Category: Consumerism

With modernization and development comes some disadvantages, one of the main consequences being the pollution that has increased as a result of this. With an increase in the global population and the rising demand for food, goods, and other essentials, there has been a rise in the amount of waste being generated daily by each household on a global scale. The manufacturing process turns raw materials into useful goods. But some of the by-products of manufacturing, waste materials left over, or substances produced by the manufacturing process itself, may be harmful to the environment. We discard or throw away things because they are no longer of any use to us or they might be unwanted, defective, old, or worthless. Such objects that are no longer of any use to us which can be in the form of solid, liquid, semi-solid, or containerized gaseous material are called waste. Examples of solid waste materials when they are discarded are furniture, toys, scrap metal, garbage, construction and demolition debris, vehicles, appliances, and so on. When these solid waste materials begin to harm the environment in any way they become pollutants because they damage the quality of air, water, or land, or sometimes all three.

The area of focus concerning solid waste pollution will be in the Durban North community in the informal settlements on Malacca Road and the middle-class areas in the residential area. It is impossible to overlook the informal settlements in the community since the most solid waste pollution can be seen here daily. However, most consumption takes place in the middle-class areas but it is noted that the environment is more well taken care of.

The South African society today is one of many societies to be involved in the process of mass consumption. Increased consumerism also increases the consumption of goods. In today’s society consumerism is often portrayed to be a negative aspect of behavior in people’s lives and purchasing behaviors which eventually leads to materialism. Increased consumerism has the consequence of contributing to pollution. The culture of takeaway is also the culture of throwaway and it has become common practice that if there is no litter bin available, or if it’s full that’s too bad. People prefer the easier way which is to dump. However, that does not necessarily mean that one man’s trash is the same as what another person considers disposable. It is a very evident factor in the settlement. They make use of what they have and what they can get. In this case, it is clear that their priorities do not lie with the health and safety of the environment but rather their survival, and as such it can be deduced that they do not feel as though they are a part of nature but rather apart from it. Other residents in the community do value the environment more as there is hardly any evidence of solid waste pollution in the middle-class areas of the community. There is more of a balance between the environment and materialism.

There is environmental awareness in the community since there is a local dump provided to discard and dispose of all waste materials which is positioned directly opposite the the informal settlements. The fact that there is a dump that is easily accessible to all the in community but is hardly being made use of implies that it is more the attitudes of the residents that need to change toward keeping the environment safe and clean. Another factor that is concerning is that there is little to no evidence of recycling throughout the whole community. On garbage collection days there are hardly any orange bags used which are supposed to be provided by the municipality. The orange bags are supposed to be used for recycling to lessen the strain on the environment and contribute to mass production.

There is alarmingly less concern than there should be about the appalling littering along South Africa’s highways, townships, and cities and the litter to be found even in many of South Africa’s beauty spots. It is a threat to this country’s tourist industry as it means less appeal and attraction and that in turn, means fewer jobs and less appeal for enjoyment by outsiders and our citizens.

There are many health hazards associated with solid waste pollution especially where there is an accumulation of it. Rats and insects can easily invade areas such as refuse dumps where there is solid waste present and spread various diseases. Water and food can become contaminated by flies which could cause various diseases in humans such as dysentery, diarrhea, and amoebic dysentery. Rats dwelling with infectious solid wastes may spread diseases like plague, salmonellosis, trichinosis, endemic typhus, etc. When dealing with the disposal of hospital and other medical waste it requires special attention since this can create major health hazards. This waste generated from hospitals, health care centers, medical laboratories, and research centers such as discarded syringe needles, bandages, swabs, plasters, and other types of infectious waste is often disposed of with regular non-infectious waste. Water supplies have the potential to become contaminated with pathogens present in solid wastes which may result in cholera, jaundice, hepatitis, gastroenteric diseases, etc. The clogging of drains and gully pits by the solid wastes results in water logging which facilitates the breeding of mosquitoes and results in the spread of diseases like malaria and plague.

The sources of the cause of the increase in pollution lie with the people and how they deal with waste management. Their attitudes and perceptions, educational status, and income are significant factors that contribute to effective waste management processes. South Africa’s history of apartheid has played a major role in contributing to the poverty crisis and lack of education of many people who live in the poorer areas in South Africa. They have suffered a lack of education on the subject of the environment and as a result, don’t consider the state of the environment as one of their priorities and cannot comprehend the future implications of their actions that polluting will lead to. As such these communities do not feel obligated to care about the health and state of the environment and therefore do not feel that they are a part of nature but instead apart from it. Other groups of people who are better off than those communities tend to have a negative attitude toward following regulatory procedures for waste management. In these cases, residents need to become responsible for caring for their environment and a different mindset towards solid waste is needed.

The government and municipalities should provide well-maintained and legal dumping sites for people to effectively dispose of their trash. This alone will go a long way in helping reduce the problem in all communities. Public resources and requirements to aid in the assistance of waste collection should be provided for by the government. Things such as collection lorries, appropriate waste sites and disposal mechanisms, and litter bins. What is also required is a far greater effort by government and ordinary citizens to lessen and manage the waste encouraged by excess packaging by the process of recycling, reusing, and being mindful of trying to reduce the amount of waste we produce by not giving into the culture of consumerism so easily. A community initiative needs to be created to raise awareness about the effects of incorrect waste management as well as put pressure on government officials and punish perpetrators who do not abide by the laws put forth. The lack of effort by municipalities to encourage recycling is appalling, especially in middle-class, high-consumption areas which has been taken note of in my community and other communities where this would be easy to implement. By educating more and more communities about solid waste management, the importance of environmental health, and recycling, a starting point will be established to reduce pollution. With the aid of the government and even ordinary citizens, this knowledge can be put into practical use by creating jobs and roles for people who need work. In this sense, it can be seen as a win-win situation since more people can get jobs and both the people and the environment will benefit.   

Whenever I go shopping, I’m always catching myself asking the question do I need it? Do I need it? This essay will cover to what extent consumerism has become a problem in America and how it has impacted our culture. Can consumerism be a problem just in America, or can it be a problem that affects our entire world? Will we be able to solve the consumerism problems in the world or just keep adapting to the changes? The concept of worldwide consumerism dates back many thousands of years. The desire to own items of many origins has been prevalent in societies around the world. Our consciousness is directed into satisfying a need or impulse to own things that we may not entirely need. If we do not recognize this trait, we can spiral into a bad place.

We base Consumerist society on the theory that when you spend money on items, you are helping the economy grow. Obsessively shopping is also consumerism, some people now are very materialistic and don’t think twice about shopping especially when there is a sale going on. That we can purchase something that we perceive we need at a discount price that others may not know about can be a very irresistible force. But you have to stop and think we might help the economy but are we helping the environment? As the demand for merchandise increases the need to produce these items also increases. Producing these goods leads to more pollutant emissions, deforestation, and climate change.

Consumerism has been an ongoing problem that has increased over time, this is because products have been getting more advanced. More and more people end up wanting products that are marketed to them. The only problem with everyone purchasing these products is that we must mass-produce many items as they grow popular. Mass production is the manufacturing of large quantities of products, these items are then sold and in the end, are thrown out and replaced. Today you can see a lot of this waste disposal in our oceans, cities, and National parks. There is so much leftover trash from these products it is polluting our oceans to the point most of our sea life is dying due to it. The beginning of these cycles starts with the removal of raw materials from the earth. Large companies use these materials to make and mass-produce their product. The downside to using these raw materials is that they can cause large areas of pollution if left unregulated and unchecked. Since they harvest many of the raw materials in poorer third-world countries, the unregulated harvesting of raw materials almost always leads to uncontrolled pollution that has a huge effect on the entire Earth’s ecosystem.

A current popular trend is toward green consumerism. As more of the world’s population becomes educated in sustainable consumerism to protect the earth’s ecosystem and limited resources. Many consumers have become knowledgeable about what changes they can make by purchasing items that can be renewed. This can range from food and clothing to the energy they use to power their home and cars.

The only way these products can successfully make it to consumers is through advertisements. No matter where you are or what you are doing there are thousands of advertisements all around us every day. From the moment I wake up in the morning, I catch myself scrolling through social media and being bombarded by advertisements, this continues throughout the day while listening to the radio in my car to pumping gas at an ARCO station. The constant barrage of these advertisements from the time we rise till the end of the day can be an excessive 2,000 different commercials and ads. Although we are exposed to many advertisements daily, it is the most successful advertisements that will drive the consumer to their product.

