Mass production shifted object value from cult-value to exhibition-value

Evidence

In the time of mass production, the critical theorist Walter Benjamin argued that there was a transition away from objects possessing “cult-value.” Objects like religious artifacts or fine art had a specific value because of their exclusivity, because of their singularity in time and space, something Benjamin termed “aura.” Something had value because it was difficult to see, because it was unique, because of its provenance, because it had been touched by its creator, because of its historical specificity. This is still the case with things like antiques, with collectible goods. Something is expensive because it is difficult to obtain, because the object has a singular existence. But with mass production, endless copies of the same object can be made. The object loses its exclusivity, its aura, and instead its value comes from its ability to be seen, its “exhibition-value.” — Grant Bollmer, Katherine Guinness, The Influencer Factory, 211

Categorization

• DEFINE: Restates Benjamin’s aura/cult-value vs. exhibition-value shift — groundwork for the influencer-specific claim that follows.
• XREF: connects to: The objects that nourished an artistic movement vanish when their production economy changes — Fredric Jameson, Marxism and Form, 209