Category: Consumerism

The contemporary business environment is becoming very competitive, thanks to globalization and technological advancement. The increased competition is now forcing organizations to adopt powerful strategies in order to gain competitive advantage. It is for this reason that consumerism has gained popularity, with business enterprises investing heavily in promotion of their products in order to influence purchasing behaviour of target markets.

Indeed, the consumer market seems to be the biggest driver of economic development in most countries, as it continues to grow as the economy and population grow. Therefore, marketing becomes an integral function in organizations, where different organizations use persuasive and manipulative techniques and strategies to convince or change perceptions of consumers to purchase their products and services (Schor, 2004).

Nowadays, most organizations are focusing on children as a niche market with potentially sustainable growth and profitability. Although this may be a move in the right direction for businesses and society in terms of commercial empowerment, there is a dark side, especially in relation to social and health wellbeing of children (Palmer, 2010). This paper will critically discuss the effect of consumerism on children aged 7-11 years.

In the past generations, parents dictated children’s consumer behaviour by purchasing things (toys, sweets, clothes among other children stuff) that they felt their children needed or deserved to have. This was mainly based on necessity and affection, but there was no significant influence from outside to do so.

However, social changes in recent years have allowed children to have a commanding influence on their consumption patterns, thanks to ever-increasing advertisements and pressure from peers (Evans & Chandler, 2006). Today, many organizations are advertising their products directly to children with the knowledge that children have become more empowered and their psychological faculties can easily be manipulated or persuaded to like the products offered (Hulbert, 2004).

Indeed, every organization will target a market that would be positively responsive to its products. According to Schor (2004), children are nowadays being used as the conduit for marketing products to parents, especially due to their passionate consumption behaviour, brand loyalty, and tendency to learn fast. Generally, marketers focus on children based on three key roles they play as consumers including, controlling a big niche market, influencing family purchasing behaviour and brand loyalty.

However, several other factors have contributed to increased consumerism and marketing being directed to children. Children at the age of 7 to 11 have their own purchasing power due to pocket money given to them by their parents; however, they do not have mental capacity to make informed decision about wants and needs (Hill, 2011).

In addition, peer pressure tends to be setting in during this age, thus influencing children to purchase things that will make them compete with their peers. Moreover, families are trying to alleviate their children from threats of stigmatization and social identity by purchasing things to their children that will make them socially compatible with other children (Hamilton, 2011).

Indeed, it is worth noting that modern parents have compromised their control on children’s purchasing influence (Herbst, 2005) by yielding easily to children’s pestering and giving out money (or items) to them out of guilt for not spending enough time with them due to professional engagements.

Consumerism culture has adverse repercussions in children, especially in their social development. Importantly, since children do not have the capacity to make informed decisions, they are vulnerable to manipulation (Roche, 2009). In recent years, advertisement efforts by organizations have gone a notch higher to segment children market into age groups in order to capture more attention.

Importantly, children at the age of 7-11 years are beginning to identify their true gender and tend to associate themselves with popular culture; so they will demand products that make them look cool, in reference to advertisements. Here, peer pressure plays a big role as children try to compete against each other in terms of possession and coolness (Lüsted, 2010).

Indeed, children construct their identity by having a large collection of brands (Archer, Hollingworth, and Halsall, 2007). Moreover, children can easily identify the most endearing brands and labels, and they can skillfully use their little consumer knowledge to acquire these things (Pilcher, 2011). Indeed, it becomes very easy for children to participate in impulse purchases due to the amount of pocket money given to them by parents and their ability to influence parents to purchase for them.

Indeed, Buckingham (2013) claims that children would influence parents and the society to accept something due to emotional connection that exists between them and the society would also respond quickly if something is harmful to the children.

The social platform set by the contemporary marketers is eroding children’s values as they try to define their true self, because of bombarding them with so many products, which make them believe happiness is found from accumulation of possessions.

Indeed, this is becoming immoral, as it is not only interfering with their psychological health, but also their personal growth and development, especially because they are denied important tools (such as social, spiritual and intellectual) to respond appropriately to different situations (Schor, 2004).