The most successful advertising campaigns rely on targeted data collection to know how to pinpoint the items they are trying to sell to the right consumer that will most likely make the final purchase. The data itself has become a commodity that companies will pay highly for to sell their products. For example, if I was to google a product such as shopping for a car after just a small amount of time, I would notice on all of my social media accounts that there are advertisements for different cars that I researched for sale. This can be a plus or minus because I could find a better deal on the product I was searching for or this can just be a nuisance that can overwhelm the customer to the point of not wanting to make that purchase anymore.

One only needs to look at the amount of credit that is offered to us daily to quickly understand how someone’s life can spiral out of control easily. The manipulation by mass marketing coupled with the availability of credit cards can quickly lead to massive debt by consumers. The more purchases a consumer makes using credit cards, the more offers they seem to get to apply for more credit cards. Unless the consumer understands the amount of money, they are spending just on interest on these credit cards they can become highly indebted.

One of the greatest adverse effects of consumerism is that it can cause the public to constantly seek more merchandise to satisfy their hunger for the latest new product. People should stop and ask themselves selves “Can material objects be used to express affection and to seek self-esteem” (Etzioni 1)? Many people compare themselves to others wanting to be like them and be in the same position, but this can lead us into a state of anxiety and displeasure with ourselves because we are never happy with what we have. When people fall into the downward spiral of consumerism, they feed into exactly what consumerism wants, a customer who is never satisfied and is always looking for the next best purchase. Many people subconsciously and consciously try to out due to their family and friends with their purchases. Some other effects of consumerism can be negative in the sense that they can lead to feelings of our lives not enabling us to find the things that make us happy.

The many negative effects of consumerism in America today can be wide-ranging but the most obvious one is that it is an invasive and manipulative system. Intrusive advertising has become an unwelcome part of the majority of our lives. I can see this across the globe and reach into a worldwide array of cultures, this has exploded with the introduction of smartphones in 1992. The constant flow of endless advertising can make most of the U.S. numb. However, the most successful advertisement uses many forms of manipulation to convince the public that they need whatever product they are trying to sell.

Today Consumers can do all of their shopping from their homes from a wide variety of different products. Consumers have the chance to shop at home or on the go for anything ranging from clothing, electronics, vacations, and groceries. The internet has helped change the way we do our shopping, making it less stressful by having your items purchased and shipped to you in a matter of one click. But the moment you click on an item whether or not you want it you will be guaranteed to see ads about that item. This form of evasive marketing can become highly annoying to the customer.

It becomes a great nuisance and distraction when we are trying to work online and meet schedules.

Clothing and apparel from the fashion and textile industries are made by using an extensive amount of water, energy, chemicals, and raw materials. These materials place a large demand on Earth’s natural resources.

There will always be a finite amount of resources available to produce the items society wishes to purchase. Years ago, the fur industry was not looked at in a negative light. Although many furs were reserved for the richest consumers, many customers purchased animal furs and coats to stay warm in the winter. After the invention and success of synthetic materials, society turned to the fur industry.

People saw the fur fashion industry as a cruel one that destroyed animals needlessly. Over time this negative impact ended the industry in the United States for the most part.

As society becomes more conscious and educated about the products they choose to purchase, a massive advertisement cannot always overcome negative perceptions. One example of an area where this has occurred is in the cosmetic industry, as the truth and the facts surrounding inhumane animal testing have become transparent many consumers of these products demand that no animal be used or harmed to test luxury items such as cosmetics.

It can be very difficult to remain grounded and not fall into the trap of endless purchases hoping to find happiness. As our world becomes more inundated with mass advertising, many people struggle to find a sense of meaning in their day-to-day lives. As we become more educated in the production of the many items, we consume demanding our products to be produced in a cruelty-free environment has become more prevalent.

At first, this notion started as a popular idea at the higher end of the disposable income level. But this has now become more popular amongst all consumers as we educate them on what goes into producing items such as cosmetics. Most rational people do not want to spend their hard-earned money consuming items and cruel tests subjected to animals. Once the knowledge of these cruel conditions becomes public the vast majority of people do not want to spend their money knowing that another creature may have suffered to produce whatever they want to buy.

To feel happier and more successful I drive us to consume more products by marketers and advertisements. Just talking to friends and family can help reinforce these ideas. Whenever we see someone getting a brand-new phone, clothes, or car we think to ourselves that we also need these things to be happy and if we don’t get them, then we can feel we are missing out. This can be a problem for our long-term happiness. One reason this can have such an effect on us is that advertising can be manipulative. These advertisements create needs we didn’t have in the past, these ads aim to create desires that aren’t real but can manipulate us to where we will buy the products we don’t need and will most likely not keep for very long. This manipulation is a lot harder for people who are more exposed to these feelings of wanting more to be happy, children are most likely to be caught in the feeling that having the latest toy will make them happier and more popular among their friends. We have all been there to buy a new product and show it off to make ourselves seem “cooler” and “happier” to everyone else when we just go back to our same routine.

Rather than buying products just to have them in our possession, we should all try to attempt to make sure we need these different products because all of us are subjected to mass marketing at some level. We all choose how we perceive this intrusion into our lives, it is up to us to gear up as individuals to get us to consume. We could either buy into this and fall into a life of consumption or decide that there are a lot of other things that are more important than materialistic goods that can help us achieve the happiness we are seeking.

Some of these things include family, friends, and a sense of purpose in our lives. Becoming a slave to the newest fashion or tech craze will never lead to a fulfilled life.

Everything we purchase and hope to one-day own will almost always be replaced by a bigger or better product.

It is up to the individual consumer to try to find a comfortable balance in their lives. We need to try to differentiate between the necessities required to find a balance in our lives and crossing the line into purchasing just to own more things.

One definition of consumerism is the obsession with acquiring more and more things. For most of us, consumerism or the practice of acquiring things is just a part of life, just trying to ‘keep up with the Joneses,’ so to speak. After all, why shouldn’t we have the things we want in the amounts that we want them? Also from an economic standpoint, many believe that consumerism is a good thing. Those who are in favor of consumerism believe the practice provides jobs and keeps the economy purring like a kitten. But do we need all that stuff, and is continuing the cycle of consumerism good for us and the planet in the long run? 

Our Health 

Believe it or not, consumerism is bad for our health. Just because we can eat anything and everything in whatever quantity we want, including healthy foods, does not mean it’s good for us. Consumerism has led society to high rates of obesity, not just in the US but around the world. 

’20 years ago, there was not a single state in America that had an obesity rate over 15%. Nowadays there are 41 states with obesity rates above 25%’

With the increasing number of people around the world adopting the practice of consumerism, it stands to reason that the number of obese people will increase as well. The cost of health care for obese individuals compared to healthy ones was $2,500 more per person in 2015.

So clearly, higher rates of obesity due to overconsumption of both healthy and non-healthy foods are going to drastically increase the costs of healthcare for many if something doesn’t change.

Natural Resources

The higher the demand for more things around the world, the higher the supply of things will be as well to meet this demand. This is just a fact of basic economics in a capitalistic society. Consumerism creates a drain on water and base resources, it also causes an overuse of energy and encourages the use of chemicals that are not friendly to the environment.² If we want our planet to be viable for many generations to come far into the future, then we as a people will need to rethink our ideas around consumerism and the collection of things simply for the short-term pleasure of consuming/having them.

The Gap Between the Rich and the Poor

As more countries countries join the practice of consumerism, and more individuals become wealthier, these wealthier individuals consume more. This in turn widens the gap between the haves and the have-nots to a drastic degree. While this may not bother some, if you look at this from a global environmental standpoint we are going to be consuming our natural resources even faster, possibly making our world less able to support its growing populations. 

As of 2005, ‘Globally, the 20% of the world’s people in the highest-income countries account for 86% of total private consumption expenditures - the poorest 20% a minuscule 1.3%.’

The capitalism that spawned the practice of consumerism seems on the surface like it gives everyone a shot at having all the things they want, but if you look at the statistics, the rich are getting richer and the poor, well they’re staying poor. Also, when you look at what the people in the wealthiest countries are consuming and spending their money on, it’s clear that with some careful reduction of what we spend our money on, we could make the gap significantly smaller. For example, people in Europe spend 11 billion a year on ice cream, and those same Europeans spend 50 billion on cigarettes. Finally, worldwide 400 billion is spent on narcotics. When just 6 billion would give basic education to every child in the world, and when it would only take 22 billion to give access to clean water, basic healthcare, and adequate nutrition, it’s easy to see that consumerism is not the best practice for not just the planet but humans.

