Commodification of Emotions in Literature & Theory

Commodification of Emotions: Concept

The commodification of emotions refers to the process by which genuine and personal feelings become transformed into marketable products or services within a capitalist framework. In this phenomenon, emotions are commercialized and sold as commodities, often through various media, products, or experiences. The concept underscores the influence of market forces on shaping and manipulating emotional expressions, blurring the lines between authentic sentiment and commercial exploitation. This commodification is not merely a transactional exchange but also involves the construction of emotional norms, influencing societal perceptions and expectations surrounding personal feelings.

Key Meanings of the Commodification of Emotions:

• Market Transformation: The conversion of personal and intimate emotions into commodities that can be bought and sold within the marketplace.
• Media Influence: The role of media in shaping emotional narratives and promoting certain emotional expressions as desirable commodities.
• Emotional Labor: The phenomenon of individuals engaging in emotional work for economic gain, such as in service industries where specific emotional displays are expected.
• Cultural Implications: The impact of commodifying emotions on cultural norms, societal expectations, and the authenticity of personal feelings within a commercialized context.

Commodification of Emotions: Definition as a Theoretical Term

The commodification of emotions is a theoretical concept encapsulating the transformation of intimate and personal feelings into marketable commodities within a capitalist system. This phenomenon involves the commercialization of emotional experiences, often facilitated through various media, products, or services. The concept highlights the impact of market forces on the perception, expression, and exchange of emotions, illuminating the intersection between economic interests and the realm of personal sentiment.

Commodification of Emotions: Theorists, Works, and Arguments

Theorist	Works	Key Argument
Arlie Russell Hochschild	The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling	Explores the concept of “emotional labor” and how emotions are managed and sold as commodities, particularly in professions where individuals are expected to regulate their emotional expressions for economic purposes.
Eva Illouz	Cold Intimacies: The Making of Emotional Capitalism	Analyzes the commodification of emotions within contemporary capitalism, emphasizing the processes through which emotional experiences are shaped, marketed, and consumed as commodities.
Erving Goffman	The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life	Contributes to understanding the commodification of emotions by introducing the dramaturgical perspective, exploring how individuals perform and present emotions as part of social scripts in various settings.
Jean Baudrillard	The System of Objects	Discusses consumer culture and the transformation of emotions into symbols and signs, highlighting the symbolic value assigned to emotions within a consumer-driven society, contributing to their commodification.

Commodification of Emotions: Major Characteristics

1. Commercialization: Emotions undergo a transformation into marketable products or services, subject to supply and demand dynamics within a capitalist framework.
2. Emotional Labor: Individuals engage in emotional work for economic gain, where specific emotional expressions are commodified and expected in certain professions.
3. Media Influence: Media plays a significant role in shaping emotional narratives and promoting specific emotional expressions as desirable commodities.
4. Cultural Impact: The commodification of emotions influences cultural norms, societal expectations, and the authenticity of personal feelings within a commercialized context.
5. Market Transformation: Personal and intimate emotions are converted into commodities that can be bought and sold within the marketplace.
6. Symbolic Value: Emotions acquire symbolic significance, becoming part of a larger system of signs and meanings within consumer culture.
7. Emotional Consumption: Emotions are consumed as experiences, often packaged and sold as entertainment, self-help, or lifestyle products.
8. Emotional Authenticity: The line between authentic sentiment and commercially-driven emotional expressions becomes blurred, challenging the genuine nature of personal feelings.
9. Emotional Capitalism: The concept extends beyond individual transactions, reflecting a broader societal phenomenon where emotions become a form of capital within the economic system.
10. Cultural and Social Construction: The commodification of emotions contributes to the construction of emotional norms, influencing societal perceptions and expectations surrounding personal feelings.

