Limited edition desserts: A contemporary false status enhancer.

How can I use the concept of ‘limited edition desserts’ propagated by Chinese youth to investigate the consumption of sign value in the context of the experience economy?

Introduction

Throughout history, human beings have always been interested in seeking and thinking about 'meaning.' Under the influence of consumerism, the brand has given almost every product extra meaning in terms of " sign value" in today's consumerist society. As they are entirely disconnected from some definite demand or function (Baudrillard, 1983). In addition, the weight of these sign values in people's minds (especially the young) exceeds their essential and practical value as commodities—even no exception of food. Thus, it has to be acknowledged that humanity is no longer in danger of lacking meaning. In contrast, we are being consumed by it, killing us (Baudrillard, 1998).

In this paper, I argue and examine the social phenomenon of nowadays, limited edition desserts are being sought after among youth, taking meaning from cut segments and filled with various symbolic values. At the same time, they are no longer interested in the original edible value of the dessert but rather in recording the experience and uploading it to social media. Using food as the main topic of discussion and social media as the focus, it investigated and explored the workings and truth behind the phenomenon in the context of the experience economy. Furthermore, it illustrates how marketing strategies can change young people's thinking and behaviour through viral marketing while increasing their consumption and addiction to the symbolic value of goods. As well as how the food is taken out of context, then ends up as a simulacra empty shell of luxury. It also concludes the text with a summary that hopefully evokes thoughts about buying behaviour and attitudes towards food.

A lead-in

I am Picnic Cake. In a shiny, high-quality acrylic box with a delicate black ribbon full of logos. As an artful, light luxury limited edition dessert, my eccentric and chic appearance consists of dough woven into the shape of a basket as the base for the entire dessert. Inside, there is a thin layer of cake, a thick layer of cream cheese, two figs brushed with honey, and a sprig of rosemary.

My owner looks like an Internet celebrity. As to why, you know, they all have much the same aura. She is wearing GENTLE MONSTER sunglasses, a large but extremely stiff black trench coat, and a skin-tight workout outfit showing off his belly button and body curves. This person booked online a week in advance and queued for an hour to pick me up. Now I am on the lawn of a beautiful park as the centre of a grand picnic. Even though there is an artful picnic cloth underneath me, also surrounded by many luxury items, I am only looking forward to realizing my highest edible value as food, not waiting so still in the blazing sun...

Oh, I couldn't help but start wondering: am I food? Or is it something else?

Picnic Cake. (2022) Available at: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/z7hfCW6opjK5OTIMAJI89w

Sign value of food in the context of Experience Economy

1.1 - Sign value of food under the mass media

The so-called 'limited edition desserts' are a selection of desserts (some available for a limited time, others in limited quantities) offered in trendy dessert shops. Though as a food item, unlike other limited edition items, they do not have the slightest collector's value and are even more transient than flowers. On the other hand, most of them have a fancy appearance and delicious elements (or at least they look delicious); additionally, each has been given a different meaning. So despite the lack of value in the price, it still does not affect its high popularity. People queue, rush to buy, take photos, and eventually spread the experience with desserts like a virus on social media. Young people crave it so much that they go to great lengths to acquire it, representing a status symbol. This seemingly strange social phenomenon is a staple among today's young Chinese.

As we have seen, consumers abandon the practical value of goods and strive for the pleasure of status and the embodiment of social hierarchy, also known as 'sign value.' The sign value is a concept introduced by the philosopher Jean Baudrillard in 1983, which in sociology and economics denotes the value obtained by a good when it confers a certain social status on its owner, rather than the utility derived from the function and primary use of the commodity (Baudrillard, 1983).

It is worth noting that since ancient Chinese times, food has also been given a cultural connotation that goes beyond its physical and material needs. However, this is not the same as the 'sign value' we have discussed. Firstly, such as the orange symbolizing good fortune is a metaphysical and spiritual reference (Yan, C. and Mei, L. 2009) not directly linked to consumption but is based on a 'patriarchal culture' (An, 1995) which is closely related to the value system of the nation (Yan, C. and Mei, L. 2009). Secondly, those foods given meaning are usually universal, and do not have symbolic meaning at all times. They only have a specific symbolic meaning when used in a social context to convey messages and express an inner conceptual awareness, thus satisfying the psychological and social needs of the subject (An, 1995).