So What Can You Do?

In my humble opinion, the takeaway from this is that we must consume less. If we continue to consume things at the rate we currently are, while our planet will probably survive, people may not. The best question we can ask ourselves is, ‘Do I need this?’ If we already have a computer that works and does what we need it to do, do we need that super fast, brand new just off the production belt computer? Probably not. Just because we can get another new supposedly better computer and give away, throw away, or recycle our old one doesn’t necessarily mean we should. Our ancestors had a habit of fixing things. If something broke they fixed it. They only threw something away if it couldn’t be fixed. I can remember stories about my great-grandmother making dresses out of feed sacks. By the 1940s and as early as the 1920’s the feed bag manufacturers were turning out feed sacks that had beautiful bright colors and designs. What I think we can learn from this is to use what we have until it can no longer be used and then to recycle the parts. The less we buy when it’s not necessary and the more we recycle the better chance we have of not using up our natural resources before it’s too late. Consumerism in and of itself doesn’t appear on the surface to be a bad thing, but when we scratch the surface of consumerism, there is a monster beneath. After all, do we need all those things? Probably not.

Today we humans are constantly driven to make our lives easier and more comfortable. The intent is good but the gains in efficiency are leading to newer consumption patterns. Over the past few years, we have seen manifold changes in gadget usage, shopping channels, and the global markets. Online shopping is one of the various forms of technology used to make our lives easier. However, its excessively increased usage brings about some serious negative impacts on consumers and the environment.

This research aims to understand the psychological impacts of online shopping due to the consumption patterns of consumers today in an urban setting. It is an attempt to understand the happiness and satisfaction levels of online buyers regarding material possessions and the emotions that play a role in stimulating ever-increasing consumerism. This study was taken among individual online shoppers from the age group of 20 to 35 years since young people have been the majority of online shoppers. The results of the study highlighted that a large number of people are unaware of the impacts of online shopping since they are lost and confused in the spectacle of consumption glorified by the dominating brands.

Introduction

According to the Population Reference Bureau, four births take place each second of every day all around the world (estimated in 2011). Interestingly, 35 Amazon orders take place per second every day all around the world, according to Life in Amazon. The human population is shooting up and so are the online shopping orders. Online shopping has become the biggest industry that is promoting consumerism and is altering shopping behaviors. It is expected that 70% of internet users in India will have purchased products online by 2020.

On August 12, 1994, the New York Times’ big and bold headline shouted, “Attention Shoppers: The Internet is Open” and documented the sale of a Sting CD over the Internet between two friends. The world celebrated the first-ever online transaction and hoped to see a more advanced, hassle-free, and efficient future. Soon the online shopping industry was a boom. Amazon which launched as an online bookstore in 1995 started selling music and video downloads, electronics, apparel, furniture, food, and toys. Quickly, a lot of other businesses started capitalizing upon the Internet and e-commerce industry as well. Today the global economy is highly dependent upon the online shopping industry. It has completely transformed the marketplace and has given a whole new dimension to business operations in the 21st century. It is acting as a catalyst to give newer opportunities for entrepreneurs, small and medium businesses, high-skilled workers, and consumers. It is giving rise to stronger and healthier business-customer relationships and is highly increasing interactivity within the economy, thereby bringing the world much closer. The stock markets are controlled by the big e-commerce companies as their potential market share keeps on increasing with their increasing customer base. Online shopping has faithfully done its job of empowering people and giving them access to a variety of choices of unique commodities at their doorsteps.

E-shopping is constantly capturing the market, especially targeting younger audiences, which is evolving and increasing day by day in number. However, today the world is experiencing its undesirable effects, with a much greater force; opposite to the positive impacts that were expected during its initial years. Dependence of the humans and the economy on the e-commerce industry is igniting ever-increasing consumerism. Consumerism is a big problem in today’s society. Greater industrial production leads to greater availability of goods and services, which is why businesses are promoting consumerism to ensure that the goods so manufactured are sold to their respective consumers. It is putting more and more pressure on the finitely available resources and is leading to more pollutant emissions, increased land use, deforestation, and accelerated climate change. Online consumerism is at its peak because of its effect on consumers’ psychology. Brands study the psychology of consumers and constantly make efforts to alter their perceptions. They tailor the buying processes, persuade consumers through their app designs, use several marketing tactics, and advertise in the name of happiness. Material possession is glorified by the brands as a symbol of one’s social status and self-worth which ultimately leads to shopping addiction, and thereby its greater consumeristic effects on the environment.

2. Objectives of the study

The objectives of the study are:

• To analyze the psychological impacts of online shopping on consumers
• To find out if online consumerism is a designed experience by the big brands
• To understand the strategies used by the brands to create online shopping addiction
• To analyze how happiness and other emotional factors play a role in developing an online shopping addiction

3. Research methodology

3.1 Research Design

The research study follows a mixed-method design wherein both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection are used.

3.2 Sample Size

117 online buyers were targeted to collect the quantitative data out of which 5 respondents were targeted for qualitative data.

3.3 Sampling Technique

Simple Random sampling technique was used while selecting the target group. The sample is random because each respondent has an equal chance of being chosen.

3.4 Hypothesis of the Study

Online shopping has a direct impact on the psychology of consumers and is accelerating hyper-consumerism.

4. Findings and analysis

Majority of the online shoppers are from the age group of 18 to 35 years. Out of 116 respondents, 87 respondents are from the age group of 18 to 25 years. This signifies that online shopping is majorly targeting younger audiences, who are energetic, enthusiastic, and flexible i.e. open to innovations and behavioral changes.

The research study showed that every 1 person in 14 people does not purchase products online. Out of 116 respondents, 85 people purchase products online once a month, 13 people purchase once a fortnight and 3 people purchase once a week. Majority of the consumers tend to buy clothing & apparel and electronics from online shopping platforms. Apart from this, many people buy books, household goods, food, groceries, and e-tickets online. It is understood from the survey responses, that on average, people tend to spend up to Rs.2000 on their online purchases in one month. Consumers above 35 years of age generally tend to refrain from regular online purchases, because of their inability to touch and to personally check the quality of the products.

Consumers shop when they want to and from whichever shopping platforms they are comfortable with, may it be online shopping or offline shopping. The world has been struggling to handle problems associated with over-consumption, since way before the advent of online shopping. However, with the current technological advancements, the shopping behaviors of consumers are highly diverted to the e-commerce industry. Speed, convenience, reliability, and relevance allow consumers to bend more towards online instead of offline shopping. Ease in shopping, time convenience, availability and accessibility to a variety of brands, competitive pricing, doorstep deliveries, free and discounted shipping, and promotion/discount coupons are some of the main reasons for the frequent purchases made by consumers from online shopping websites.

Apart from the operational convenience, online shopping sites are designed effectively to enhance consumer’s shopping behavior and thereby lead to greater sales. Big online shopping services like Amazon, Flipkart, etc have identified how they can influence consumer’s purchasing decisions. Features like “add to cart” and “add to wish lists” prompt people to spend their time scrolling a hundred products on the app with or without an aim to purchase. According to the survey, 50% of consumers use their shopping carts as wish lists, while 37% load up the cart to purchase. The responsive design of the app with such features succeeds in creating a desire to own something, may it be in someone’s direct need or not. Another marketing tactic used by the companies includes the “numerical star rating” which has a direct impact on consumer purchase, supported by the recency effect i.e. listing positive reviews of a product or service’s performance first, which drastically improves their overall performance. These e-commerce brands monitor one’s entire shopping experience and tailor his/her buying process to previous purchases. This influences the buyer to purchase more. Along with these marketing and sales promotion tactics, online shopping sites tend to provide suggestions for the products to their site users. This suggests that they aim to create a whole new dimension of purchase for their customers by offering them suggestions that could increase their overall sales. Shopping sites effectively communicate with reminders as to why the user should purchase a product from their online store rather than some other source. This is done by giving simple, but strong sales incentives i.e. by displaying the actual MRP and the MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price or list price). Consumers are always in a hunt for competitive prices and such incentives gradually attract them. Hence, online shopping is completely a designed experience that promotes greater consumption and thereby leads to a shopping addiction.

