de Certeau

I found de Certeau's distinction between a product's face value and the value it contains through our everyday usage of it.  I agree with the assumption that there is more to a product or commodity than the way it appears, but it's how we use it that really defines it.  This idea comes into play when he discusses art as a "way of making," which was especially interesting to me as I had never thought about it in this way, but logically, it really does make sense.  Our culture, in its entirety, is all about bringing together different "ways of making" something which de Certeau recognizes as "utilizing modes of consumption."  This is exactly why we "consume" products rather than just purchase them.  We don't (usually) just buy goods and set them on the shelf to stare at them, instead it's in the way we use them that recognizes their value.