Consumerborg is my term for the exponentially increasing robotization of the consumer. This process is directed by an alliance of corporate, government, and technological entities. Some activities of these entities are visible and transparent, but most are not. The consumer is induced to become a willing participant in this process through various machinations all designed to direct consumer desire toward obvious as well as subtle and hidden aims. This process is at work in all forms of political and economic structures and is most certainly the realized dream of Edward Bernays, double nephew of Sigmund Freud, and the father of advertising, the progenitor of “PR” and the developer of the U. S. government’s early intelligence activities. He laid out the purpose of his efforts as follows:

The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society … Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country… In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons… who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.

That is not the ranting of some kooky conspiracy theorist, but the truth-telling of an insider, the man largely responsible for the marriage of psychology, corporate power, and political deception. Such truth-telling has since been forbidden in the service of even greater hiding of the “wires” being pulled to control the public mind.

One of the primary aims of robotization of the consumer is economic. For all economies, the basic necessity is money flow. In the U.S., for example, more than 70% of the economy is dependent on consumer spending. When the consumer’s ability to spend is diminished, the economic emphasis shifts to consumer borrowing in order to finance spending. Spending and debt creation are the primary areas of focus for the robotization of the consumer.

In this process, it is essential to recognize that everything is becoming commodified and subject to this robotic monetization. This means that not just products and services, that everyone is familiar with, but with time and attention and persons as well. All entities are utilizing advancements in automation, artificial intelligence, and other technological dimensions (some known, some not) to facilitate an ever-greater degree of consumer tethering to the intentions and control of what Bernays referred to as those pulling the “hidden wires.”

The term “borg” is derived from “cyborg” which itself was derived from a combination of “cybernetic” and “organism.” Borg is best known from its appearance as the name for an alien race in Startrek, a race of cybernetic organisms intent on controlled robotization of humans. The term’s use in popular culture refers to any process toward which “resistance is futile,” the mantra of the Borgs.

What is anathema to the controllers of the hidden wires is any ineriority that cannot be mined and tethered to “the web.” Our interiority (thoughts, feelings, dreams, access to depth) is at ever greater risk and the external gravitational pull on our interiority is immense. Do not underestimate the risk.

Is, then, resistance futile?

I’ll address this in the next blog post.