Getting the Goods: Customized Consumerism & Me

In Kieran Healy’s article “Digital Technology and Cultural Goods,” we are posed with a recurring question in today’s new media world: does customization enhance or hinder our consumer experience? As is the case with many new media dilemmas, there appears to be no right or wrong answer. On the one hand, customization is a seemingly necessary means for advertisers to get through the clutter and cater to overwhelmed consumers who are engulfed by the endless options provided by the Internet. As Healy writes, “with perfect information about your habits, your newspaper could tailor itself to you—sports scores (but no baseball), foreign news (but no business reports),” etc., etc (482).

However, on the other hand, Healy notes that the convenience of customization may ultimately prevent consumers from seeking new information, looking for new experiences, and essentially making people “less likely to hear about or try out new things” (483). This idea of “perfectly targeted advertising” has been criticized for the potential of making people “more extreme in our views and less tolerant of other people precisely because it allows individuals to specify in advance what they want to see, hear, and read” (483).

From personal experience within this new media environment, it’s safe to say that we have all experienced both the positive and negative effects of customized consumerism, or so we think. Take amazon.com for example. Upon entering this online shopping mecca, I am warmly greeted with a banner that reads “Hello, Marli” (Exhibit A). And like an old friend who knows my tastes in books, I am immediately guided to look at things “to enjoy” (Exhibit B). And finally, by displaying the covers of books I have previously added to a wish list, Amazon reminds me that every now and then I should treat myself to a gift (Exhibit C). So even if I was initially on the website to browse for used Backstreet Boys CDs, by showing me remnants of my purchasing past, I am propelled towards the safety and convenience of Amazon’s recommendations. So as I am stopped dead in my tracks by my Amazon homepage beckoning me to read the newest novel by my favorite author, I’d have to say yes, customized consumerism makes me less likely to try out new things.

Exhbit A:


Exhibit B:


Exhibit C:




Healy, K. (2002). Digital technology and cultural goods. The Journal of Political Philosophy, 10(4).