Manufacturing Desire and Shaping Identity

I believe brands provide information to consumers and attempt to manufacture desire within them. Consumers choose, through purchase and use, to incorporate the associations, connotations, feelings, and status that they believe is conveyed by a brand within their own identity. Consumers use objects and possessions to communicate who they are to others and form their own self-image.

Personally, I am typically reluctant to own items that loudly advertise themselves, like a t-shirt with a massive Nike swoosh or glasses with a bold D&G on the temple. I sometimes remove labels that are visible even if I like the company, like the Coal winter hat I have. Most of the things I own are quiet self-advertisers, however, there are a few items that I don't mind having their logo showing, probably because I relate strongly to the company and product. For example, my Freitag bag and Sigg bottle both have branding visible, although relatively subtle, on their exterior. I imagine these brands closely align with who I think I am and how I want others to view me.

Too Much Information?

In what ways has easy access to so much information, much of it for free (Project Gutenberg, NASA digital elevation maps, baseball statistics, Wikipedia, etc.), changed the way we live, consume, think, communicate, and value? For example, does not knowing matter when it is so easy to know something? I think this has, in a way, killed trivia. Before the internet, Trivial Pursuit was a phenomenon because it was a novel information source - now it is a sad box of mostly expired information. Coudal had a trivia contest a couple of years ago, except they vetted the questions, making sure the information wasn't on the internet - until they posted the answers. How long will it be until every known thing is searchable and knowable?