Consumerism is also interfering with the health of children; no wonder there are increased cases of child obesity and depression (Dittmann, 2004). Nowadays, parents prefer to buy ready or easy-to-cook food from fast food shops or retail shops due to lack of time or boredom to prepare healthy food as they used to do before.

Importantly, marketers are taking this advantage to promote fatty, sugary and fast foods to children with the confidence of huge sales, the result of which is increasing cases of obese children due to consumption of these foods usually marketed as fun and cool (Gorman, 2008). Moreover, cases of drug abuse among children have increased due to the advertisements aired during children shows as well as sponsorship of children concerts and events by tobacco or alcohol companies (Schor, 2004).

The excess reliance on toys, especially play stations and computer games by children is eroding the social and cognitive development aspect in children. Unlike in the past where children used to play with their neighbor’s children, modern children have their play stations and television as their best friends (Piachaud, 2007). Therefore, children are focusing more on their materialist possessions in expense of family and friendship.

Moreover, some video games are training children to be violent instead of morally upright individuals, and this may justify the recent cases of violence and shooting in schools, especially in the US. Unsurprisingly, cases of mental disorder and depression have increased due to exposure to advertisements that have adverse psychological effect on children.

Protection of this future generation is of paramount importance, and it should be a concerted effort by all stakeholders. Primarily, there needs to be regulations on advertisements in order to prevent children from exposure to excess material that may alter their self-perceptions or behaviour. Indeed, regulations have worked in several countries that have limited or eliminated commercials during children’s programming and events, including Greece, Norway, Italy, and Austria among others (Hawkes, 2004, p.19).

Another remedy lies with the parents who must nurture their children to be morally upright people. Parents should train their children about money management and consumer behaviour, as well as control the amount they give to children as pocket money.

They should know that children of this age have some knowledge about what money is, they would tend to imitate their parents’ spending habits (Pfund, 2011), and they are vulnerable to peer pressure; therefore, guidance is important. Parents would also be in a better position to control their children’s exposure to harmful advertisements that influence their consumption behaviors (Palmer & Young, 2003).

Finally, the society plays a big role in protecting its members from harmful effects. Primarily, children need a clean and safe environment to grow and develop, thus any advertisements that tend to be manipulative or directed to children must be thoroughly regulated.

As seen above, corporations target children because they wield a lot of power in influencing consumption in families and they tend to be sustainable target market due to their brand loyalty. However, they become victims to social ineffectiveness, lifestyle illnesses, and mental disorders. Therefore, all stakeholders should unite and create an atmosphere that inhibits consumerism from destroying these innocent consumers.

References

Archer, L., Hollingworth, S., & Halsall, A. (2007). University’s not for me – I’m a Nike person: urban, working class young people’s negotiations of style, identity and educational engagement. Sociology, 41(2), 219–237.

Buckingham, D. (2013). The Material Child. London, England: John Wiley & Sons.

Dittmann, M. (2004). Protecting children from advertising. American Psychology Association, 35(6).

Evans, J., & Chandler, J. (2006). To Buy or not to Buy: Family Dynamics and Children’s Consumption. Sociological Research Online, 11(2).

Gorman, M. (2008). Childhood obesity statistics and facts. National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutes. Web.

Hamilton, K. (2011). Low-Income Families and Coping Through Brands: Inclusion or Stigma? Sociology, 46(1), 75-90.

Hawkes, C. (2004). Food to children: The global regulatory environment. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.

Herbst, M. (2005). Advertising to Children. Norderstedt, Germany: GRIN Verlag.

Hill, J. (2011). Endangered childhoods: how consumerism is impacting child and youth identity. Media Culture Society, 33(3), 347-362.

Hulbert, A. (2004). Tweens “R” us. The New York Times. Web.

Lüsted, M. (2010). Advertising to Children. Minnesota, USA: ABDO.

Palmer, E. L., & Young, B. M. (2003). The faces of televisual media: Teaching, violence, selling to children. New Jersey, USA: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Palmer, S. (2010). Toxic Childhood: How The Modern World Is Damaging Our Children And What We Can Do About It. London, England: Orion.

