CONSUMPTION SOCIETY AND THE ART OF PAINTING IN THE DIGITALIZED WORLD

Abstract

The term consumption society has started to be talked about during the 1980s. But we see that industrial revolutions played a fundamental role in it when we look at the development process of consumption society. Consumption has been a case to become a necessity as a result of the increase of production with the developing technology and the proliferation of manufactured products. Thus, the emergence of consumption society has begun as a consequence of the interdependent increase of production and consumption. Today, the term consumption society is socially expanded into every area. One of the most valid reasons for that is the brand-new mass media used during the globalization. The access to the Internet that has reached more than the half of the global population is provided by newly-developed and increasingly high-speed communication devices. Furthermore, the number of people accessing to the Internet is increasing every day. The consumption phenomenon, today, has shown so violent leap along with the consuming society that the new steps has started to be taken in terms of industrialization. Among the most important steps is Industry 4.0 with which factories become completely autonomous and AI-driven. Thus, it is aimed that production will become faster and the transferring products to customers quicker. The term consumption society has succeeded to influence art as it has taken control over everything as well. Art, now, has been under the influences of consumption society and started to lose its own essence rather than producing its own unique ideas. Works of art are being branded just as products for consuming and placed into a consumption cycle. Despite of all the limitations and forces imposed by consumption society, it should not be considered art and artist to ignore emerging social defects. During this process of the universal change throughout the world, artist should exert effort to fulfil the criticizing and liberating task of which he is responsible. This is an inherent nature of art. Keywords: Consumption society, Art, Art of painting, Digitalization