“Perhaps this is what the Hybrid Age is all about marketing masquerading as theory, charlatans masquerading as philosophers, a New Age cult masquerading as a university, business masquerading as redemption, slogans masquerading as truths”, says Evgeny Morozov, an American writer, and researcher from Belarus in his article The Naked and the TED published in The New Republic. The new age is defined as an ideology of capitalism and development that is branded as acceptable. Morozov’s contemptuous mockery over the deviating definition of the new tech era hits correctly to the underlying unknown problems so created by it; the e-commerce industry being one of it

Online shopping sites use their branding, marketing, and advertising to promote consumerism in the name of ‘happiness’. Happiness is portrayed by the brands as an emotional outcome of material possessions and social prestige. “Once we as a world transferred over to the consumer-capitalist society, that particular set of desires become encouraged and held up as one of the highest goods and something that is a way to build a meaningful happy life”, said Tim Kasser, a professor of psychology at Knox College and the author of a book called The High Price of Materialism.

When asked online shoppers upon their levels of satisfaction and happiness in online shopping, 60% of the respondents were very much satisfied with their online shopping experience. However, the happiness gained from the online shopping experience is highly short-lived. This happiness may be in terms of making a product purchase, or the excitement to open the package or show people out there about their material possessions and uplift their social status. “Materialists place unrealistically high expectations on what consumer goods can do for them in terms of relationships, autonomy, and happiness”, says social psychologist Marsha Richins, Ph.D., University of Missouri. Similarly, Victor Frankl, in his book Man’s Search for Meaning, argues convincingly that man was most tempted to distract himself with pleasure when his life was void of meaning. A lack of meaning to life makes it easier for brands to sell an illusion of happiness in the form of consumerism. Consumerism is highly glorified by the sellers out there and has become an estimator of our social worth.

A shopping experience is a collaboration of a lot of different emotions under different situations. Direct psychological factors like happiness, fun, relaxation, entertainment, and enjoyment and indirect factors like stress, depression, boredom, and loneliness work together to develop online shopping addiction. It has become a tool to feel good and conquer negative feelings like stress, anxiety, and depression. It has been branded as a way to cope with difficulties and emotional pains in life by purchasing more. Along with this, the technology has managed to create a fear of missing out (FOMO) and online retail brands have managed to tap into this fear to increase their sales. Sherry Turkle, Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT and New York Times best-selling author of the book Alone Together says, “We are lonely, but we are afraid of intimacy. And so from social networks to sociable robots, we are designing technologies that will give us an illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship.” Her argument convincingly conveys that with the advent of technology, we as humans have connected digitally, but eventually we have become isolated and lonely. And finally, in this process, we tend to consume more to feel happy and satisfied, thereby leading to intensive shopping addictions.

5. Conclusion

Daniel Dubois, a passionate social entrepreneur and a change-maker says, “The need is the ability for us to shift our society from a culture of hyper-consumption and ownership to interdependence and access.” All of us today are people of convenience and we resort to buying new things from online platforms. They have been designed in such a way that they promote excess consumption and alter our buying perceptions. In today’s society, the impacts of the e-commerce industry on our psychology are highly unknown. Online shopping is constantly tampering with the emotional values of the consumers, which is ultimately leading to shopping addiction. Shopping addiction gives rise to ever-increasing consumerism, followed by its negative impacts on the environment.

ProtoVillage, a 1095-day project to develop a remote village cluster in Andhra Pradesh, India into the prototype of an adequate village cluster, sustainable, socially cohesive, and economically viable is a brilliant example of celebrating abundance. Villagers have abundant natural resources at their disposal, but they consume only what is needed. Nature and its gifts are respected there. This example allows us, the urban consumers to question ourselves as to how much should we consume and how much should be enough for us. Conscious buying behaviors and a sustainable lifestyle are the need of the hour today to manage problems associated with consumerism. What if we resorted to buying only what is needed, renting instead of buying, shopping eco-conscious brands, shopping with a list, avoiding expedited shipping, reusing, recycling, and minimizing waste generation? Would this allow us to be a more responsible consumer? It is the time when we all should understand the importance of two words – ‘alternatives and choices’- choosing alternatives to create small changes in our habits & lifestyles and make an immediate positive difference that could lead us to a better future. The choice to choose is ours. 

Green consumer values impact on environmental sustainability:

Green consumerism refers to the intentions of individuals to care and sense of responsibility for environmental sustainability to promote and pay close attention to the positive effects on the environment -Yue, Sheng, She, Xu (2020).

Green products are categorized as, energy efficient, recyclable, eco-friendly packaging, and nontoxic material which helps to develop sustainability in the environment -Chen, Chang (2013).

Green consumers may face in the markets, as well as illustrate the limitations of framing and targeting environmental policies measured in terms of individual motivation and morally responsible decision-making -Moisander (2007).

Green consumerism is a subsumed list of behaviors that are undertaken to promote positive environmental effects -Sachdeva (2015).

Green consumerism is a significant portion of the Western industrialized population, such an accessible source to design an engagement in pro-environmental and sustainable behavior -Mazar (2015).

The term ‘green consumerism’ impacts on environmental sustainability as, green consumers are a substantial resource for environmental management, social accountability, corporate citizenship, and the health and safety of lifestyle -Pedersen, Neergaard (2006).

According to the research by Dr. Mona Verma (2019).

Consumers are becoming increasingly quite conscious of environmentally friendly goods. Green consumers are very concerned with green activities. Green consumers always select those products that should build a healthy environment not only for their lifestyle but for a healthier society too. By using eco-friendly products, the environment can become healthier and protected from various damages. Green consumers are the tremendous click to create a sustainable environment, lessening the amount of harmful effects from society.

Furthermore, textile and fashion products are manufactured, distributed even sold worldwide range. That’s why the textile and fashion industries have quite an interlinked relationship with environmental sustainability. The tendency of eco-friendly products is to be used in textile and apparel products, particularly those products that directly come into contact with skin for prolonged area of time. These products included sanitary products, footwear, watches, purses, etc.

Eco-friendly clothing is termed as clothing made with natural fibers such as organic cotton and hemp. Even clothes have been dyed organically using vegetables. Through these practices, the environment is affected positively.

Since 2006, the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) working as a relatively new worldwide processing standard for textiles made from organic fibers.

Idealistic behavior by consumers towards green products has a large impact on the sustainability of environmental regulations -Eriksson (2004).

Green consumer understands the environmental consequences of their consumption pattern, through their choices about products they’d inevitably put intensive pressure on the manufacturers to move ahead towards sustainable production. Green consumerism once lays the responsibility to undertake the function of maintaining economic growth while improving environmental sustainability -Akenji (2014).

Certainly, people have the intention to convert biological diversities towards the ecosystem to agriculture or logged forests to improve their economic conditions and environmental sustainability and balance their lifestyle -Hardner, Rice (2002).

To transform standard criteria of environmental sustainability, green consumers work as a source of developing a sustainable environment, by choosing eco-friendly products -Bostrom, Klintman (2008).

 “Feed” a transmitter implanted into the heads of people. Feeds are a crucial part of life for Titus and his friends. Feed takes place shortly where media is always with you. Almost everyone has a tiny device implanted into their brain which corporations use to manipulate their customers. Each feed floods its users with a consistent stream of ads, persuading them into a lifestyle of constant consumption. From the feed begins implanted as a child you grow with it and become dependent on it for information and entertainment.

