live, it’s the way to wear, it’s the way to do something.” This brand-determines-value mindset helps me understand why I consume Macs. I want to adopt the innovative, sleek, and speedy Mac identity. My MacBook’s curved corners and aesthetically pleasing black keyboard mounted on a silver base give it a modern, high-tech look. PCs, however, tend to be more chunky and boxy. Frankly they are less sexy. Like Diesel Jeans said, the brand denotes a way of life, and I prefer to live in line with Mac’s chic look than associate myself with bulky PCs. By purchasing a MacBook Pro, I invest in a forward thinking, creative, and beautiful lifestyle.

Similarly to how Klein views brands as signs, Veblen thinks of conspicuous consumption as a way that people demonstrate wealth and power. When people attain pecuniary power, Veblen says they gain the ability to “discriminate with some nicety between the noble and the ignoble in consumer goods.” When I needed to purchase a laptop two years ago, I could have chosen almost any model available. My family had the resources to invest in a MacBook even though it cost hundreds more than some other models in the market. In Veblen’s opinion, the decision to purchase a computer with many capabilities that I will probably never utilize instead of a cheaper laptop with only the necessary functionalities was a way to display social and economic status. The Theory of the Leisure Class argues that Macintosh was the “noble” product because it illustrated my family’s economic freedom and that PC was “ignoble” since it was cheaper. I never consciously thought to buy a Mac to show off financially, however that might have been an unconscious motive. Klein would add to Veblen’s theory by saying that I actually decided the concept, attitude, and lifestyle propagated by Mac was the “noble” consumer good, not the physical computer. While conspicuous consumption might have influenced me to purchase a Mac, the brand identity certainly did.

Baudrillard’s voice mixes with Klein’s and Veblen’s dialogue about consumer theory. He asserts, similarly to Klein, that all products have a social value, a social price tag, and a social significance apart from their monetary value. This social exchange value is what differentiates products most. As Baudrillard states in The Consumer Society, “this personalization, this pursuit of status and social standing, are all based on signs. That is to say, they are based not on objects or goods as such, but on differences.” I have a tendency to assume that while everyone else in the world may be driven by pursuit of status and social standing I am an exception. Examining the reasons I own a Mac, however, show me I am wrong. Even though functionally Macs and PCs can easily handle my everyday computer needs such as checking email, writing papers, and surfing the web, I value the Mac “sign” more. The high exchange value of a half-eaten apple differentiates a MacBook Pro from a Dell lnspiron. As Klein would say, Mac’s intentionally created and maintained brand empire distinguishes the company’s products from the plethora of other computers and computer makers. Baudrillard assets that Apple’s sign gives its products a higher social exchange value, and therefore Macs have more perceived prestigious.

Klein, Veblen, and Baudrillard agree that consumption is not solely about obtaining a good. Purchasing a product, whether it be a MacBook Pro, Tommy Hilfiger clothing, or a Starbucks coffee, identifies the consumer with a lifestyle, displays wealth, and helps determine social standing.

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