commodification

Meaning

1. 1noununcountableformal

   The process of treating something, such as a service, a feeling or a part of culture, as a product that can be bought and sold for profit.

   Grammar: Uncountable and used in academic or critical writing: the commodification of education.

   Patterns

   • the commodification of something
   • commodification of culture

   Critics warn about the commodification of education.

   The commodification of art can push artists to follow trends.

   Some people see the commodification of friendship in paid social apps.

Common combinations

commodification of culture

Scholars study the commodification of culture in tourism.

commodification of health

The commodification of health care worries many families.

growing commodification

There is a growing commodification of personal data.

resist commodification

Some musicians try to resist commodification by giving away their work.

commodification of nature

Selling shares of forests is an example of the commodification of nature.

Synonyms and how they differ

commercialization

Commercialization is the broader process of running something for profit, whereas commodification means reducing it to a thing with a price.

marketization

Marketization points to introducing market competition, while commodification stresses turning it into a product.

monetization

Monetization is about earning money from something, which is narrower than commodification, which also changes how it is valued.

Word family

commodity noun

A product that can be bought and sold

commodify verb

To turn something into a product to sell

commodified adjective

Treated as a product for sale

decommodification noun

Removing something from the market so it is not bought and sold

Commonly confused: commodification or commoditization?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “commodification”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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