Would you buy Apple, Samsung, and Google smartphones due to their
aesthetics? If you consistently purchase a product on the same brand, would you
consider it as your team just like professional sports teams? Aesthetics and fan culture capital of popular
discrimination have transformed individuals purchase decisions.
I noticed many individuals’ shopping behavior has been
shaped by popular discrimination. Fiske mentions that “the major difference is
that between productivity and relevance on the one hand and quality and
aesthetics on the other (Guins and Cruz, 2005, p. 216). People shop in stores in person and online
such as Amazon and they are carefully looking at products. Sometimes individuals
pick a product that is more focused on quality while others buy the product
just because of its aesthetic looks. For example, at Amazon, online shoppers select
a cheap but quality electronic product, however, others will buy electronics
under popular name brands such as Sony, LG, and Samsung due to its aesthetics
over the quality of the product. Aestheticism had shaped the way people buy
electronics.
Would you buy electronic products because of their aesthetics?
Fiske describes that aestheticism became a “weapon in the class struggle” and
its function to “distinguish the cultured, fine sensibility from the rest” (Guins
and Cruz, 2005, p. 216). In terms of aestheticism,
Apple is the best. Apple is consistent on the aesthetic factor in which keeping
their products very minimalist while staying high-quality and highly functional
(Ayers, 2021). I believe that Apple’s marketing drives consumers to buy their
products rather than other brands with high quality products without focusing
on aesthetics contributes to what Fiske describes about Aestheticism. In addition,
aestheticism, brands considering aestheticism transforms people regarding
choosing brands and forming fan cultural capital.
Fiske clarifies that “fan cultural capital” is part of popular
discrimination that rewards “critical or aesthetic discrimination” (Guins and Cruz,
2005, p. 220). This clarifies why some consumers buy products from a brand and then
they begin considering the brand as their team just like sports teams. I see
people buy Apple iPhone and Apple watch together and then they consider that their
team is Apple compared to people having Android smartphones as they are in team
Samsung or Google Pixel. I notice some Apple users then start discriminating
against others who are on Android devices such as Samsung Galaxy and Google
Pixel. If you think about sports rivalries, the same thing applies to
technology brands. I believe that fan cultural capital created rivalries. For
example, Apple MacBook users frequently compare themselves to Windows users. Also
in video gaming, fan cultural capital clarifies why individuals choose sides
between PlayStation and Xbox.
Overall, I believe that popular discrimination have shaped
the consumers views and buying decisions towards products.
Questions:
1.
Since this blog is focused on popular technology
brands, what other brand categories align with aesthetics and fan culture capital
do you know of?
2.
Aside from products, how does fan culture
capital influence individuals who watch their favorite movies and TV shows?
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References:Dayaram, S. (2023, January 16). Pixel 7 vs. iPhone 14 vs. Galaxy S22: The Big Three Phones of 2022 compared. CNET. https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/pixel-7-vs-iphone-14-vs-galaxy-s22-big-three-phones-of-2022-compared/
Guins, R., & Cruz, O. Z. (Eds.). (2005). Popular culture: A reader. Sage.
Kain, E. (2013, July 26). Xbox One vs. PS4: Why Sony is
still the best choice for Gamers. Forbes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/07/25/xbox-one-vs-ps4-why-sony-is-still-the-best-choice-for-gamers/
Meyer, C. (2024, December 21). Why is Tennessee called
the volunteers? explaining nickname of Ohio State’s CFP opponent. The
Columbus Dispatch.
https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/college/football/2024/12/21/tennessee-volunteers-nickname-college-football-playoff-cfp-ohio-state/77114945007/#:~:text=Soon%20after%20that%2C%20local%20publications,of%20its%20various%20athletic%20programs.
This was a great blog post. Thank you for sharing! I can admit that I definitely buy Apple products because of their aesthetics, but also of the familiarity of the products. I grew up in a family that only used samsung phones, tablets, etc… Until about 7th grade I realized that Apple was what was most popular in our generation, and began using it. I didn’t want to seem “lame” at the time, but now that I’m almost 26, I don’t care about that anymore. At this point I feel like most people, including myself, stick to one side because if they were to switch, it would feel like you have to learn a new system when honestly it’s not that complicated. People like to just stick with what they’re comfortable with. In terms of fan culture capital, I feel as if the clothing industry in general is all about what brand you are wearing and how much it costs rather than what is most comfortable. I land on the side of comfortability, but that may just be my nature coming from a former athlete who wore sweats and hoodies all day every day.
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