The next transformation: From glam-capitalism to alter-capitalism

Globalization has resulted not in the ‘world society’ but rather in networked enclaves of globality like big cities: New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Moscow, London, Buenos Aires etc. People in such enclaves experience globality through intensive flows of consumer goods, technologies, migrants, money, media-generated images. And capitalism there has been transformed into glam-capitalism being in sharp contrast with traditional social reality. Preconditions for new form of capitalism have been generated by virtualization of social structures.   

By the 2000s intensive commoditization of images and commercialization of networks had leaded to overbranding and triviality of the virtualization strategy that has provoked shift of competitive advantages to hyper-virtuality of glamour. Being since the 1930s specific aesthetic form, glamour has become now rationality of newest capitalism. Glam-capitalism raises when producers at the hyper-competitive market place must glamour consumers and when goods / services must be aggressively beautiful to be attractive for targeted groups. Value creation process now is related more to trends, than to brands, not only in traditional fashion industry and show business but also in high-tech and financial industries. Owners and creators of trends compose new status groups – glam-capitalists and glam-professionals, which are core of new middle strata above shrinking traditional middle class.

Alternative movements like ‘copy left’, ‘open source’, and ‘pirates’ violating ‘intellectual’ property rights challenge regime of glam-capitalism and represent the authenticity revolt against hyper-virtuality of glamour. Non-armed violence of anti-globalist and anti-capitalist flash mobs undermines regime of glam-democracy.

Reaction of glam-capitalists to alter-social movements is initially oppression and then absorption like making ‘open source’ and ‘free access’ business models, commercialization of torrents, ‘guerrilla marketing’ etc. Creators of trends converging attitudes and patterns of glam-capitalism and alter-social movements are on the move towards alter-capitalism which is to become an ‘after Baudrillard’ regime: capitalization of flow of originals without copies.