Mike of Modernity(or post?)

"...the basis on which technology is gaining power over society is the power of those whose economic position in society is strongest. Technical rationality today is the rationality of domination."
Horkheimer and Adorno

And I used to laugh at the conspiracy theorists who believed that "they" were out to control and enslave "us". I don't laugh so much anymore. What Horkheimer and Adorno state is a much more rational and fact supported idea. That the "technical rationality" ;or use of ever increasingly more powerful, destructive, and invasive technologies is what feeds the great machine of modern society. But this technical blitz has less to do with the actual purposes the technology is put to as it does with the way it influences consumerism. To maintain a capitalist society, its members must be convinced that goods MUST be purchased. A common motivator is fear. Take the emergency parachute designed for building evacuation that pooped up post 9-11. Who the hell needs an emergency parachute to jump off a building? Well, apparently we did. The news covered the story, so it must have been important right?
Technological corporations use a more subtle and psychoanalytic apporach borne from demographic studies. Apple Computers uses it's subculture popularity to sell the iPod, Iphone, iNauseaum, but does it by selling an attitude, a way of life, an acceptance into a group of "happening" people who can only be "happening" if they own An iAppliance. As if this is something that comes in the box like a power charger or warranty. The iPod is a perfect example of technical consumerism because it is a pure luxury item. In todays "virtual" world, many people must own a computer for work or to simply keep up with the blistering pace the world moves at. But portable music is not a necessity. But you won't see Apple agreeing with this, and though they may know their product is a "luxury" they must drill into the consumers heads that it is indeed a "necessary" item - at least if you want to be hip. So are all corporations tied into a global conspiracy to pull every dollar out of our pockets? Will they go to any means to extract it? I think it would be hard to answer no. Do they all get together and drink champagne and caviar and discuss the profitable little puppets they have in their grasp and how they will juice them next? Probably not. Well at least they may not all be in one room. But they all benefit from Joe Q. Consumer believing that he must buy in order to survive and thrive. Never mind that all this time our technology grows stronger and more complex, almost out of reach of any comprehension by all but it's creators. This is exactly what it's creators want. Conspiracy? Maybe not. Postmodern - definitely.