The Rubbish Duck Project - Essay Example

The Rubbish Duck Project “The contemporary society that is driven by the consumer culture has "fed more people, clothed more people, and housed more people than any other society in human history”. However the same consumer culture “has also damaged the environment and created more trash than any other society in history” Goodman & Cohen, 2004: p. 137 Introduction Consumer culture refers to the type of social arrangement which facilitates the interaction between the cultural and social experiences of individuals and the social resources used by them as well as between the attitudes and perceptions of individuals toward their lives in general and the material resources used by them through market mediation. It refers to the presence of an all-pervasive set of behaviours found across cultures and societies, and are heavily dominated by the consumption of commercial products and services. It lays greater emphasis on individual freedom and choice with regard to the consumption decisions taken by the consumers. Such culture today is heavily influenced by the concept of ‘modernity’ whereby the consumers are no longer restricted by the confines of conventions and traditional norms but instead are freed by the ability to choose based on social trends and rationality (Slater, 1997). Role of consumer culture in shaping creative industries: The advent of the twentieth century witnessed a drastic change in the manner in which consumption was defined and perceived. It now entailed within its purview a revolutionary practice led by enlightened consumers with far greater spending capacity as never before. The range of technological advancements and innovations that coincided with such changing trends further helped shape and reaffirm its position as a dominant factor in production and consumption (Hesmondhalgh, 2007). A gradual shift toward the establishment and emergence of cultural and creative industries was observed whereby the complex and conventional organisational structure gave way to a highly variable and dynamic one. Such increased emphasis and significance of cultural and creative industries highlighted the inter-relationship between the various technologies used for production and the symbolic informational goods that were being consumed in a highly dynamic consumer society. The conventional ideological needs of the state were being redefined and transformed by the widespread assimilation of the consumer culture whereby the entire system was restructured with the influx of creative labour (Healy, 2002). The concept of ‘culture’ which was historically been used to describe a mere prestige expenditure gradually made its way within the main spheres of political discourse, assuming a priority status as a key policy issue. The market structure hence shifted from mass-production to a relatively more flexible system that valued specialised products and services (Lash and Urry, 1994; Amin, 1994). The increased fragmentation taking place within the markets further fuelled the volatility of consumer market further making the patterns of mass-consumption more and more apparent. The growth of the niche market segments helped create a new social identity for the new-age consumers fuelled by smoother and faster communication channels between the consumers and the producers. A sudden spurt in growth of SMEs was observed with development of various segment-specific markets influenced by socio-cultural factors and norms (Mommaas, 2004). The significance and role of social space grew by leaps and bounds followed by an improved understanding of the economy and its strong association with culture (Crang, 1997). Such transformations within the contemporary market place resulted in the shift from the conventional unified economic space toward the more liberal and dynamic marketplace that was more multi-layered and spatial. It emphasised the newly achieved global mobility of the consumers as well as that of capital, knowledge, information, and other key resources (Castell, 1996). In a society dominated by consumer culture not all economic transactions are influenced by the element of ‘profitability’ or governed by the element of rationality / rational choices. The large pool of information afforded by contemporary market spaces in the information age has paved way for sharing of resources through a complex maze of human networks. It has helped in establishing positive relationships between the consumers and the producers based on trust and mutual benefits (Gordon & McCann, 2000; Martin & Sunley, 2003; Wolff & Gertler, 2004). Furthermore the increased participation of local firms and organisations in exploiting the vast information resource helped them gain competitive advantage (Bathelt, Malmberg & Maskell, 2004). Creativity and innovation emerged as the key driving force behind organisational effectiveness and success (Howkins, 2001; Tepper, 2002). The element of creativity and innovation achieved increased significance across organisations as a valuable economic resource that played a key role in steering the organisations toward economic prosperity and growth (Negus & Pickering, 2004). Such cultural transformation of the economy utilized and capitalised on consumer culture in driving organisational change (Du Gay & Pryke, 2002). In such a drastically changed new economy, addressing challenges posed by the external market forces entailed restructuring of the organisational culture rather than merely abandoning the old ones. Such internal restructuring was inevitable to allow the organisations to compete fairly in a highly changing and dynamic marketplace led and ruled by the consumers. The formation of cultural industries hence paved way for reforms in management and leadership styles, where the key emphasis was on ethical and moral responsibilities of the organisations (Ross, 2003). Such changes signalled the advent of new cultural and creative industries in a contemporary marketplace. Significance of consumer culture: Environmental problems: The increasing dominance of consumer culture and its strong impact in shaping the contemporary marketplace resulted in the simultaneous rise in the concept of environmentalism. The rise in popularity of consumer culture increased concerns with regard to the consumption patterns and its adverse effect on the environment, sparking debates across most of Western Europe with regard to the negative health implications caused by industrial pollutants and the overall economic growth (Cohen, 2001). Decades later, consumer culture has now enabled market reforms whereby addressing the environmental concerns through management initiatives has become integral to organisations across Europe (Buttel, 2003). Green consumption has been largely promoted and endorsed by organisations in contemporary western societies transferring a significant proportion of the responsibility to the consumers in a bid to engage them in addressing the range of environmental problems faced due to the dominant consumer culture. Increased consumption patterns is a problem of critical concern in the industrialised countries since it has posed a serious challenge to the environment due to unsustainable levels of consumption. There is ever-increasing scientific evidence against the