Book, Life for consumption: the transformation of people into merchandise[LS]

In Life for Consumption, Zygmunt Bauman explains and analyzes a striking feature of contemporary society: the transformation of people into commodities. When addressing the issue, the author reflects broadly on the impact of consumerist behavior on different aspects of life. The invasion and colonization of the network of human relations by worldviews and standards of conduct shaped by the market are some of the central themes of this book, in which Bauman also addresses the sources of resentment, disagreement and occasional resistance to dominant forces. This subtle and pervasive transformation of consumers into commodities is, as the author states, the main characteristic — the hidden truth, the deepest and best kept secret — of consumer society. People need to undergo constant remodeling so that, unlike clothes that have gone out of fashion, they do not become obsolete. The author also examines the impact of consumerist attitudes and patterns of conduct on several seemingly disconnected aspects of social life: politics and democracy, social stratification and division, communities and partnerships, identity construction, production and use of knowledge, adoption and propagation of values . Life for Consumption is a fundamental work for Bauman readers and anyone interested in his themes.