The feed is a mind controller, it doesn’t let anyone think for themselves it thinks for them. Which can be a killer to the brain. For example, Titus says “But the braggest thing about the feed, the thing that made it big, is that it knows everything you want and hope for, sometimes before you even know what those things are”. This quote shows how before you can even think of something that you want it already knows it, and Feed is something that wants to keep you un-satisfied so that you can keep consuming; So with it being that way you’ll never get or truly know what you want. The feed can’t be stopped, the reason everyone in the feed is so impassive is because they’re so dependent on their feed for pleasure. Almost nobody knows how to make themselves happy. Since the feed can provide so much such as entertainment twenty-four hours a day, people can even use the feed for their dreams, with the feed being set up as this people have forgotten about some of the most basic sources such as happiness quoted by the people, “Of course, everyone is like da da da, evil corporations, oh they’re so bad, we all say that, and we all know they control everything. I mean, it’s not great, because who knows what evil shit they’re up to. Everyone feels bad about that. But they’re the only way to get all this stuff, and it’s no good getting pissy about it because they’re still going to control everything whether you like it or not. Plus, they keep everyone in the world employed, so it’s not like we could do without them. And it’s really good to know everything about everything whenever we want, to have it just like, in our brain, just sitting there” (pg 10). This quote shows how the feed really and truly can’t be stopped. Towards the middle of the novel Titus and Violet show us how their relationship develops. Violet shows Titus the world without feed, Violet is more like a real person who reads and can control herself. Titus begins to like Violet more because she isn’t like others. Towards the end when she begins to lose her feed and memories she gives Titus a list of things she wants to do with him, which is an ideal life she wants to have in the future with him. With Titus being unable to respond and express his feelings Violet feels frustrated The feed is taking over the minds of people it controls the brain and makes decisions for them. For example, Titus can’t think for himself which ties back into him not knowing how to express his feelings. He isn’t capable of doing so because he doesn’t have a mind of his own, he has the “feed” the programmed chip that’s implanted into his head which makes people unsure of what they want and which keeps them unsatisfied

M.T. Anderson develops the themes of power and consumerism through symbolism having the feed have the upper hand in daily living so having that “ power” to do so. Foreshadowing takes a part in the novel also through consumerism being the huge part because “the feed” is media and advertisements are always with the people and almost everything focuses on consuming. Personification also plays a huge part in the novel because the feed is inhuman to have. Having a device that makes choices for you isn’t normal. In conclusion, Reading this made me conclude that we (the people) should challenge the way our consumer culture is. Why should anybody care? People should care because it makes us realize how businesses can manipulate us into purchasing something just by one advertisement and we may not even be satisfied with the result of it because we weren’t sure of the action that took place and how it ties into our daily life. This statement ties into one of the main themes (consumerism). 

Introduction:

Free sugars, added sugars, simple sugars, and refined sugars are some of the negatively perceived labels assigned to this renowned commodity we call sugar. But before we can delve into why these particular sugar categories receive heavy criticism we must first understand where this unfavourable outlook stems from. In common colloquial speech ‘sugar’ is your everyday table sugar, added for the most part mindlessly to our teas, coffees, and breakfast cereals. Sugar is a class of the most abundant sources of food energy in the human diet- carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are classified by their molecular size into sugars, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides (Mathers and Wolever, 2009). Sugars are the simplest form of carbohydrates that describe the monosaccharides and disaccharides present in food. Monosaccharides are the building blocks of all the other carbohydrate classes and include glucose, fructose, and galactose (Hummings and Stephen, 2007).  Grant and Morita (2003) say that we are born with an innate preference for sweet things. During pregnancy, the fetus is surrounded by sweet amniotic fluid and once born, babies consume either breast milk or formula milk both containing the milk sugar lactose. The continued lean towards sweetness in adulthood is, therefore no surprise. Throughout history, sugars have been added to enhance the sweetness of foods to appeal to our sweet tooth cravings.

How do we fair in comparison to our ancestor’s free sugar intake? Is free sugar consumption increasing or decreasing across the globe? Is this another media publicity stunt or is their unwavering attention on the nutrient needed? Are we victims of misleading and confusing sugar advertising? And is our health suffering as a consequence of free sugar consumption? These are just some of the questions I wish to address and dissect throughout this paper.  

Free Falling

What are free sugars and why are we so concerned with them? The explanation is in the name. Free sugars aren’t naturally bound within the cellular structure of whole foods like fruit, vegetables, and dairy products. They are all the monosaccharides and disaccharides free or available to be added to foods by the manufacturer, cook , or consumer. They differ from added sugar in that they also include sugars naturally present in honey, syrups , and unsweetened fruit juices (Butriss, 2016). Free from the enclosure of the cell wall free sugars enter the bloodstream quicker than intrinsic sugars whose sugars are released after the cell wall is broken down. The relationship as established by the World Health Organisation (2019) between free sugar consumption, tooth decay, and unhealthy weight is the grounds for attracting adverse publicity to the nutrient. With the current global obesity epidemic, this correlation has spurred the World Health Organisation to review their recommended free sugar intake and reduce the number from 10% to 5% of total energy intake. Their reasoning comes as a result of high levels of free sugar intake being linked with parallel changes in body weight. WHO also states that higher intakes of free sugars are a threat to the overall nutrient quality of diets, as they are high in calories and low in nutrients. This is why they are often deemed empty calories. The empty part comes from their ability to contribute little nutritionally. Sugar-sweetened drinks like soda contain lots of empty calories and children who consume these regularly are more likely to be overweight or obese. This makes sense are they are providing ample calories without the satiation that comes after eating a meal of equal calorie content. If drank alongside food, as opposed to lower-calorie drinks like water or tea, extra calories are ingested very easily (WHO, 2015). 

What is interesting to note is that this 5% reduction is a conditional recommendation. The quality of evidence is not as strong, but the desired effects of complying with the recommendations outweigh the undesirable effects. This is unlike the previous recommendation of reducing our free sugar intake to less than 10% of total energy which was deemed strong based on the quality of the evidence supporting it. WHO’s decision to further drop the percentage intake runs along with their desire to prevent NCDs (Non-Communicable Diseases). This low figure highlights their urgency to tackle the rise in diabetes and obesity while reducing the burden of premature deaths due to NCDs. (WHO, 2015).

How achievable is this 5% of total energy? The World Health Organisation, the UK, and Ireland have a consensus on the term free sugars, however, The US implements the term added sugar. Even then, the FDA and the USDA cannot agree on a suitable definition. The former considers fruit juice added sugar while the latter does not consider any type of fruit juice as added sugar. Without an accepted universal definition, nutritional databases may use different equations to calculate added/free sugar resulting in a range of conflicting values that could be very confusing and misleading for the consumer. It may also be hard for the average person to consume less than this amount of free sugar when food labeling has yet to distinguish between free and total sugar content. This confusion has a danger of leading to reduced intakes of nutrient-rich foods, like yogurt, whole grains, and dried fruits such as raisins, cranberries, and grapefruit. (Erickson and Slavin, 2015).

Sweet Memories

In his article ‘In Defence of Sugar’ Edward Archer explains the key role sugars played in the diets of our ancestors, he also examines historical intakes of sugar and argues for their benefit in society. He points out that modern hunter-gatherers consumed 20–80% of their total energy intake from added sugar, honey (a disaccharide of glucose and fructose) being the main source. This is 5-8 times larger than the current recommendations. Their glycaemic loads (how high blood sugar rises and how long it stays high after eating carbohydrates) (Glycaemic Index Foundation, 2017) were elevated by intrinsic sugars in fruits and tuber vegetables. Despite the elevated consumption of sugar and high glycaemic loads, these populations recorded having some of the lowest risks of Non-Communicable Diseases (Archer, 2018).

More recently, the greatest increases in sugar availability in the US occurred from the late 19th century right up until World War II. Sugar availability increased from less than 10 lbs. per capita to more than 100 lbs. per capita each year. At the same time, the US population experienced improvements in every health metric examined over the period 1880 to 1980. In 1979, the availability of sugar in the American food supply had never been higher and the US Surgeon General’s Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention declared that the health of the American people had never been better. Similarly, the United Kingdom also experienced rises in health and well-being corresponding with increases in sugar availability which was linked to better, not worse health.

After the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1980s, Cuba was forced to rely on domestic crops such as sugar cane. Domestic sugar use increased from 530 metric tons in 1980 to 637 in 1995. The level of physical activity also increased considerably in addition to the increase in sugar use. Significant declines in obesity, Type 2 Diabetes mellitus, and NCDs were observed. Results such as these suggest that increments in both physical activity and dietary sugar lead to improvements in metabolic health (Archer, 2018). What Archer failed to mention was other possible improvements in medicine such as antibiotics, vaccinations, and sanitation which may also have contributed to this transition in the health scale.

Surprise – free sugar not on the rise

With all the hype surrounding our current sugar intakes, one would assume it must have increased dramatically over the years. However, evidence tells a different story. A descriptive study that used 6 cross-sectional nationally representative surveys of food intake in the US to examine trends in added sugar intake between 1977 and 2012 found, for both children and adults, there was a significant increase in calories from added sugars from 1977 to 2003. From 14% to 18% of total energy for children and 12% to 15% of total energy for adults. More interesting is the decline that followed from 2003 to 2012. Children’s percentage dropped from 18% to 17% and adults from 15% to 14% of total energy intake (Powell et al., 2016). Despite this decrease intakes still, exceed the recommended level.