In contrast, the contemporary pleasure of owning goods comes from the consumption of things whose sign value must be shaped by the process of communication, so the meaning of commodities is built almost entirely on consumerism (Baudrillard, 1999). Another example that is easy to understand and closely related to the "limited edition dessert" is the ingredient of the dessert - sugar.

Sugar, In the earliest days of discovery, due to its low production and high price, was initially an ingredient that was only consumed by royalty and some of the wealthy in any country (MINTZ, 1986). With its consumption came the complex idea that one could become different through different consumptions. Its existence is, therefore, a symbol of authority. Whereas sugar production increased since the 18th century, even the poor could afford sugar. Much

of its special meaning has gone, but the sign value has not disappeared because humans need it.

The sign value of sugar has taken on a new form, embedded in and influencing our daily lives through commercials. With the development of mass media, we can see in the television commercials and posters of the last century a change in the focus and strategy of brands in promoting their products. They have gone from initially celebrating and exaggerating the edible value of sugar itself to changing the appearance of 'sugar' into new substances (e.g., sweets, desserts) to incorporating and adding new meanings, giving it various sign values beyond its edibility. In general, value is theoretically created by new things based on new ideas in an economic sense (Schneider, 2019). However, in these times of information overload and economic recession, new things cannot be easily invented anymore. So businesses can only work with what already exists, the intangible: meaning. Because meaning is always ready to be repeated, remixed, and(or) dismantled to create new sensations (Segal & Kalliala, 2020). Consequently, the nature of advertising today is no longer focused on the presentation of goods but on the viewer's fears, fantasies, and

dreams (Postman).

Sugar-related advertisements. (2020) Available at: https://fredsadvercity.tumblr.com/post/150538612335/new-york-times-for-150-years-the-sugar-industry (Accessed in July, 2022)

Sugar-related advertisements. (2020) Available at:

https://www.slaphappylarry.com/candy-and-sweets-in-art-and-childrens-stories/ (Accessed in july, 2022)

Meanwhile, 21st-century businesses are no longer satisfied with merely attaching sign value to the edibility of food itself. Furthermore, through newer forms of media - social media - brands are promoting and appealing to people to gain sign value by taking more action and experiencing a more intangible form of pleasure - experience.

1.2 - Food, the empty shell in the experience economy

Food has often come with various experiences since ancient times, which is not uncommon. Historically, they are usually an extension of literature, history, political philosophy, art, religion, etc. (Naishen, 2007). In China, the annual Dragon Boat Festival involves making festive food called zongzi, and centuries ago, people would also throw zongzi into the river. This seemingly incomprehensible 'experience' is in honour of a patriotic poet, Qu Yuan. But profit is the only thing at heart when the 'experience' becomes an 'experience economy'.

The term "experience economy" first appeared in an article by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore in 1998 as the next economy after the agricultural, industrial, and service economies. It refers to an economy shaped by the environment in which people live and profoundly affects daily life. In the experience economy model, companies intentionally use services as a stage and goods as props to engage consumers in a way that creates a memorable event and changes their behavior and mindset, finding new value and space for their products (Pine II & Gilmore, 1998). Arguably, it is a necessary part of the development of consumerism. Because the experience economy can manage the transition from an economy based on 'material satisfaction' to one based on 'spiritual satisfaction' (Toffler, 1970), this is a rare and valuable outlet for retailers and service providers to attract customers in a materially rich world. Further, 'experience,' like the sign values, is challenging to rigidise and define as it is similar to a constant flow of consciousness. Its ambiguity has been a critical factor in the quiet expansion of the experience economy into all aspects of life (Schneider, 2019). It thus represents another wave of technological disruption that disrupts the old economic order.