pitfalls of over-consumption and the dangers it poses to the climate. The rapid environmental degradation is a direct outcome of the consumption-intensive consumer culture resulting in increased waste, pollution, and carbon emissions especially in countries such as the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, France, Italy and Spain (Smart, 2010). Various attempts have been made over the decades by leading environmentalists to contain and address the environmental catastrophe that has been unleashed on contemporary society as a direct outcome of the consumer culture and the unsustainable levels of consumption that accompanies it. However regardless of the mounting evidence majority of the Western governments have failed to confront and politically persuade the organisations to resolve the issue effectively. The consumer culture is steeped in economic growth as its key driver and the political and economic market forces act as key enablers to the phenomenon. Hence the dilemma faced by the policy makers is to make an appropriate choice between promoting environmentally friendly consumption patterns or limit economic growth by lowering consumption levels and persuading the consumers to alter or modify their lifestyles (Livingston, 2011). The increasing trend of consumption of bottled water since the turn of twentieth century is indicative of the significant environmental impact of consumer culture and the extent of environmental damage it is likely to cause. The creative industries and the widespread innovations that followed along with innovative and creative means of advertising and marketing helped in popularising the trend of bottled water resulting in a dramatic shift in the consumer buying patterns. The portability of water and the ease of access to one of the most valuable natural resources enamoured the consumers imagination but conveniently side-lined the issue of its environmental repercussions. The destructive after-effects of increased consumption of bottled water was conveniently ignored for decades, since the act has been excessively promoted by smart advertising tactics. The product is promoted as a healthy choice to the consumers in an already over-crowded market space (McAllister & West, 2013). The Harvard School of Public Health revealed that the various negative health effects of bottled water as well as the environmental damage it is likely to cause in the near future (Dayton, 2010). However despite such mounting evidence supporting claims of harmful toxins present in bottled water in popular brands (Louaillier, 2010) the perceived need and desire to carry ones own personal supply of clean drinking water over-powered the psyche of the consumers (Assadourian, 2010). Furthermore the incessant publicity and constant media tactics that promoted the product as pristine and compared it with the "pristine mountain streams of Poland Springs" (Louaillier, 2010) prevented the consumers from acknowledging and considering the harmful negative consequences of the same on their health as well as on the environment. Since the environmental damage is known to be caused by the consumer culture, it is highly imperative that the issue be resolved through modifying, altering or redefining the consumption patterns as well as. This is achieved in the most effective way through The Rubbish Duck Project, which is discussed in the following section. The Rubbish Duck Project: The highly independent contemporary society, that we live in today, faces a range of grave challenges. These include the polarization and inequality of market structures both - within and beyond the nations; the increasing consumer culture and the simultaneous deterioration of the environment around us. It is in dire need of innovative and environmentally sustainable strategies to address the issue and respond to the cultural and economic forces in the most effective manner. However such a response is, if not impossible, a highly daunting task especially considering the domination of media generated images and ideas constantly aimed at persuading the consumers otherwise. UK has consistently been a pioneer in promoting and developing ideas ranging from those promoting social inclusion to raising awareness regarding the steadily deteriorating environment. The Global Duck Project is one such creative project / idea that attempts to persuade the consumers to rethink their consumption patterns and address the ever present danger of environmental deterioration. The Rubbish Duck Project is an environmental initiative pioneered by Ferdinand Povel as a response to counter the growing disinterest and disregard of the consumers toward the environment around them leading to pollution of the Thames and Regents Canal. The rubbish duck is a sculpture made purely out of discarded plastic bottles collected from the Thames and Regents Canal and symbolises the amount and extent of damage caused by consumption of bottled water to the local environment (Cargo Collective, 2014). Creative industries in contemporary society are a significant force that helps in steering the consumer opinions toward desired outcomes through innovative and creative ideas and help the communities to grow and prosper both commercially as well as environmentally. The rubbish duck project bears testimony to the fact that as economies around the globe become more and more competitive and consumerist, such creative projects can help in striking a balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability through sheer ingenuity and skill. The difference between success and failure hence, boils down to the effective use of a combination of marketing skills, innovative ideas and flawless execution of the same to steer consumer opinion in the favour of the idea that is being endorsed and communicated. References: Amin, A. (Ed. (1994). Post-Fordism. A Reader. Oxford: Blackwell. Assadourian, E., (2010). The rise and fall of consumer cultures, In Eric Assadourian and World Watch Institute (eds.), 2010. State of the World: Transforming cultures: From consumerism to sustainability. New York, NY: Norton Publication. p. 3 - 2- Bathelt, M., Malmberg, A. and Maskell, P. (2004). 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The Routledge companion to advertising and promotional culture. London, England: Routledge Publication, p. 410 -412 McAllister, M. P., West, E., (2013). The Routledge companion to advertising and promotional culture. London, England: Routledge Publication. Mommaas, H., (2004). Cultural clusters and the post-industrial city: Towards the remapping of urban cultural policy. Urban Studies. Vol. 41 (3): p. 507 - 532. Negus, K. and Pickering, M. (2004). Creativity, Communication and Cultural Value. London: Sage Publication. Ross, A. (2003). No Collar: the humane workplace and its hidden costs. New York: Basic Books. Slater, D., (1997). Consumer culture and modernity. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. Smart, B., (2010). Consumer society: Critical issues and environmental consequences. Portsmouth, UK: SAGE Publications. Tepper, S. J. (2002). Creative assets and the changing economy. Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society. Vol. 32 (2): p.159-168 Cargo Collective (2014). 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