Pfund, F. (2011). Advertising to Children. Norderstedt, Germany: GRIN Verlag.

Piachaud, D. (2007). Freedom to be a Child: Commercial Pressures on Children. London, England: Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion.

Pilcher, J. (2011). No logo? Children’s consumption of fashion. Childhood, 18 (1) 128-141.

Roche, M. (2009). Children, Consumerism, and the Common Good. London, England: Rowman & Littlefield.

Schor, J. B. (2004). Born to buy: the commercialized child and the new consumer culture. New York: Scribner.

Consumerism thrives on the notion that individuals should have what they want in excess. This has led to a situation in which consumers acquire products in constantly increasing quantities.

Perceived classiness appears to be the driving force of consumerism. That is, consumption of luxury products is thought to elevate a consumer’s social class. Consumerism thrives well in a capitalist society like the United States of America. It is responsible for a number of positive and negative effects. But to a large extent, consumerism is beneficial to the United States society.

It unites different social classes. Acquisition and consumption of certain products appears to unite members of different social strata in the United States. For instance, fashionable items associated with inner city dwellers may be purchased by middle class Americans living in suburban areas.

Each group has a certain value it hopes to derive from the products. The poor may associate success with certain items commonly purchased by the middle class citizens. They will purchase the same products in an attempt to experience the perceived success. On the other hand, members of a higher social class may perceive items commonly acquired by the poor as sophisticated and modern.

This consumer behavior transiently breaches the gap between the two groups. In the long run, it reduces conflict between the social classes. The desire to acquire the latest products in the market is a feeling shared by the social classes. It does not matter what class one belongs to, all that matter are needs and wants of the individual. At this point the attention of the consumer is focused not on class difference but on the product.

Another benefit that can be linked to consumerism is growth of the marketing sector. Consumer demand is driven by shrewd marketing. In an attempt to attract as many buyers as possible, manufacturers and sellers often use advertising and market segmentation. The growth of luxury goods market is an example of how market segmentation can increase sales. The ripple effect is increased consumption of luxury goods.

This has a positive effect on the economy and society. Individual members of society may derive pleasure from consumption. In addition, it improves production capacity through development of tools. It has been argued that production and consumption are part of a continuous process.

Without one, the other is nonexistent. However, production and development of tools may be more dependent on consumption. Therefore, consumerism may encourage advancement in the development of tools. This is an indication that excessive consumption does not necessarily crowd out production.

Consumption motivates one to make more money. This is a necessary ingredient for development. Needs and wants are limitless thus encouraging hard work. It is, therefore, not correct to argue that consumerism encourages laziness. A more disturbing argument is the perception that consumption only fills a void in the consumer. Consumerism is not always a substitute for higher level of enjoyment.

Various arguments against consumerism have been advanced. Consumerism has been viewed as the biggest source of environmental degradation. As the consumers increase quantities of products they purchase, more demand is exerted on the environment. The demand for meat and meat products, for example, has been increasing steadily. Consumption of meat is among the major causes of animal depletion.

Therefore, consumerism may cause depletion of all natural resources leading to scarcity. Scarcity in turn increases demand thus creating a vicious cycle of environmental degradation. This suggests that irresponsible consumption is not sustainable. Moreover, such consumers do not worry about effects of their actions on the environment. Excessive consumption represents the greatest danger to the environment.

Another criticism of consumerism is that it tends to focus on pleasure rather than enjoyment. Pleasure focuses on current gratification and does not motivate the consumers to improve their lives. Enjoyment on the other hand focuses on the task and offers an opportunity for self development.

People often choose pleasure over enjoyment because it is not demanding. Pleasure is a manifestation of inner emptiness. It represents an attempt to find something involving to do. Eventually this leads to a shift in ideas from ‘what to do’ to ‘what to have’. In this case, the focus is on the benefit associated with consumption. This may slow down innovation.