As the concept of the experience economy has become popular, it has evolved. The authors here divide it into four broad categories. The earliest experience economy advocated using media technologies to express the 'real self,' such as 4D movies or VR games, marketed as participatory and immersive, as a "virtual experience" with no impact on the real world. Then came the 'fantasy' experience, led by Nike Town and the Museum of ice-cream, where fantasy-like places were created out of the natural world and transcended the nominal function of the original place. For instance, the Museum of ice cream is quite different from an ice cream shop. The former does not focus on selling ice cream but on building a playground around the concept of 'ice cream,' providing a multi-interactive, multi-sensory exhibition experience without age restrictions (Schneider, 2019). The Brand makes it an economical product separate from selling goods or services. Therefore Ice cream is a 'bait' for consumption, with people more interested in the experience than purchasing physical goods. However, this performative metaphorical experience has attracted criticism. Who consider it inherently inauthentic and even too simplistic (Michael Sorki).

Nevertheless, the dreaminess of this 'instagrammable' place was quite photogenic and eye-catching at a time when social media was getting underway. As a result, people began to record so-called 'experiences' in photos and videos and upload and share them on social media. Not only did the experience economy and social media become intertwined and interdependent, but this criticism has also led to the creation of a new and ostensibly different type of experience, the 'living cultural experience' such as Airbnb Experiences, city tours with community celebrities ...... These are new ways of providing access to the 'real,' disguising economic exchange as cultural exchange. Since that, the companies are becoming keen to run their own 'official accounts, which can prove that experiences are 'official' and happen. Conversely, they reflect 'mediated' (Schneider, 2019) so that the viewer can realize that the experience is contrived for showing (Schneider, 2019). However, no matter what, social media has become key to the experience economy.

Suppose the experience economy once found a way to get us off the couch and into a physical shop. In comparison, social media can monetize the entire remainder of the day ( Rifkin, 2001). Content on social media can be monetized as personal branding for users and personal data for companies. Also, interaction metrics including 'likes,' 'followers,' and 'collected' can become currency, which gives a rational and economically viable expression to an otherwise emotional experience (Schneider, 2019). Thus under the influence of social media, the experience economy has driven not only the popularity of photogenic large art installations but also the commodification of parts of life that we might not immediately see as experiences. It is spreading itself into all aspects of daily life, becoming increasingly ambiguous and imperceptible, turning almost all people's everyday lives into a world of commercial markets (Rifkin, 2001).

When people see a product on social media, they are already part of a whole experience. The phenomenon of limited edition desserts mentioned earlier results from businesses exploring the contemporary experience economy led by social media. First of all, let the dessert "debut" on social media. Instead of presenting a product straightforwardly, brands are generating storytelling content that combines the experience with cultural symbols to present an identity and lifestyle from the side. For example, whimsical videos and texts make people believe and accept that "taking a picnic cake outside will enhance your quality of life and show your good aesthetic taste." Here, fancy desserts appear to be an essential commodity, while they are the temptations that trigger consumers to open the experience because today's commodities need to use the experience to redeem the sign value.

Furthermore, not surprisingly, in the queue of those forced to wait due to hunger marketing, people unconsciously receive many intangible experiences when buying desserts. The shops have deliberately incorporated too many experiences that engage the five senses: installations, the sweet smell, enthusiastic staff, tastings, and the fact that most of the back of the kitchen is often separated by the glass only, easily making it easier to see the whole process. While most people still remain in the dark.

In conclusion, experiences create memorable events for consumers in this way, involving everyone in an inherent interpersonal or social context. It lingers in people's subsequent memories and is long-lasting, part of the value of experiences, even if they lack practicality or usefulness. For this reason, the buying experience is much more pleasurable and enjoyable than just purchasing goods (Carter & Gilovich, 2010). As a result, the goods become fancier, more expensive, and more intangible, making consumers obsessed with the sensation. They continue to crave it, trying to gather an increasingly intense experience of freshness and paying for it. While this pattern reinforces a moment in the process and temporarily enriches people's feelings, it does not actually keep them anywhere for long (Segal & Kalliala, 2020) and they do not feel fulfilled by it. Additionally, they are always looking forward to the next more wonderful experience.