Commodification of Emotions: Relevance in Literary Theories

Literary Theory /Perspective	Relevance of Commodification of Emotions
Marxist Literary Criticism	Examines how the commodification of emotions reflects broader economic structures and power dynamics, influencing character motivations and societal depictions in literature.
Feminist Literary Criticism	Analyzes how the commercialization of emotions perpetuates or challenges gender norms and expectations, offering insights into the representation of women and their emotional experiences.
Postcolonial Literary Theory	Explores how the commodification of emotions intersects with colonial histories, revealing power imbalances, cultural clashes, and the impact of globalization on emotional narratives.
Psychoanalytic Literary Theory	Investigates the emotional authenticity of characters in literature, considering how the commodification of emotions may parallel or challenge psychoanalytic concepts of individual expression.
Postmodern Literary Criticism	Examines how literary works may reflect or critique the commodification of emotions, often blurring the lines between reality and simulation, challenging traditional narrative structures.
Cultural Studies	Explores how literature reflects and shapes cultural attitudes towards the commodification of emotions, offering a lens through which to analyze societal values, norms, and emotional practices.

Commodification of Emotions: Application in Critiques

1. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis:

• Application of Commodification: The novel satirizes the commodification of emotions in the hyper-materialistic world of 1980s Wall Street. The protagonist, Patrick Bateman, exemplifies a character whose emotions seem manufactured and detached, reflecting a society where genuine feelings are overshadowed by consumerism.

2. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk:

• Application of Commodification: Palahniuk’s novel critiques the commodification of emotions by exploring the alienation and frustration of modern life. The formation of the Fight Club serves as a rebellion against a society where emotions are suppressed and replaced with consumer-driven identities.

3. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro:

• Application of Commodification: Ishiguro’s dystopian novel delves into the commodification of emotions in a society where human clones exist to provide organ donations. The characters grapple with the commercialization of their existence, emphasizing the dehumanizing impact of treating emotions as a transactional commodity.

4. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood:

• Application of Commodification: Atwood’s novel explores the commodification of emotions in a totalitarian society where women are reduced to reproductive commodities. The emotional experiences of the protagonist, Offred, are manipulated and controlled by the regime, illustrating the dehumanizing consequences of emotional exploitation.

In these examples, the commodification of emotions serves as a thematic lens through which authors critique societal values, consumer culture, and the impact of external forces on individual and collective emotional experiences.

Commodification of Emotions: Relevant Terms

Term	Definition
Commodification	The transformation of personal feelings and emotions into marketable products or services, subject to economic exchange.
Emotional Labor	The effort individuals exert to manage and sell their emotions as part of their job, often for economic gain.
Media Influence	The significant role played by media in shaping emotional narratives and promoting specific emotional expressions as commodities.
Cultural Impact	The influence of the commodification of emotions on cultural norms, societal expectations, and the authenticity of personal feelings.
Market Transformation	The conversion of personal and intimate emotions into commodities that can be bought and sold within the marketplace.
Symbolic Value	The assignment of symbolic significance to emotions, contributing to their role as commodities within consumer culture.
Emotional Consumption	The act of consuming emotions as experiences, often packaged and sold as entertainment, self-help, or lifestyle products.
Emotional Authenticity	The blurred distinction between authentic sentiment and commercially-driven emotional expressions.
Emotional Capitalism	The broader societal phenomenon where emotions become a form of capital within the economic system.
Cultural Construction	The shaping of emotional norms and societal perceptions surrounding personal feelings within a commercialized context.

Commodification of Emotions: Suggested Readings

1. Hochschild, Arlie Russell. The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling. University of California Press, 1983.
2. Illouz, Eva. Cold Intimacies: The Making of Emotional Capitalism. Polity Press, 2007.
3. Goffman, Erving. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Doubleday, 1959.
4. Baudrillard, Jean. The System of Objects. Verso, 1996.
5. Ellis, Bret Easton. American Psycho. Vintage Books, 1991.
6. Palahniuk, Chuck. Fight Club. W. W. Norton & Company, 1996.
7. Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never Let Me Go. Vintage Books, 2005.
8. Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. Anchor Books, 1985.