Adorno and Horkheimer end their piece describing the present practice of the commoditization of individuals. With this commoditization, individuals can now be given a value and exchanged. While nobody wants to think of him or herself as having a “price tag,” it is very much real. In the last class we discussed the word-of-mouth approach in advertising products and related it to the word-of-mouth advertising of individuals through references and recommendations.
In the “real world” whoever gets the best recommendations and the best people to recommend them are ultimately the ones who succeed. In college everybody learns the value of summer jobs and internships to get them in the lead of the job market after graduation. While it is unfair to say that it is impossible to get a summer job or internship solely based on merits, in the end those who are better connected have an easier time and in most cases get better opportunities. Having connections that will place you in a well respected laboratory conducting research with the top individuals of a field is definitely better than the person without connections who spends their summer as a hospital intern answering phones and handing out meals.
In this case individuals are given a value and exchanged through the advertising they receive through recommendations. The person who refers you has a value in their field, through their recommendation they are establishing your reputation to be on par with theirs (they are essentially “branding” you). An employer would value the opinions of an individual who is at the top of their field more than somebody who is just mediocre because their credentials are well established and their association with you gives the employer a sense of expectations.
Furthermore, if asked why they decided to attend Williams many students would reply the reputation of the college (which is further reiterated in the position of the college in the last couple of years on the US News and World Report’s annual list of the best colleges in America). Having claimed the top spot for a number of years, the college has acquired what can be considered a brand. When applying to colleges, schools are divided in tiers, allowing for comparison. It is pretty much accepted that there is a hierarchy when it comes to institutions of higher education, and along with it expectations.
Because Williams has topped the list for many years, there are high levels of expectations, and when these expectations are not met, the “brand” of the school is tarnished. When events that spark controversy arises (such as racial slurs being made, human excrement found in places other than bathrooms), sometimes a common response is, “It shouldn’t happen at a place like Williams.” This response is directed towards the “brand” of Williams. These events deviate from the expectations and there is much embarrassment when other schools, especially schools that we consider inferior to us, criticize and mock us, and subsequently devaluing our reputation/brand.
In these situations, the exchange value is dependent on sign value. Neither case really involves physical objects that can be assigned value through human labor; they involve assigning exchange values to individuals and institutions, neither of which are new and shocking or uncommon.
In the “real world” whoever gets the best recommendations and the best people to recommend them are ultimately the ones who succeed. In college everybody learns the value of summer jobs and internships to get them in the lead of the job market after graduation. While it is unfair to say that it is impossible to get a summer job or internship solely based on merits, in the end those who are better connected have an easier time and in most cases get better opportunities. Having connections that will place you in a well respected laboratory conducting research with the top individuals of a field is definitely better than the person without connections who spends their summer as a hospital intern answering phones and handing out meals.
In this case individuals are given a value and exchanged through the advertising they receive through recommendations. The person who refers you has a value in their field, through their recommendation they are establishing your reputation to be on par with theirs (they are essentially “branding” you). An employer would value the opinions of an individual who is at the top of their field more than somebody who is just mediocre because their credentials are well established and their association with you gives the employer a sense of expectations.
Furthermore, if asked why they decided to attend Williams many students would reply the reputation of the college (which is further reiterated in the position of the college in the last couple of years on the US News and World Report’s annual list of the best colleges in America). Having claimed the top spot for a number of years, the college has acquired what can be considered a brand. When applying to colleges, schools are divided in tiers, allowing for comparison. It is pretty much accepted that there is a hierarchy when it comes to institutions of higher education, and along with it expectations.
Because Williams has topped the list for many years, there are high levels of expectations, and when these expectations are not met, the “brand” of the school is tarnished. When events that spark controversy arises (such as racial slurs being made, human excrement found in places other than bathrooms), sometimes a common response is, “It shouldn’t happen at a place like Williams.” This response is directed towards the “brand” of Williams. These events deviate from the expectations and there is much embarrassment when other schools, especially schools that we consider inferior to us, criticize and mock us, and subsequently devaluing our reputation/brand.
In these situations, the exchange value is dependent on sign value. Neither case really involves physical objects that can be assigned value through human labor; they involve assigning exchange values to individuals and institutions, neither of which are new and shocking or uncommon.
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