Australia has seen a substantial decrease in refined sugar consumption (declined by 20%) over the past 30 years along with a 10% decline in the amount of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) consumed. Over this same period, obesity in the country has increased by 300%. This has become known as the Australian Paradox and puts a question on whether global efforts to reduce sugar consumption will reduce obesity levels (Barclay and Brand-Miller, 2011).

Sweet tooth- children most at risk

Free Sugar consumption varies globally. A common theme is that these countries exceed the recommended 5% free sugar guidelines. In Europe, adult consumption ranges from 7-8% of total energy in countries like Hungary and Norway to higher levels of 16-17% in Spain and the UK. Children are found to have a much higher intake, ranging from 12% in countries Denmark, Slovenia, and Sweden, to approximately 25% in Portugal (World Health Organisation, 2015). Age is a factor in consumption levels as added sugar contributes 30% more to total energy intake in children as opposed to adults. Ranging from 32% in

Ireland and up to 50% in the Netherlands (Azaïs-Braesco et al., 2017). In the UK SSBs are the largest contributor of free sugars in children (Evans, 2016).

Reducing free sugar consumption in children should be of utmost importance as they are vulnerable in society with little control over their food intake and the least knowledge of dietary effects.

Adolescents also face challenges when trying to adhere to free sugar recommendations. After sampling 2587 adolescents aged 11-18, in The UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey, it was discovered that the adolescents who consumed 10–15% of energy from

Non-milk extrinsic sugars (NMES) were less deficient in numerous micronutrients than the 4% of adolescents reported consuming 5% or less. This emphasizes the care that needs to be taken to ensure restrictions in diet do not lead to deficiencies in other nutrients (Lai et al., 2019).

The need to question what you read

The bold article ‘The Toxic Truth about Sugar’ presents strong biased opinions on current sugar consumption. The idea that nature made sugar difficult to get (honey guarded by bees) while man made it easy, along with man’s addition of sugar to processed foods limiting the consumer’s choice, can provoke strong feelings in the average reader who may feel they are being wronged. The authors say sugar is the cause of all the diseases associated with metabolic syndrome and puts sugar in the same category as tobacco and alcohol (Lustig et al., 2012) Frightening statements will naturally draw media attention to the nutrient. They can be easily read and understood with little scientific knowledge or background. On further investigation, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) in the UK did not find a link between intake of sugars (total or individual) and cardiovascular risk factors, risk of coronary events, incidence of or risk factors for type 2 diabetes, inflammatory markers or cancer (SACN 2015).

Conclusion:

Research shows that high intakes of free sugars are linked to overweight and obesity, as excess body weight results from excess energy intake. High levels of free sugars can threaten a balanced diet as they lack other nutrients. However, care needs to be taken to ensure low levels (≤5% of total energy) do not compromise or restrict the micronutrient composition of diets, particularly in adolescents. Reducing free sugar intake to below 5% of total energy will be difficult to achieve unless a universal definition of free sugars is accepted.

Data is showing a decline in free sugar consumption in recent years, though levels still exceed current recommendations. Children consume significantly more of their total energy from free sugar than adults and so should be the prime target when devising sugar reduction strategies. WHO’s recent recommendation to reduce free sugar to ≤5% of total energy intake is a conditional recommendation and given the decline in free sugar consumption, the unattractive picture the media paints of sugar is unwarranted. Care needs to be taken to avoid scaremongering amongst the general population on the nutrient by equipping them with an evidence-based base, which does not pin free sugar as the sole cause of NCDs but rather as a contributor when consumed at high levels.

References: 

1.  Archer, E. (2018). In Defence of Sugar: A Critique of Diet-Centrism. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, [online] 61(1), 10-19. Available from: doi: 10.1016/j.pcad.2018.04.007. [Accessed 4th November 2019].Available from: doi: 10.3390/nu3040491. [Accessed 2nd November 2109]. 
2. Azaïs-Braesco, V., Sluik, D., Maillot, M., Kok, F. and Moreno, L. (2017). A review of total & added sugar intakes and dietary sources in Europe. Nutrition Journal, [online] 16(6), 5. Available from: doi: 10.1186/s12937-016-0225-2. [Accessed 26 October 2019]. 
3. Barclay, A. and Brand-Miller, J. (2011). The Australian Paradox: A Substantial Decline in Sugars Intake over the Same Timeframe that Overweight and Obesity Have Increased. Nutrients, [online] 3 (4), 491-504.
4. Buttriss, J. (2016). Sugars – part of a bigger picture? Nutrition Bulletin, [online] 41(1), 79. Available from: doi:10.1111/nbu.12192. [Accessed 26th October 2019]. 
5. Cummings, J. and Stephen, A. (2007). Carbohydrate terminology and classification. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, [online] 61 (1), S7. Available from: doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602936. [Accessed 25th October 2019]. 
6. Erickson, J. and Slavin, J. (2015). Total, Added, and Free Sugars: Are Restrictive Guidelines Science-Based or Achievable? Nutrients, [online] 7(4), 2866-2868. Available from: doi: 10.3390/nu7042866. [Accessed 28th October 2019]. 
7. Evans, C. (2016). Sugars and health: a review of current evidence and future policy. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, [online] 76(3), 402. Available from: doi: 10.1017/s0029665116002846. [Accessed 2nd November 2019]. 
8. Glycemic Index Foundation. (2019). What about Glycemic Load? – Glycemic Index Foundation. [online] Available from: https://www.gisymbol.com/what-about-glycemic-load/. [Accessed 2nd November 2019]. 
9. Lai, H., Hutchinson, J., and Evans, C. (2019). Non-Milk Extrinsic Sugars Intake and Food and Nutrient Consumption Patterns among Adolescents in the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey, Years 2008–16. Nutrients, [online] 11 (7), 1-14. Available from: doi: 10.3390/nu11071621. [Accessed 3rd November 2019].
10. Lustig, R., Schmidt, L. and Brindis, C. (2012). The toxic truth about sugar. Nature, [online] 482 (1), 27-29. Available from: doi: 10.1038/482027a. [Accessed 3rd November 2019].
11. Matthews, J. and Wolever, T. (2009). Digestion and Metabolism of Carbohydrate. In:  Gibney, M., Lamham-New, s., Cassidy, A. and Vorster, H. (ed.), The Nutrition Society Textbook Series- Introduction to Human Nutrition 2nd edition. UK: Wiley- Blackwell, 74.
12. Powell, E., Smith-Taillie, L. and Popkin, B. (2016). Added Sugars Intake Across the Distribution of US Children and Adult Consumers: 1977-2012. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, [online] 116 (10), 1543-1550. Available from: doi:10.1016/j.jand.2016.06.003. [Accessed 2nd November 2019]. 
13. SACN (2015). SACN Carbohydrates and Health Report. Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition.
14. Sigman-Grant, M. and Morita, J. (2003). Defining and interpreting intakes of sugars. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, [Online] 78 (4), 815S. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/78.4.815S. [Accessed 25th October 2019]. 
15. World Health Organization. (2015). WHO guideline: sugar consumption recommendation. [online] Available from: https://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/sugar-guideline/en/ [Accessed 4th November 2019].
16. World Health Organization. (2019). Reducing free sugar intake in children and adults. [online] Available from: https://www.who.int/elena/titles/guidance_summaries/sugars_intake/en/. [Accessed 4th November 2019].

“Our Beauty Obsession: An Investigation into the causes and effects of modern beauty ideals in a world driven by consumerism and mass media.”

Research questions:

• What are the current standards of beauty and how have they been shaped and structured by platforms such as social media?
• How are today’s beauty ideals affecting the body image of adolescent females?
• Do these beauty standards influence self-esteem in young girls?
• Are these identified beauty standards promoting body-shaming in any way?
• How is escalating consumerism impacting the shaping of rigid beauty ideals?