To live meaningfully and well in a materialistic society, one has to make certain crucial adjustments. Consumers should pay attention to environmental effects of their actions. In general, consumers should do everything in moderation. This will ensure that the environment is conserved. In addition, consumers should only engage in consumption practices that do not harm them. Harmful habits include excessive consumption of food containing excess saturated fat and salt. Consumerism also tends to encourage passive pleasurable activities.

Consumers should strive to live their lives independently. Consumers should not pay a lot of attention to what others are doing. Some communal consumption habits are harmful to both the consumer and the environment.

Consumption of luxury goods for example, does not add much value to the individual’s life. It appears to only increase expenses. Luxury goods are quite expensive yet the value obtained from them is similar to that of mass-market products. As a general rule, utility should override luxury. Luxury is a social construct that consumers should not chase after.

A meaningful life is equivalent to having only what one needs. It also extends to owning only necessary quantities of the product. Excessive consumption does not appear to add any value to life. Moreover, owning more than necessary is wasteful. It encourages environmental destruction.

This paper analyzed the benefits of consumerism to the United States society. It also examined some of the negative effects of consumerism. Consumerism is a belief that consumers should acquire what they want in excess. This implies that consumption shapes the behavior of both the individual and the society. Consumerism is a uniting factor in the society. It unites members of all social classes. Some products are associated with certain characteristics of the social class that commonly uses it.

Members of a lower social class may purchase products commonly used by the upper classes because they associate them with prosperity. Consumerism has fostered the development of marketing as a sector. There has been tremendous growth in the advertising sector. Some negative effects associated with consumerism include environmental degradation and focus on consumption rather than production. Consumerism has contributed to environmental degradation through wasteful ownership.

Excessive consumption of meat alters ecosystems. This can be attributed to depletion of both animals and plants. To leave a meaningful and productive life in a materialistic world, one has to do things in moderation. Everything that one does should be friendly to the environment.

We’re all consumers, but hardly anyone would like to be called a consumerist. I think this word has strong negative connotations. In consumerist societies, people buy more things than they need, which indicates excessiveness and may be perceived as greed. Why do they do it? The question can be answered if we understand consumerism as the “tendency to define ourselves in terms of the goods and services we purchase” (Brym and Lie 2015:47). It means that consuming replaces other practices and experiences that one can engage in to define himself or herself. Instead of turning to moral values, ethical principles, and relationships with people, some strive to buy a certain status and self-image through purchasing certain clothes, devices, or foods in large numbers. Therefore, consumerism is also widely seen as meaningless spending for shallow purposes. However, it can be regarded from the sociological perspective to assess its role and mechanisms in today’s society. Upon reflecting on my own experience of engaging in consumerism, I will examine it from the structural-functionalism perspective to reveal sociological implications.

Reflecting on one of my experiences, I recognize it as consumerist. There was an opening of a new fancy healthy food café that I attended with my friends. The presentation was very powerful, as the owners were talking about the growing importance of healthy lifestyles. They stressed that eating healthy food was not a luxury or indulgence but should be seen instead as a contribution to one’s healthy lifestyle plan. They also emphasized that there was a perception of healthy food as something boring and tasteless, and the perception should be rebutted, which is exactly what they were pursuing with opening the café. My friend and I were impressed by the food samples, so we decided we would go to the place regularly. We would meet up there two or three times a week, and we had a deal to eventually have every single item on the café’s lengthy menu. Having a meal there cost me more than I usually spent on lunch, but spending time in the café with a layered smoothie in my hand, barbecued shrimp on my plate, and all those fancy people around made me feel good about myself.

From the sociological perspective, I was demonstrating behavior that revealed a particular mechanism of society and a certain aspect of the way it has been working within recent decades. Production has been increasing, and the massive amounts of products and services significantly exceeded basic needs. However, for the economy to work, all those products and services need to continue being consumed. That is why there has been extensive effort to create additional demand. It was carried out by offering to consumers along with a product something more than the product itself—for example, an image. In a way, when one buys an expensive watch, they buy the image of themselves with this watch on their wrist, thus buying a claimed status. In the twenty-first century, consumers in Western societies find themselves surrounded by these images they may pursue, for which purpose they have to consume more and more, as they feel the compulsion.