The impact of the experience economy is genuinely remarkable, and people pay a premium for it (Schrager, 2012). According to research, more than three-quarters of millennials (78%) today choose to spend their money on desirable experiences or activities rather than just buying desirable things (Barton & Koslow & Beauchamp, 2014). That is why this is the trajectory of consumerism, and it will only accelerate with the catalyst of social media.

There is a constant queue in front of the high-popular dessert shopand people will wait at the front door even before opening hours.(Photo credit: The Red App, ID: 891677303)

The False Status Enhancers on Social Media

2.1 - A toxic platform for fill emptiness and self-expression

Catalyzed by social media, without realizing it, has led us to a new phase: the age of social media platforms as ideological hegemony (Lovink, 2016). Despite the fact that most middle-aged and older people have a perception that in such an age of information explosion, people will never be bored or disconnected from society (Lorenz, 2018). In fact, young people today seem to feel 'bored' and 'ignored' more often than ever before. Because all of today's 'meaningful content is absorbed into the only dominant form of the media, which is also the only one that can create events. Whether they are responsive or subversive, no matter what the content is (Baudrillard, 1981), social media seeks to establish itself as a platform for anyone to have a voice and gain constant attention while being known for its highly interactive nature. So young people who are more eager for attention and new news are therefore caught up in this simulated universe—in addition, coupled with the impact of the global epidemic in 2020 dramatically forced people to all hide away at home online (Segal, 2021). So, in this way, this has forced social media to become a platform for today's youth to communicate and express themselves as a psychological placebo.

Even in the queue people were refreshing their social mediaevery minute.

Meanwhile, social media is undoubtedly addictive by design. Because it is prepared for our brains, interfacing with the parts of the human brain that regulate belonging and social approval, it can shape our thoughts, opinions, and behaviors (Aral, 2020). As such, it not only gives us what we lack in the real world - immediacy, direction, clarity, and value as individuals - but also creates emotional arousal (Amerland, 2012).

Following research, it was found that the popularity of limited edition desserts among young people is not only due to the "bulk of content" on social media but also to marketing. Now that most viewers can judge a product on their own and decide what they want to watch (Penenberg, 2010), if they have to receive advertising, consumers want something interactive, entertaining, free of pushy sales pitches, and demonstrates values. On the other hand, for merchants, it was also essential to find ways to spread content over a wide area and achieve high impact in a short period without spending a fortune. With the confluence of these conditions, viral marketing was born.

The design concept of viral marketing is the same as some of the mechanisms in the Bible, giving an emotional awakening that people are looking for (Aral, 2020). Further, it uses existing social networks to get consumers to willingly promote each other on social networks by creating triggers. (Yuchuan, 2013). We can likewise understand the general mechanics of viral marketing from the Picnic Cake case, which began with the official brand account of it posting a relevant promotion on social media. Then which is a rather essential and unique aspect of viral marketing - Unlike the era once dominated by TV and film advertising, brands no longer promote their products by paying high fees to celebrities to hire them as spokespeople. However, everyone can become a spokesperson and an influencer with viral marketing. Based on the brand's visibility, consumers are happy to endorse it through consumption actively. Brands' distinctive style also makes things more observable, easier to imitate, and more likely to become popular (Berger). Also, anything that makes viewers appreciate the entertainment and resonates with them is most likely to pass it on (Penenberg, 2010).

Moreover, the templated and easily interactive social media environment is a natural breeding ground for viral marketing. Take the example of The Red, where users post content consisting of 'headlines,' 'image/video' and "text content." Images are limited to nine, videos to a maximum of five minutes, and words to 1,000. Thanks to the templated composition of social media, viewers can simply learn how to copy the visual content from different components. Suppose one searches "picnic cake" via The Red(one of the most popular social media in China) as the keyword as one continues to browse. In that case, all one can see is much content that has not changed: similar scenes, outfits, and a similar copy to the official tone.