Methodology:

The method used for this research will be the secondary analysis method followed by the conduction of a survey. This will entail a detailed and thorough examination of all content (articles, readings, media, audio) that is related to concepts, definitions, reflections, and comparisons in all social, cultural, and individual aspects of the specific construct of ‘beauty’ and how it has now evolved into the universal perceptions regarded as ‘beauty ideals’. After the assessment of all these sources, a cross-comparison will be conducted to identify the common themes that emerge from every written, visual, or audible statement. The articles examined will be specifically based on the collective and universal beauty standards that have appeared and evolved over the years, the aim is to examine as many articles as possible that have a strong linkage to the topic in question. After the secondary analysis is conducted, the next focus will be the construction of a proper survey questionnaire that can properly highlight and extract the focal points from which accurate interpretations can later be obtained. The survey will contain appropriate questions of both close-ended and open-ended nature that will serve as means of exploration of every theme that was identified in secondary analysis. It will be important to make sure that all these questions are structured as to address specifically and be directed towards and understandable by the target sample from the population which will be young and middle-aged females from the ages of 15 years to 25 years. It will be essential to make sure that the questions are answered honestly and with a good amount of consideration for which the process of survey administration will be monitored. The target sample will consist of about 200 individuals, where maximum effort will also be allotted to obtain the survey data from women with diverse backgrounds, professions, and characteristics to obtain a diverse, integrated, whole, and representative picture of the entire population. To obtain a representative sample, random sampling will be used to make sure that the sample replicates the characteristics of the population, and if this is not ensured then the data will not have much power of generalization. Essential value will be given to making sure that faulty data that may have been induced by several elements (e.g. social desirability factor) will be recognized and countered to make sure that the obtained information will be useful and accurate to generate applicable results.

Literature review:

It has now become common knowledge that rapidly spreading phenomena such as mass media and consumerism have impacted the world in more dimensions than one. Many researchers have analyzed and assessed different aspects that can be taken into consideration while attempting to understand seeping influence. Beauty standards have aggressively been shaped by concepts imparted through these sources, an occurrence that has been explored in many studies. The stemming of such negative factors as body dissatisfaction is absorbed by social ideals which in today’s world are almost completely obtained from one or another form of media (Mills, Shannon, & Hogue, 2017). All of these are slowly leading the world towards the phenomenon of globalization of beauty, which is disseminated through many forms and sources such as magazines, advertisements, and consumerism (Yan, & Bissell, 2014). Despite its universal nature, many researchers also provide evidence that cultural factors play a very strong role in promoting concrete beauty ideals, incongruency to which often leads to emotionally negative outcomes that in some collective cultures have greater dominance due to interdependence (Madan, Basu, Ng, & Lim, 2018). Mass media and consumerism are very related as they are both fundamentally over-lapping in many areas and promote the survival of one another the role of consumerism in enhancing and promoting unachievable beauty standards, for the achievement of which women strive to constantly purchase products has been deemed as beauty propaganda (Greenfield, 2018). It gradually becomes prominent that the emergence of such trends and standards relating to beauty has its roots in economic strategies that go on to target the emotional as well as psychological well-being of vulnerable women or even healthy ones that ultimately submit to the pressures of conforming to fit into societal roles and ideals. Excavation of these deep-lying causes, also reveals that many studies point to Capitalism as the source and reason for all such perspectives (Guerra, 2016). The presence of many psychologically-induced eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa that stem from distorted body images, physical dissatisfaction, or body shaming can all be liked in at least one form of media (Sidani, 2016). Sidani also claims through the results of his statistical findings, that usage of social media produces great concerns for young individuals, particularly girls regarding eating consciousness, concerns, and guilt. This points towards the extremely dangerous but very rarely considered side of mass media which is simply regarded as a trend and consumerism, which is in layman’s terms just the desire and enjoyment of purchasing and acquiring. Studies conducted across diverse contexts uncover other elements such as how social media invites peer comparison and contrasts with media influencers, yielding a very high presence of such psychologically and emotionally harmful attributes (Adjin-Tettey, 2015). General standards of physical beauty that are constantly propelled to a global audience through the many platforms of social media have also been known to negatively affect mental health in even young children (Kholmogorova, Tarhanova, & Shalygina, 2017). Consistent exposure to media sources has been discovered to pose potential threats to the way young women who belong to very diverse cultures perceive their bodies, which can be hinted at its relation to other explicitly dangerous practices as self-harm or self-hatred (Nagar, & Virk, 2017). Social media has often been anchored to the increasing dissatisfaction with physical appearance for all individuals, especially teens and adolescents, studies have even produced detailed findings that social media is playing an escalating role in the ever-increasing desire and need for cosmetic procedures and plastic surgery (Walker, Krumhuber, Dayan, & Furnham, 2019). The varying discoveries of all these researches overly suggest and imply that mass media and consumerism are not playing much of a positive part in the lives of young individuals, especially women who are constantly being pressurized and misled at the hands of consumer culture and an age of technological mass media that has taken over the lives of every person. The current products of these plague-like phenomena are adversely impacting too many functional dimensions of women of every age and context, which is unanimously agreed upon by the majority of researchers that have explored every venture and turn that the age of mass media and consumerism has shaped in its wake.

Ethical considerations:

The conduction of a study that explores a perception-dependent topic such as beauty ideals within the realm of mass media and consumerism influence requires firstly an accurate representation and information on the part of every individual involved, and this can only be obtained if proper ethical practices are followed. The consent form is the primary requirement of any ethically aligned research, the participants will be fully informed of the objective of the study and what we mean to accomplish by it, and they will be well aware of their right to withdraw at any moment of the study, despite the extent of their contribution. Subjects will also be assured that the information they are providing will only be used for research purposes and kept fully confidential, the presence of anonymity in the survey questionnaire will be useful for eliminating threats such as the social desirability factor and will also help gain the trust of the individual, accomplish the dual goals of rapport-building as well as accurate-information extraction. It is also important to review and assess that the questionnaire items are in no way leading or loaded, or in any way aimed at shaping the perception or answer of the individual in any certain direction. No visual or vocal data will be collected without the individual’s concern, lack of awareness that may hinder the individual’s answering of open-ended questions will not be tampered with to keep the data as authentic as possible. No subject should be emotionally offended or harmed during the process of this study and the values, beliefs, and perceptions of every individual will be respected with no discrimination or imparting that any characteristic subject is superior or inferior to the study. The research will fully comply with all these important concerns. 

The design has a profound impact on our daily lives posing both positive and negative implications, however, this influence is hardly realized and recognized by society. As design has progressed, it has held an immense power over one’s state of mind and indications of social hierarchy in society. How does design influence the way individuals perceive themselves and others as well as our social and personal perceptions? Moreover, why has consuming come to occupy such a central place in our lives? The art of design has compelled the minds and hearts of individuals to believe that designs such as clothing, furniture, and cars assist them in their path to ‘self-discovery’ and their sense of value and worth. The correlation between design and consumerism can be greatly associated and linked with luxury, identity, and self-perception as well as perceptions of others within society. Design has posed great positive implications across the globe for notable reasons, however, it has, too posed negative implications among society as a whole as it is extremely influential and holds immense power to persuade and empower our decision-making processes.

Since the rise of the department store and contemporary consumerism, individuals have adopted consumerism as a way of life, and perhaps also a ‘state of mind’. This could perchance illuminate why searching and purchasing services and amenities that meet our needs or satisfy our wants are regarded as so extraordinarily important. The process of wanting and desiring lies at the very heart of the phenomenon of modern consumerism. Before this era of ‘modern consumerism’ one’s needs were immeasurably different and considered fundamental, such as food and shelter. Since then, one’s needs have progressed into something much more extraneous and consumerist. Consumerism is devouring – it changes the environment to want to consume more and to find pleasure. Merchants can achieve this by implementing larger windows in shop displays, larger displays, etc. This state of mind that consumerism possesses individuals leads them to constantly compare and contrast with what they have, do not have, and what they might have or look like in the future. Price within consumerism is also a very significant factor as it determines who we are as consumers; you can look within a shop, but, may not be able to go into the store as only particular people can afford what is within the store. In union to this, social hierarchy and ranks were very important within society which then progressed to what we now know as classes. Working classes cannot simply afford to go into big department stores. The standard of comparison was able to decide where they sit in a social hierarchy based on superficial objects one acquires, such as clothing, furniture, cars, etc. Consumerism Is a continuous encouragement to compare and discover new wants or needs. Department stores will always find something new and novel to sell you, ultimately treating needs as unlimited and insatiable. This makes the department store so very imperative, as it is all in one place to showcase this ‘dream’ that preponderance aspires to.