This mechanism has grown into one of the “stable patterns of social relations” (Brym and Lie 2015:7) between consumers and producers, which allows considering it a social structure and regard it from the perspective of structural functionalism. For any such mechanism to work, there is a need for members of society to display social solidarity, i.e., agree upon certain “beliefs and values and the intensity and frequency of…interaction” (Brym and Lie 2015:10). In this case, the agreement is that, while we’re all surrounded by immense varieties of goods, consuming them will be meaningful for us, as we will express, position, and define ourselves through such consumption. A manifest function of this structure is to facilitate both economic and cultural development. A latent function is to promote “shopping addiction” (Brym and Lie 2015:48), which comes to be recognized as a social disease.

Consumerism is a phenomenon of capitalist societies where economic development depends on constant consumption, which encourages producers of goods and services to invent additional incentives for individuals to buy more. These incentives include consumers’ attempts to define themselves through what they purchase. I found myself to be part of this process, as I was willingly attending a healthy food café buying everything they could offer. I am not strongly devoted to every aspect of a healthy lifestyle, but going to that place made me feel like I was, so I felt better about myself as I was more like someone I perhaps wanted to be. I was buying an image of myself according to my own perception of “coolness.” After getting to know more about consumerism as a sociological concept, I now can transform this individual experience into a sociological understanding, i.e., “see the connection between personal troubles and social structures” (Brym and Lie 2015:7). My behavior illustrated how consumption is driven by the desire to adopt a certain image. Consuming products and services thus became a tool for indirect social and cultural interaction supporting the social structure of supply and demand in capitalist societies.

Our modern life is overwhelmed by a culture of consumerism whose effects are far reaching to all people. This culture has led to many people trying to affirm their self identity and seek happiness by engaging in extensive consumption of products. To fuel this need for goods, more products are continuing to flood the market so as to sate our seemingly unquenchable thirst for products.

The ancient teachings of Buddha offer some insights into how this culture can be taken into perspective and even broken. This paper will analyze the Four Noble Truths as offered by Buddha so as to ascertain if these truths can be used to overcome the bondage of materialism that has consumed modern man.

The teachings of Buddha were considered as a raft through which man would be able to move from his current position of discontent to a farther shore of content. The “Four Noble Truths” are principles that are fundamental to the Buddhist philosophy. The first noble truth states that “Life means suffering”.

This truth points to the inevitability of man to avoid physical pain and misery over his lifetime. It also reveals that there are positive experiences which man experiences in his lifetime. Buddha affirms that these positive experiences are temporal and they pass away with time.

The culture of constantly consuming products is mostly in a bid to find true happiness. However, the teachings of Buddha rightfully state that this is only a temporal consolation. Through Buddha’s teachings, we can see that suffering is inevitable and therefore not something to try to avoid at whatever costs.

The second Noble Truth states that “The origin of suffering is attachment”. As such, suffering is seen as springing from our desires, passions and clinging to objects that we hold dear. Buddha declares that since the objects of our affection are only temporal we cause ourselves great pain when we loss them. With this in mind, people should avoid attaching too much to their material possessions since they are temporal. By doing this, people can save themselves from heart ache that comes from the loss that inevitably follows.

The third truth claims that “the cessation of suffering is attainable”. As such, man is not without a means by which he can alleviate his suffering that Buddha attributes to his earthly attachments.

However, this teaching prescribes a different path to terminating suffering from the one that our modern culture applies. While our culture emphasis attainment of wealth and power as the only means through which suffering can be contained, Buddha reveals that suffering can be removed by the human act of detaching ourselves from our previous attachments.

In conclusion, Buddha also offers a solution to the problem of suffering that man has. This is in the Forth Noble truth which proposes a balance between self over-indulgence and self-mortification which involves denying yourself off everything. This is the balance that man must try to attain so as to avoid the ills that the culture of consumerism brings.

This means that people should not altogether disengage from their consumption. Instead, moderation needs to be exercised so as to bring about peace of mind as well as avoid the wastage that over indulgence in consumerism causes.

