The Fordist era and the rise of mass consumption relate to each other by two important factors: simplification or generalization and personal detachment. The Fordist era made a huge impact on society during the early twentieth century. Henry Ford was able to make labor easier by using industrial machines to make his model vehicles. Although the industrial revolution provided an assembly line before Ford’s time, he was able to put them into real use. This meant that workers would not have to provide as much labor on making Ford’s vehicles because machinery would do most of the leg work. Now that machines were able to produce Ford’s vehicles through the same process of placing its parts together, labor was barely needed from the workers. The simplified effort that Ford provided to his workers allowed for “mass production of standardized goods” of his automobiles. (Aldridge, 35)
In response to the generalization of the production of Ford’s vehicles, consumers in turn would purchase them. This is where the idea of the “rise” of mass consumption comes into play. Alan Aldridge said that the reason Ford paid a high salary was because “his workers were also his customers” (35). The amount of vehicles produced needed to be sold to avoid overproduction. Therefore, his employees were also the consumers of his product. This example of a worker-buyer relationship is seen in the workforce today. Take retail for instance. An employee that works for Apple will have to sell its products or fix technical issues with a customer’s device. At almost all times, Apple employees possess a product from the company such as the IPhone. The brand, in this case Apple, becomes the mediator between the product and the customer rather than the employee. This...
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...en undermined by the logic of mass consumerism, and in many companies has ceased to be a serious option.” (47) As college students, we discover what our passions are and put them into use in the job market. Take a business major in fashion for instance. Her goal is to be a manager of a fashion company for Coach. She might have to start as an assistant to the manager or CEO of the company and may or may not like who she works with. If this is the case, she will have to use her “emotional labor” to get along with other co-workers. As an assistant, she does not have much input on what designs are suitable for the company because she is not in the position to do so. This can discourage her to share her ideas with her boss because there is a high chance of it being denied. Although she is aiming to be a CEO one day, her faith in herself and abilities may be questioned.
Flink’s Three stages of American automobile consciousness fully express the progress of the whole automobile industry. From the first model T to the automatic production, it gives me an intuitive feeling of the automobile history from a big picture. On the other hand, Kline and Pinch focus more on a certain group of people--farmers or people who live in the rural area, they use it as an entry point to talk about automobile, alone with the role and duty transition between male and
In The Flivver King, written by Upton Sinclair, Henry Ford started his own manufacturing in the back cottage on Bagley Street in the city of Detroit. The young inventor began to tinker and to make improvements to his new invention of the horseless carriage. Once he finally gained confidence to take it out for the public to see, the people were unsure if it was a joke or a step in civilization (8). Ford decided to look at the matter from an entirely different angle- the horseless carriage as a useful article for everybody instead of as a toy for the rich (10). Henry Ford’s Model T helped him to accomplish economies of scale because he took the steps to use a standardized model, use the assembly line, and revolutionize mass production.
Beginning in the 1880’s companies began instituting new technologies and methods to replace their manual labor counterparts. In factories where meats were packed, vegetables were canned, and cereal was boxed, conveyors and other intricate systems began to form the common yet efficient “continuous-process” (similar to the modern assembly line). The introduction of flow process assisted in the development of our entire economy. With factories lowering operation costs and developing more efficient machines, mass amounts of raw material could now be produced like never before. Materials like iron could be produced at such a low rate that the railroad infrastructure of the United States boomed. Strasser introduces the emergence of the mass market through a Proctor and Gamble anecdote, delving into the interesting world of cooking fats (i.e. Crisco). Through the use of this Crisco example, Strasser highlights a major shift in consumer culture. Companies had the daunting task of introducing and marketing hundreds of thousands of new products, many of which people had no need for in the past. Along with new iterations like chewing gum and the flashlight, “People who had never heard of toothpaste had to be told that they need it...” (Strasser, 6). This quote essentially ties in with the psychological aspect of marketing and how many industries faced difficulties in
The 1920's were a time where North America became modernized. Whether it was the music, the culture or the growth in technology, this time era is known to most people as the point where America advanced itself to become a world renowned country. An advancement that will be focused on is the Ford Model T. During this time owning a car was a symbol of wealth. Henry Ford, the creator of the Model T, made a system that revolutionized the automobile industry as we know it today. Henry Ford made it possible for people with an average income to own a motor vehicle by creating the assembly line and the theory of mass production. "The horse, which had been the chief means of land transportation for 3,500 years, had given way to the automobile, and the country's largest industry had been born." (Gordon)
The 1920’s was a time of great social, political, and economic change. The early automobile industry was no exclusion. It appears that throughout history, the figures that stand out the most are either worshipped or despised, and there is very rarely an in-between. Henry Ford, an icon of the 1920’s and the early automobile industry is no exemption. Many people love Ford for his innovative and entrepreneurial skills, while on the other hand, Ford is disliked by many due to his association with Anti-Semitism. Regardless of how Ford is viewed, many decisions he made significantly impacted the automobile industry. These decisions included installing the moving assembly line in his plant, and introducing the Five-Dollar Day. Through the implementation of the Five-Dollar Day, Ford was able to drastically change how the Ford Motor Company company operated, and how business would operate for years to come.