The interface for posting content on the social media "The Red". (2022)

Available at: Screenshot of "The Red".

This kind of viral spread cannot be a coincidence but a well-crafted design that reads people's minds. After all, as mentioned earlier, what young people today crave is attention and empathy. All of this is only valid if the experience is actually acted upon, posted on social media in pictures, videos, and texts, and viewed by people. That is precisely why viral marketing works. Unlike other marketing and advertising methods, viral marketing costs close to zero, but the benefits are much more significant. Furthermore, companies can promote sales and " capture " many loyal customers, providing a solid basis for repeated and sustained marketing (Yuchuan, 2013).

Thus, at the cost of pathological consumption, social media platforms become increasingly homogenized and full of toxic information. People gradually lose their sense of what is trivial and valuable (Segal & Kalliala, 2020).

2.2 - The birth of a false status enhancer

As artificially designed, social media also has many potential 'toxins.' Firstly, the interface for posting content on social media is quite formulaic and established, leaving little room for free expression (see 2.1). This templated composition brings not only speeds for viral marketing but also brings about the confinement of minds. It may seem that users can share and post almost anything; in contrast, they are constrained. No matter what users put out there, it is pressed into the same metrics, the same grid, with nothing but eyeballs, merchandise, and isolation against it (Segal, 2021). Examining the composition of social media is more about "what are you doing?" rather than a serious attempt to figure out "what are you thinking?" (Lovink, 2016). As a result, people seem less likely to reveal their thoughts. This is considered too risky and too private. It encourages sharing because it gives social status to the sharer, who is seen as 'in the know' or as someone who has access to 'inside information' (Lovink, 2016). So people tend to share what we do and see in a staged way; we share judgments and opinions, but not thoughts.

Secondly, when dissected at a deeper level, the impact of social media on society goes far beyond that; it has infected the world with a pathological virus called vanity (Elmore). Owing to the subjective content posted by almost users, what is posted is actually "what they want others to see." Hence, the sharing content constructs people's online images and even real identities (Leadbeater). Social media thus updates our understanding of the world in a way that constructs a new world in a self-presenting way (Baudrillard, 1981). For instance, there is awash with thousands of hashtags about Picnic cake on The Red, the vast majority of which seemingly have been carefully designed. Consumers often use these sweet treats as props for photos on the lawn of a park or in other fashionable places alongside luxury bags or items that showcase their unique personalities. The most important thing is not to document one's feelings about the desserts but to portray an affirmation of the identity and the beauty of one's life. Moreover, no one really cares about the integrity of it all because the subsequent deluge of "fresh content tweets" will overwhelm it. This spectacle has attracted countless views, "likes," and comments that keep growing. In this case, we have almost unlimited power to expand our presence and present ourselves as a commodity through social media to create the illusion that we have the attention and admiration of thousands or millions of people, thus increasing narcissism (Greene, 2018). It feeds the narcissistic monster that lives inside us until the beast takes over your account and leaves you outside the frame, just looking at the creature's image and watching it live the life you want it to live (Brown, 2020).

Photo with Limited edition dessert & Luxury bag. (2022) Available at: The Red App,

Account ID: 664821738 (Accessed in May, 2022)

More alarmingly, the world in which people live is no longer a physical world made up of concrete objects but an imaginary world and a "hyper-real" world (Baudrillard, 1981) constructed by the mass media. Under the influence of social media with the experience economy as the background and viral marketing as the means. The world represented by the media is more authentic than the reality we can experience; since almost all "meaningful content" is absorbed in the only dominant form of the medium, which alone can produce reality. People have also naturally lost the ability to distinguish between reality and fantasy. They seek happiness and fulfillment through simulacra of reality and avoid contact/interaction with the natural world (Baudrillard, in Kellner, 2019).

