Consumption
As we consume, we in fact signify to ourselves and to the world around ourselves a particular value system. This becomes dramatically magnified when we consider the amount of items that we have at our disposal to choose from; the consumer can, essentially, signify anything the want by selecting appropriate goods, services and systems. These objects begin to lose their functional resonance and importance, and the primary essence of a design is in its ability to transfer language to a consumer. The designer does, in fact, create culture; we provide options, and through the signification process of these objects, a culture is established.
Vitta explains that "On the one hand, indeed, in a reflected manner, [the designers] enjoy the same central role as that of the objects they design; on the other hand, their cultural character, although endowed with great prestige today, runs the risk of taking on the fragility and flimsiness of designed objects themselves" . This implies that Vitta sees design as transient; the culture we have helped create has as much attention deficit disorder as those participating in it. Consider the inner-city phenomenon of "rims" - chrome wheels that can be as large as twenty-six inches in diameter. These after-market accessories usually decor the Honda Civic or the old Cadillac; the 22s, costing nearly $1000 per wheel, add absolutely no functional value to the vehicle. What's even more interesting is to note that they offer no aesthetic value for the owner, either - the owner obviously can't see the rims as they drive. Thus, they have purchased an item in order to define themselves in the eyes of another; the product has transferred its meaning to the owner, and the owner has become entirely defined by it.