Antiviral (2012) and the Future of Human Commodification

The experience economy and celebrity consumption

“From her body to your body, from her cells to your cells.” (Credit: Alliance Films)

Brandon Cronenberg’s 2012 debut feature, Antiviral, presents us with a world where people can opt to be infected with viruses from their celebrity of choice. For an appropriate fee, of course.

If we had the technology today, I have no doubt the industry of celebrity consumption would reflect that presented in the film. This post is primarily about the consumer options it presents rather than its plot, but expect to be spoiled nonetheless.

I recently read the business book The Experience Economy: Work is Theatre and Every Business a Stage by Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore. First published in 1999, for some reason I expected it to be an early critique of the cultural climate that was on the horizon. I couldn’t have been more wrong, as it was actually a business book arguing for experience peddling as the future of commerce. A promising new sector, supplementing commodities, goods, and services.

“In the full-fledged Experience Economy, instead of relying purely on our own wherewithal to experience the new and wondrous-as has been done for ages-we will increasingly pay companies to stage experiences for us.”
“Eventually, experience orchestration will become as much a part of doing business as product…