As early as the 1870’s, the American public started putting all their work and effort into the growth and development of only a few industries like the Automobile industry. The
In James Twitchell’s article, “What We Are to Consumers,” he states that “the object of much consumer
Model T’s were everywhere in America, even long after Ford stopped production in 1927. (Henry) While Ford was the number one brand, selling the most cars throughout the early 1900’s, the Model T created a new industry that is distinctly American; the auto industry. Three manufacturers, Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler dominated the American auto industry, and all three companies still produce cars today. The Model T gave birth to the competitive auto market. To this day, car companies in America are constantly racing to innovate, improve, and outsell their competitors. Manufacturing of cars “became the backbone of a new consumer goods-oriented society. By the mid-1920s it ranked first in value of product, and in 1982 it provided one out of every six jobs in the United States.” (history –idk yet) The demand for cars also resulted in a booming petroleum industry, and a high demand for metals, like steel. ( History idk yet) Furthermore, with so many people driving cars, construction of roads was necessary. The popularity of automobiles set off a chain reaction that created new opportunities all across the country. All sections of the modern automotive industry, from marketing to manufacturing, as well industries like petroleum refining, steel production, and road construction, can trace their beginnings to the Ford Model
The 1920s exploded with fast paced and lively creativity and culture that influence the world, yet no invention affected American everyday life in the 20th century more than the automobile. The rapidly growing automobile industry led by Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Increased wages and lower cost vehicles made possible through mass production meant that cars became increasingly affordable, although 3 out of 4 cars were bought on installment plans. Company produced new and better models every year to supply the insatiable public demand( http://www.1920-30.com). With, automobiles it made it easier for people to go place to place, it also was affordable for the people to buy. The automobiles were easy to make because of the assembly line in that
In the twentieth century, the introduction of the motor vehicle in the United States became not only noteworthy, but also vital in the development of modern American civilization. This technologically complex machine led citizens to vast future dependence on the invention. While mobility was suddenly not limited to alternative, more convoluted options such as railroad stations or bicycles, yet copiously amplified to aid convenience and expanded leisure opportunities. From auto-racing to redesigning infrastructure, motor vehicles allowed progression, digression, and essentially uttermost change to the lifestyles of the American people. This radical idea of the automobile permeated throughout America with most, if not all, credit renowned to Henry Ford.
Henry Ford was born near Dearborn, Michigan, on July 30, 1863. His family had nothing to do with the automobile, they were simple farmers. Henry lived on the farm that was run by his father who was an Irish man, and his mother who was Dutch, his mother died when he was 12. After his mother death he helped out around the family farm in summer and in winter attended a one-room school. From the young age he was fascinating my moving mechanical things. Form the young age he was fascinated by watches and clocks. He went around the countryside doing repair work without pay, for him all mattered was to play with the machinery of the watch. From his personal experience on the farm he was fascinated my farm machines that reduced the drudgery of farm chores. We can notice there was a lot of a kid in him, and to go around or making his chores easier he invented his own farm machines. His fascination with machines grew as he grew older. At the age of thirteen, for the first time he saw a coal-fired steam engine that was rolling along a long rural road. From that point he grew more fascinated about machines that moved about a roads without any manpower. At the age of sixteen, and against the wishes of his father, he left the home farm for Detroit, where he found work as a mechanic’s apprentice. He was faced with low paying jobs. Working for $2.50 in mechanics shop then moved to watchmaker were he worked for four hours and was paid $2 a week. Steadily he worked him self up in Edison Illuminating Company, and became a chief engineer there. In 1884 he took charge of a farm his father gave him. At twenty-four he married Clara Bryant and settled at his farm. But Ford did not stay long at the farm after two years he went back to Detroit and worked as a n...
Many theorists suggest that consumption is correlated to the identity of an individual, that by purchasing goods from the mass market, it enables us to visibly establish our position within society. This differs from previous times in which a range of factors such as family histories, character and personal achievements played a significant role (Gabriel and Lang, 2006). Instead, there is the idea that the consumer has the ability to gain pleasure over objects, not just solely by the manipulation of objects, but through the degree of control over their meaning. The degree of control is developed and achieved through imagination and provides greater possibilities of pleasure experiences. This suggests that modern consumption can be seen as device that enables individuals to ‘dream’ about the desires they wish to fulfill. (Campbell, 1989: 79) (Cited in Gabirel & Lang, 2006)
In reviewing the American auto industry 's environment, it becomes apparent that it is touched or influenced by many different imposing factors. But we also begin to realize the significance of this industry on the U.S. Economy and culture, which since the beginning have played critical roles in the industries growth through out the last century. Though the functional idea of motorized vehicles actually began in the late 1700s in France, the concept of utilizing one for personal transportation began as a mere isolated luxury for the wealthy. However, in 1908 Henry Ford set out to alter this concept by introducing what has been considered the first affordable automobile. The Model T, embraced the American spirit and was truly the first automobile trend, in that it made it possible for many to own a personal motorized vehicle, rather than just a few.[1] That trend has continued since, where automobile usage has increased expeditiously, where by 1999 the U.S had
Ford used Taylor’s scientific management principles and come up with the mass production and assembly line. This benefitted the motor vehicle industry highly. The effects of Taylorism and Fordism in the industrial workplace were strong and between the period of 1919-1929 the output of industries in the U.S doubled as the number of workers decreased. There was an increase in unskilled labour as the skill was removed and placed into machines. It lead to the discouragement of workers ability to bargain on the basis of control over the workplace.
Fordism is a theory which Henry Ford established it is based on his production of autom...