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

by Sut Shally (Author), Sut Jhally (Author), Jhally Sut (Author)

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.

Author Biography

Sut Jhally teaches at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.