The Codes of Advertising: Fetishism and the Political Economy of Meaning in the Consumer Society

This book examines the commercial speech of advertising as a cultural phenomenon whose social significance far exceeds its economic influence. Jhally argues that by selling viewing time to advertisers, television converts audiences into laborers who "work" for the media in the same way that workers do in a factory. By watching commercial messages on TV, viewers actively create symbolic meaning, but also generate profit for the media in return for the wage of entertainment. (First published in 1991.)

Author: Sut Jhally
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 12/12/1990
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.74lbs
Size: 9.18h x 6.06w x 0.57d
ISBN: 9780415903530

About the Author

Sut Jhally teaches at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.