Vernon Martin - Finding Nature in the Mall

I thought Vernon Martin was an interesting speaker. He made me think differently about the mall. I haven't been to the mall in a long time but it is true how they try and bring a false sense of "nature" to inside the mall. The natural lighting and trees and water elements surround you as you walk around. I see parents bringing kids to the mall to play on the little play structures they have set up and sometimes I do wonder why they don't just take them to an outdoor park. I was really fascinated with the way marketing and advertising has changed. It was interesting to see the "er" of advertising in the 1950's to what is it today with giving us a sense of belonging and something to believe in when at the end of the day it just a tennis shoe. It is almost scary how easy it is to buy into this advertising. I can now see how I have done this in some of my purchases in the past. It is sort of like Gigi in the movie "He's Just Not That into You"and how she thinks she sees the signs of how the guy feels but really she is misreading and looking at something that isn't real. So we walk into the Rainforest Cafe and we think we are experiencing something real and but it really isn't. It is just an idea of what is palpable for most of the public to understand and digest and feel comfortable looking at. It was also interesting to see how we used to buy things like a television, new car to signify our class status and today we buy name brands to signify who we are. Are you a Coca-cola vs. Pepsi drinker? Are you a Mac vs. PC user?
I really liked the quote by Baudrillard," It is no longer a question of imitation, nor of duplication, nor even a parody. It is rather a question of substituting signs of the real for the real itself" Interesting stuff to think about.