COMMODIFYING ART, MEDIA, AND IDENTITY: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF CULTURAL CONSUMERISM IN DON DELILLO’S MAO II AND WHITE NOISE

Iris Hamid; Swati Sharma

doi:10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i5.2024.3578

Authors

Iris Hamid Ph. D Scholar, Department of English, School of Humanities & Social Sciences, Lingaya’s Vidyapeeth, Faridabad, Haryana, India.
Dr. Swati Sharma Assistant Professor, Department of English, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Lingaya’s Vidyapeeth, Faridabad, India.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i5.2024.3578

Keywords:

Postmodernism, Consumerism, Commodification, Media, Culture, Consumption, Identity

Abstract [English]

This paper explores Don DeLillo’s Mao II and White Noise as critical reflections on the pervasive impact of consumerism and the commodification of art, media, and identity in contemporary postmodern American society. By examining the lives of the central characters and their relationships with mass media, the paper highlights how DeLillo critiques the late capitalist ethos, which turns every aspect of human experience — creativity, tragedy, family life, and even death — into marketable commodities. Initially starting with a brief introduction about postmodernism, the paper through a comparative analysis of these two novels, demonstrates how DeLillo, American novelist, short story writer, playwright, screenwriter, and essayist, exposes the tension between individuality and collective identity, the erosion of authenticity, and the alienating effects of a consumer-driven culture.

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