Needless to say, the DIY culture has grown exponentially since the introduction of online shopping. With the click of a mouse, consumers are able to participate in the capitalistic economy from the comfort of their beds. It seems then that capitalism has never been easier than in the twenty-first century—accessibility to products have increased dramatically, and consuming has become more effortless than it already is.
There is an intersection between capitalism, the American economy, and media itself; the media has to do (strongly, too) with the overarching economic scheme. In essence, this relationship encompasses the "A good advertisement sells" argument. Demand for the product rises among the public and the market forces push prices down. In Hebdige's reading, he discusses not only the sociocultural effects of the emergence of subcultures, but he also refers to the permeating consequences in the capitalist world. As large business conglomerates start to adopt subcultures into mainstream culture, it is undeniable that its sole purpose is to serve capitalism—businesses, especially the fashion industry, deliberately feed the public what they want.
I fully support DIY businesses and small shops, but the "Swiper swiping" tendencies of large corporations tend to create difficulties for these indie sellers. The rise of the DIY (sub)culture simultaneously means that consumers are taking their spendable income towards small businesses outside of mainstream culture; in other words, big companies worry that they are losing customers to the little boutiques around the corner. Subcultural hypes will always be turned into the mainstream, and large corporations will always manipulate and dupe their consumers into the trap of capitalism—spend, spend, spend.
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