Examples Of Commodification Of Childhood Culture

The Commodification of Childhood Culture

Creative Project Assignment

CS203 – A2

Alexa Bloom

140647650

A commodity, at a basic descriptive level, is any good or service that can be exchanged through transactions during commerce. Commodities are demonstrated through economic products that can be seen through an article of business, typically leading to an exchange for profit. Conversely, commodification is the process through which any entity, that is not considered a good or service, is transformed into a commodity. This concept has prevailed throughout history, and begins to be more and more relevant as technology evolves. With technological developments comes more ways for innovators to create products

The approach I took when explaining the commodification of childhood was through an active video slideshow. The website www.rawshorts.com provided a program that allowed me present my ideas and arguments in a creative, easy to follow and enjoyable way. By creating a character named Pete, I was able to demonstrate that he is exploring the depth of commodification, while on a journey to learn what exactly it encompasses. By doing this, it sets a storyline throughout the presentation, rather than just stating factual information. This character strategically enables the audience to become engaged with the topic at hand, and produces a friendly yet education approach. The target audience is high school students. I chose this age demographic because these individuals have basic understandings of the world, communication and economics. While this group does not have the in-depth knowledge that a university student attains, when a concept is explained at a basic level, they are able to grasp it. Throughout this video, I carefully begin with the definition of

Specifically, childhood culture is targeted as a key demographic market segment for commodification. According to Cook (2004), “Essentially, the commodification of childhood refers to the ways in which this phase or stage of life style has taken on economic exchange values” (p. 6). The immense amount of profit gained through the childhood market is vast, which is why businesses take advantage of this specific age group. Children up to the age of five do not understand the difference between entertainment and advertising, creating naivety to advertisements (Cook, 2004, p. 7). Moreover, children’s aspiration to have the so-called ‘in’ product, or an iconic toy they saw in a commercial is heightened due to their strive to own it. According to Stephen Kline (1993), author of Out of the Garden, “Children can become obsessed with wanting particular video games or toys and exceptionally persistent in their demands for them” (p. 12). Due to the fact children themselves do not accumulate a salary, their parents are the ones who care for them and pay for their needs and wants. Furthermore, parents become the mediator between the child and the market and seen as the purchasing agent on behalf of them. Additionally, children have an immense impact on the annual spending for the parents. This is appealing to corporations, and according to Kline (1993), “Given that merchants’ attentions are increasingly