Consumption began to shape our perceptions of ourselves and each other, particularly through fashion. Fashion reflects unceasing new needs and new wants and responds to the need of the individual to be different and to belong. These standards of decency were determined through platforms of design advice such as magazines, films, and celebrity gossip. There was a great advantage derived from this design advice, and that was that it transcended ads – they were always personal and written by an individual who acquires a ‘friendly voice’ and persuades you that it is something you need to purchase although it may perhaps not necessarily be needed. Consumerism encourages the individual to discover in their minds what they consider to be a ‘better’ and ‘good life’ whilst always providing an image of this for them to follow. One example from the Cold War was the design of furniture, kitchens, and televisions in the West. They were contemporary and idolized, essentially modeling the lifestyle individuals would aspire to. Instead of these designs selling for their technical advantages, they were essentially sold for their values and virtues surrounding the ideal, ‘dream’. One other prime and current example of this today is the phenomenon of the mobile phone. New models of the iPhone are released yearly and ads are often sent out to customers encouraging them to purchase this great, novel mobile phone creating this worry within their minds that they do not miss out on this brand new and latest phone. Individuals are constantly finding ways to increase themselves within the social hierarchy to reach that sense of belonging and betterment.

Luxury is defined as something of great expense that is an indulgence rather than a necessity. Whatever is perceived as luxury must be perceived by everybody. Luxury is also often defined by the upper class and the wealthy. During the 1900’s period, the ‘Delphos’ gown, by Mariano Fortuny was often worn by movie stars and heiresses. This dress was highly anticipated due to its expense, artistry, and unique design which as a result, became an indicator of ‘reputation’. This greatly desired dress was then emulated to adapt to the needs of the population as the working class and perhaps the middle class could not afford such a dress. Individuals often seek acceptance – they are constantly finding a way to feel as if they are respected, belong, and are accepted. These examples are all able to be connected as they elucidate the sheer fact that the central objective and motive for individuals consuming these goods were based on social standards and how they wanted to perceive themselves as well as others to perceive them.

The issue surrounding identity and its relation to consumption is paramount regarding design and modern consumerism. What you look like becomes a symbol of who you are or who you aspire to be – in essence, it becomes a sense of value. Individuals often shop to imagine who they think they may be or want to be, effectively wishing to create the ‘new you’. As a consumer, you can evaluate something’s value to you – that is to say, a way of imagining how others perceive you. There is an emphasis frequently placed on the significance of consuming the affirmation, confirmation, or even the creation of identity. This activity of consumption can be considered as the vital path to ‘self-discovery’. Department stores can provide clothing for a variation of occasions such as the Opera, tennis, or other lavish outings. These social spaces are often used by society to attend purely to be seen and to see others. Fundamentally, this provokes comparison – it provokes an awareness of what you do not have and generates the idea that you can become who you want through buying, which is what we know as consumerism.

Department stores began to become privatized, however, were places that were also public which people were encouraged to go to and wander around. They were encouraged to look, see, compare, and contrast as well as put themselves on display for others to see. This ultimately incites the perception that these products must be acquired to gain acceptance, and respect and to chase this impractical ‘ideal’ dream of a life. Stores still currently use this technique, one prime example is IKEA. IKEA showcases an assortment of rooms that are available to the public. You can go into these showrooms and experience these montages of eminently democratic, attainable, unpretentious, and inexpensive showrooms. Consumerism supports aspirations to be respected and comfortable. It creates the idea of respectability by contrasting and comparing by producing environments and goods that will appeal to people’s sense of betterment. It tends to appeal to slightly beyond what we already have, and slightly what we can already afford. Individuals are often convincing themselves that if they can retrieve the latest and greatest goods, they will be widely accepted and one step closer to that ‘better life’.

The negative implications of design posed on society are outstanding. One of the largest effects is regarding fashion. Almost everywhere you go or look, you are exposed to fashion. One area that the fashion market is widely exposed to is adolescence and perhaps schools. From childhood, we are often conditioned to ‘dress to impress’. Young adults and children are typically targeted as they are often comparing and contrasting themselves and others. At this age, many are experiencing and battling with their identities and self-confidence. What you wear and what you possess are often examined by one another and determine your status of wealth and even popularity. This factor often leads to bullying and exclusion, thus, possibly having major effects on one’s mental health.

Furthermore, technology such as the mobile phone is a recurring and common influence on the perception of one’s social status, wealth, and worth. The world’s leading mobile phone brand is Apple’s iPhone. This highly prized and affluent iPhone is usually considered exclusive and superior. Whether that statement may be true or not, this mobile phone is typically purchased for its ‘brand’. This is not only shown through fashion and technology but also seen among other goods such as accessories. High-end brands such as Gucci, and Louis Vuitton are too, purchased for its brand and seen more as so a symbol of wealth and social hierarchy – individuals use labels to position themselves within society. Design communicates in different ways that materialistic things such as clothes, phones, and cars are the most important things in one’s life, ultimately sending the wrong message to people. Individuals then tend to focus on improving their outward appearance as opposed to their inner self. Although these implications do pose a substantial negative effect on society, there are too, positive implications that derive from design.

Design, particularly within fashion, provides a platform for many – allowing expressing themselves in numerous diverse ways. Your appearance is the first impression for others to have on you. The beauty of this, is, that you can express yourself in any way possible whether that be based on your mood, attitude, and feelings – you can choose who you want to be. Moreover, designers can put their innovative fashion ideas and designs to use and bring something new and unique to the table. They can express their art – sharing this with the world to experience. This also creates great employment opportunities as well as discovering new talents.  

“What consumerism is, at its worst is getting people to buy things that don’t improve their lives.” -Jeff Bezos. Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts without regard to the problems that it may cause to the environment and our daily lives. Although consumerism offers benefits to corporations, consumers, and the economy, current production methods must improve to protect our natural resources and lifestyles, and to solve the higher debt level problems.

Consumerism gives a lot of advantages to the economy, corporations, and consumers. “Consumer spending accounts for roughly 70 percent of U.S. economic growth — that amount has increased considerably, from 59.5 percent of the economy in 1969 to 68.1 percent of GDP in the third quarter of 2019, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis” (Cohan). Consumerism helps to drive the economic engine of a consumerist society in that it creates jobs for workers and wealth for business owners. The continuous consumption of goods provides many people and industries with jobs and benefits for their businesses. Also, it helps the consumer by providing him with the best service, products, and maybe lower prices. It can help the business owner too, selling more products means getting more money. As well, business owners can raise the price since they feel that consumer confidence is high.

Despite the benefits inherent in consumerism, many production methods are extremely harmful to natural sources and our lifestyles. ‘Rising consumption has helped meet basic needs and create jobs,’ Christopher Flavin, president of World Watch Institute said in a statement to the press. “But as we enter a new century, this unprecedented consumer appetite is undermining the natural systems we all depend on.’ (Mayell). Consumerism is depleting the natural resources of the respective country. The cycle of consumerism ends with throwing the whole waste back into the ecosphere: waste gases into the sky, pollutants into water, and waste chemicals and toxins into the soil. This cycle will lead to global warming, which will eventually result in health problems. The natural habitat is being destroyed to create more goods and build more developments which then affect the weather.

As consumerism affects the environment and natural resources, this is going immediately to lead to an effect on our mental health and happiness. Everyone knows that we live in a world of consumerism. But few people recognize the full meaning of the damage it causes or the effects on each of us. We all know the environmental damage of consuming resources at the current rate. “Throughout the world, 60% more resources are consumed every year than the sustainable rate, driving the pollution and climate change that are documented in ever more distressing detail. Evidence about the effects of consumerism on mental health and wellbeing is also rising, and it makes similarly painful reading.” (Mayell). When it comes to consumerism, it’s unquestionable to society. Buying stuff we like, obviously, an an important role in our lives, but there are a lot of well-being studies that state that when we link our happiness with money and buying stuff this decreases life satisfaction, happiness, and energy, and increases depression, anxiety, and antisocial behavior. It is time to rethink our spending behaviors, rediscover thoughts in our buying, and remind ourselves that happiness is not lined with products in a store.

Despite all these problems caused by consumerism, it also affects the debt problems across the United States and the world. Consumer debt was approaching $ 14 trillion after the second quarter of 2019, according to the New York Federal Reserve. Certainly, consumers’ ability to finance new purchases can help the economy altogether, but this effect has its limits. When credit cardholders suffer too much debt, they end up having less spending ability, which can hurt the economy. Credit card users who carry a balance must also pay interest charges, which can ultimately reduce their ability to make new purchases. Debt can be dangerous for us too.