Overcommodification

Overcommodification is a critique of the expansion of market logic and price relations into areas of life traditionally governed by non-market norms. It refers to a situation in which economic value and exchange become the dominant frame for social, cultural, political, and environmental processes, extending beyond the sale of goods into relations, services, and practices that were once governed by solidarity, public provision, or intrinsic value. The term draws on debates within political economy, sociology, and critical theory about the consequences of pervasive commodification and the role of markets in shaping everyday life.

Mechanisms include privatization of public services, privatized health care and education, privatization of housing, data commodification, advertising-intensive platforms, and the monetization of attention and social relations. Neoliberal policy, globalization, and rapid technological change have accelerated marketisation, often justified by efficiency or innovation but criticized for reducing access, equity, and democratic deliberation.

Critics argue that overcommodification can erode intrinsic or non-market values, intensify inequality, erode social bonds, and distort public goods. It can also produce precarious labor, consumerist pressures, and surveillance concerns as data become commodities. Proponents may acknowledge some efficiency gains but emphasize that essential human needs and cultural goods should be safeguarded from market pressures.

Responses include preserving public provision, strengthening commons-based governance, and protecting rights to essential services and information. The concept is closely related to discussions of commodification, marketization, data capitalism, and the idea of the public good.