Whereas the status of the commodity indeed remains sublime. In a saturated world, it is only through the products we buy that we can maintain an infinite relationship with society and prove our difference (Shakar, 2002). Ironically, the 'scarcity' of a commodity can be flexibly manufactured and defined. Throughout human civilization, the critical reference for luxury brands used to be luxury items they made at great expense, but nowadays, it has increasingly become an essential theatre of sign value (Segal & Kalliala, 2020). Today handbags are loved not only because brands promote their rare manufacturing process but also because they are the perfect vehicle - not only for their keys, credit cards, and lipstick but also for their dreams and desires (Werner. J, Braatz. D, 2015). As the most essential feature of a bag is its uniqueness, and the least important is its functionality.

In a society of information overload, it is always the "meaning" that is the real luxury, the secrets made of meaning that only a few people can control (Segal & Kalliala, 2020). Therefore, the limited edition desserts people buy in offline shops exist as simulacra of luxury. We cannot be sure that they have any meaning beyond the fact that they look good at the time, but that is enough.

So what does a limited edition dessert actually mean to the consumer? It is an empty shell that can be filled with any sign value, a false "status enhancer." The mass media, under the control of the business, gives these additional values and makes them recognizable and resonant. This strange tacit agreement allows the existence of the commodity to be completely distorted. After all, in a consumption society, the consumer's desire to consume is not their innate desire but is constructed by the mass media (especially advertising) through the literary technique of chasing illusions and drunkenness to anesthetize the mind and call for a new way of being and thinking (Pin, 2013).

Therefore, it is dangerous to reveal images because they hide the fact that there is nothing behind them (Baudrillard, 1981). On social media, what the Influencers show and what the viewers crave are, ultimately, not even desserts themselves because there is no actual food on it. There is only an empty shell filled with various meanings. People desire and are obsessed with a photo that has been watermarked with sign values.

Concluding Statement

This article outlines and explores the social phenomenon of "young Chinese people propagated limited edition desserts and popularly posting their experiences with them on social media in recent years" and critically analyses the underlying mechanisms and hidden truths behind this social phenomenon.

It starts with one of the most popular limited edition desserts, the 'Picnic Cake,' and gives a first-person view of this social phenomenon and its absurdities. In the first chapter, the historical and documentary evidence and examples are used to show that in this consumerist society, the object of consumption is no longer the utility value of goods but the sign value created by the mass media and that it is flexible and versatile by the times. This leads to introduction of a relatively new economy - the experience economy. In addition to describing the origins and development of the experience economy, the article shows how it can be used with sign value to manage the transition from an economy based on 'material satisfaction' to one based on 'spiritual satisfaction. Then it concludes with an analysis and explanation of how the social media-led experience economy subliminally dominates and monetizes people's daily lives.

The second chapter shows how social media can become addictive and a platform for self-presentation and filling inner voids. By analyzing its constitutive mechanisms, the essay further investigates how social media creates a fundamental interdependence between people. It even shapes their thoughts, opinions, and behavior and provides unlimited desire and motivation. In addition, the essay used the structure and design framework of social media as an entry point to explore how viral marketing stands out from the rest and has taken over the social media landscape as the driving force behind the consumption of sign value. It has also brought a homogenization of content and a host of after-effects for social media. In the final chapter of the paper, the author draws on literature and research to argue that contemporary times have become an era dominated by social media. By breaking down the more profound meaning and nature of social media, it is revealed that under its viral influence, users have lost the ability to speak out and express themselves honestly and have been replaced by an infinite amount of vanity. People are in a state of obsession with images and virtual selves, where even desires are artificial. In the end, it is claimed that the limited edition dessert symbolizes not food but an empty shell of luxury filled with sign values.

In a nutshell, a consumer society is a society manipulated by the mass media (Baudrillard, 1996), a society where there is more and more information and less and less meaning. Only when we deeply understand and reflect on the mass media in a consumer society can we reveal the essential characteristics of consumer society more deeply and understand contemporary society's problems (Chi, 2013). Since humans are born with an obsession and a love of sweetness (Mintz, 1986), just try to follow your taste buds and think about what you need instead of soaking in the honey. Gain more caution about the nature of what you are promoting. The essence of food can only ever be the food itself.

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