This paper set out to assess the relevance of Buddha’s teachings in light of the over indulgence in consumerism that people face in the current age. It has been discovered that the teachings of Buddha can be used to reduce this culture since these teachings clarify that the problem that man tries to solve through overconsumption of products cannot be solved by this means. It is my belief that by applying these teachings of Buddha, the “cycle of self-identity through materialistic consumerism” can be broken.

The spirit of the times is characterized by a different type of consumerism. In ancient times people consume products via barter. A farmer grows wheat and then he goes to his neighbor who happens to be a fisherman and they exchange goods. A lumberjack would do the same, he would offer his service or sell lumber in exchange for a sack of salt or a sack of flour.

But in the 21^st century consumerism is no longer dictated by the needs of men but by the influence of marketers, advertising agencies, writers, artists who have the power like the Pied Piper of Hamelin. These are people who can make you do things and buy stuff without even knowing why you are driven to do so. It can be simplified as doing it out of the backend or in other words they create the market even before the actual product.

A good example is the phenomenon of the Harry Potter franchise. It began as an idea in the head of J.K. Rowling the author. At first, no one had a clue as to what she was trying to say. Those who are familiar with her rags-to-riches story know that many publishers rejected her manuscript. In other words no one wants to know. It was only after one publisher took a gamble and her books became a bestseller when people began to notice.

A short while after that the spirit of the times kicked into high gear. J.K. Rowling was approached by film producers to buy the rights to her book so that they can turn it into a movie. The moment Rowling signed the dotted line the wheels began to turn in Hollywood and the marketing blitz began.

The first thing they did was to hype the best-selling book. The second thing they did was to hype the author’s sudden rise to riches and fame and then they made the movie. By the time the first installment of the Harry Potter movie series came out even those who have not read the book wanted to see the film.

The interest to the movie was of course driven by the fans of the book and of course their parents, their friends, and then the web grew bigger and it did not come as a surprise that the movie generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

But what came next was a testament to the spirit of the times there were products that were created as a direct result of the success of the book and the movie. There are T-shirts, toys, and video games. In order to sustain this marketing frenzy J.K. Rowling had to write a few more books. Then cycle repeats itself. The movie producers buy the rights to the books and create the next sequel to the first one.

The rest of the industry built around the Harry Potter franchise continues to work at a frenetic pace as well because the demand for more of the Harry Potter merchandize. Millions were being sold all over the globe. It has brought the whole Harry Potter industry into a new level. The brains behind the astute marketing of the books, movies, and other products were able to create a demand that a few years before did not exist.

The spirit of the times is all about consumerism that goes beyond the basic needs of man. In the past it was all about food, clothing, and shelter. In the present the same thing applies, people still need food, people still need to be clothed, and they still need to have a roof over their heads. But this time around those needs are easily satisfied and therefore it is no longer enough to have basic commodities, these products must be enhanced. Therefore, the fried chicken must be packaged and sold together with a toy from a popular movie.

Man requires clothes but this time around the T-shirt has the face of Spider-Man or Wolverine printed on it. Man requires a home but this time around the home has to contain gadgets and gizmos. The gadgets should be a multi-tasker, able to make calls, provide the news, tell the time, behave like an alarm clock if needed, provide a map, and even order pizza.

There are many who object the crass commercialism that defines the age that we live in. But there seems to be no way out. It has been ingrained into the social fabric of this country. The next generation does not know how to live without the stimulation that these products can give. It will continue as long as the formula keeps on working. Shrewd businessmen controlling all forms of media will always find a way to exploit this weakness.

The spirit of the times is all about creating a demand, creating hunger and then satisfying that need. It is bizarre in the sense that man can live without it and yet after a series of marketing campaigns people are convinced that they needed to acquire the latest iphone, the latest laptop, an expensive watch, an expensive shoe. The brains behind the marketing campaigns were able to create a deep-felt need and then turn around to produce the remedy for that longing and desire.

