Commodification

Commodification is the process of turning goods, services, ideas, or even people into items that can be bought and sold in a market. This transformation assigns economic value to something that may not have had a monetary worth before. For example, consider how art or culture can be turned into products for sale, or how personal data from social media users is sold to advertisers. While commodification can drive innovation and availability, it can also raise ethical concerns, particularly regarding exploitation or the loss of intrinsic value in non-commercial aspects of life.