Channels of Desire

The concept of channels of desire basically refers to ways in which various social agents mediate communication about what is desirable and what is not. As such, it incorporates all social autocommunication about the goals and purposes of life and the practices and aspirations that constitute it, from schooling and other socialization systems to mass mediatized imagery. Desire is a triadic relation between a desiring subject, a desired object, and another, possibly collective, desiring subject. Desire is mimetic. Hence, in its broadest sense, society at large and its institutional orchestrations of, as well as individual member's communications concerning, what is of value and what is not represent the overarching channel of desire.

For analytical purposes, it is necessary to break down the general concept of channels ...