Another good example of the spirit of the times is the Star Wars franchise. The producers of the film capitalized on the success of the first three installments of the movie and then they turn around to create a demand by saying that there is a prequel to Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It can be argued that these three movies are already perfect and there is no need to explain what happened to Luke Skywalker when he was a boy and the reason why Darth Vader became the villain.

A simple prologue and epilogue would have sufficed and the audience will still be satisfied with the story of the first three movies. However, the marketing geniuses at Hollywood began to work their magic and they succeeded in whetting the appetite of the movie-going public by telling them that it is imperative that they should go watch a movie to know more about the life of Luke Skywalker. As a result the fans of the Star Wars trilogy had to endure long lines and to spend money just to watch the prequel.

The negative impact is clearly seen in the accumulation of expensive toys that clutter the home. These things are made of plastic and paper and this means that these are not durable goods. It will only take a short time before people will see their favorite toys in the trash bin.

In less than a year a game console will lose its appeal or worse it would break down. Another wave of demand will be created first Batman then Spider-Man, X-Men, Harry Potter and Iron Man. Every change of season and every change of mood will increase the stockpile of rubbish but the producers and the manufacturers of expensive but disposable items will continue to make profit.

This cannot be helped because humanity has evolved into a species where the attention span is less than five minutes and yet requiring stimulation. Boredom is a word hated by children, teenagers, and adults. There is constant need for distraction. Gone are the days when a teenager is contented to sit on a corner and read classics.

The whole planet operates at a much faster rate and everyone should keep up. It is no longer enough to focus on the basic needs for a long time ago man already understood that man does not live on these things alone. This realization did not come from years of meditation; it was the advertising agencies and the marketing experts who were able to create a demand before the actual product. It is difficult to understand but it is everywhere. The evidence is seen in homes, the schools, and offices all over the world.

Conclusion

The spirit of the times is more than crass commercialism it is the creation of demand in the minds of the general public and when that idea becomes a desire the companies and individuals who worked hard to create such impact will then benefit from the demand.

Interestingly the demand for a product was non-existent at first but then those who want to sell it has succeeded in creating that hunger that desire. It may seem harmless at first but a closer look at the toys, gadgets, and products that were manufactured to satisfy this demand one will realize the amount of money wasted on these things.

However, the desire to acquire and to experience something has been created in the hearts and minds of individuals that they will not find rest and peace until they can have the latest gadget, watch an overly-hyped movie, buy a game console etc. It will take sometime before people began to realize that they are wasting time and it is time to go against the status quo.

Introduction

Naomi Klein’s book is the face of contemporary material culture. She highlights the dangers of consumerism by looking at how mass-produced items are altering the social, political and economic landscape of the world.

Analysis of the book

In the volume, the author looks at the effect of a brand on any product. She posits that production is no longer a central part of business; it is the marketing of these items that matters.

Klein (95) believes marketing analysts concoct the perceived value of their products in their offices and sell them to the masses. Therefore, when people purchase branded products, they are buying the name rather than the quality of the product. Klein further explains how businesses have pushed production to the periphery of the production process.

Firms sell these items in countries that do not produce them. Overseas destinations like China and Vietnam make most Nike products. These countries have poor labor laws that utilize sweatshop labor and infringe on workers’ rights. It is thus astounding that many westerners are loyal to a brand even when loyalty has little to do with quality. One such example was the production of shopping bags for Wal-Mart in China.

Klein (45) explains that many workers in a remote Chinese location called Liang Shi have to pull ten-hours shifts for 6 days a week, yet they only earn and average wage rate of between $0.13 and $0.23. Furthermore, these employees live in a crammed, unkempt dormitory. The company could dismiss any one of them without notice as they sign no contracts.

“No Logo” thus enlightens how branding leads to the ripple-wave effect of job losses. Not only do persons in the west lose potential positions of employment, in their own country, but the people who get those jobs in the East can only access temporary ones. The importance of this state of affairs in export processing zones like China is indicative of the challenges of consumerism.

The people who work for these factories have military-like supervisors; some of them abuse and overwork them. Others are too young to fight for their rights or too desperate to quit. In this regard, Klein (199) dispels the notion that outsourcing jobs to developing nations leads to sustainable development. What these exporting countries have to contend with is an unstable job system that devalues their worth as human beings.

Matters are even grimmer in the west, from where manufacturing jobs emanate. Currently, the country is in a state of disillusionment because people have to compete for service sector jobs or minimum-wage jobs in franchises. Several large corporations justify their job models by claiming that they give opportunities to fresh graduates or persons who are still in school.

However, the bleak reality is that those minimum-wage jobs have minimal opportunities for advancement. Furthermore, they give remarkably little and demand too much from American employees. Therefore, branding has not just created problems for exporting countries; it has also led to the demise of jobs in the West.

Klein (140) explains the origin of branding as an aspect of America’s material culture. It began during the late eighties when the country’s economy was plummeting. Some firms responded to these challenges by utilizing short-term measures like price decreases; a case in point was the Marlboro brand.

Alternatively, some organizations like Apple invested heavily in their advertising budget so that they could expand their reach. Organizations like Disney and The Body Shop did relatively well by choosing such a strategy. Most firms had been marketing their products to baby boomers, but since this group has started aging, it was necessary to explore new market segments.

The youth became a lucrative marketing segment for mass producers. They utilized concepts of peer pressure to coerce them into purchasing soft drinks, sneakers, fast food and several others.

The 1990s were the decade when marketers realized that self doubt among teenagers was a powerful tool. They could offer their products as solutions to self doubt by flaunting them as ‘cool’ items. Marketers would sell the ideal of beauty to individuals and thus fuel that insecurity to them.

The public has not been immune to the tactics and strategists of marketers who resort to unethical means to sell their brands. Several communities have spoken out against large scale corporations like Wal-Mart.

Some of them have lobbied against their monopolistic tendencies as well as their unfair trading practices. In this regard, even the same youths, who were the target of these brand campaigns, have spoken out against them. For instance, some streets have graffiti and other forms of art designed to criticize mass branding.

Additionally, artists like Rodriguez Gerada have established themselves in their industries by mocking advertisements. He often parodies them in order to provoke criticism about their messages. Many consumer advocates have also spoken out against the marketing of alcoholic products in poor neighbors as this preys on their need for escapism. The backlash against large corporate brands may thus be credited to activists who have realized the evils of mass consumption.

Some anti-branding activists have opposed large companies like Pepsi and Shell, and thus illustrated that they have power over such influential groups. A case in point was the opposition of the sale of Pepsi in Myanmar, where plenty of human rights abuses were on-going.

Additionally, advocates opposed the entry of Shell into Nigeria, whose government had oppressed it’s people. Such actions are indicative of a revolution against the corporation. The author to the book believed that people had the capacity to overthrow these companies if they continued to propagate their evils against the people.

The last part of the book talks about aspects of the anti-corporate campaign that will begin with street mobilization. Klein (371) predicts an Armageddon in which street movements will come together and fight off these business maniacs. She believes that a series of bikers and other seemingly marginalized members of the community will coalesce on a day of reckoning for large companies.

The latter aspect is rather myopic because such a prediction assumes that several anti-branding activists already exist. These predictions did not come to pass thus putting into question the strategy advocated for by Naomi Klein in her book.

Ledbetter (5) makes a good critic of the book by asserting that it is useful in placing the aspect of consumer advocacy in its context. It proves that when people mobilize each other in order to meet a certain object, they are likely to create an enormous effect on the corporation.

Pepsi pulled out of Burma because the country had an oppressive regime that people in America vehemently opposed. They refrained from the Pepsi brand until the company decided that it had to bend to it’s consumers’ demands. The activist network is a complex thing to develop, but it often yields results that are difficult to ignore.

In this review, the critic highlights Klein’s thesis as ‘the dangers of image-building among large corporations’. “No Logo’s” author believes that branding was a strategy designed to ensure the survival of large corporations during periods of relative success as well as during periods of financial strain.

However, this strategy has backfired on the same companies because they contradict some of the values that they have tried to sell. Nike and Benetton often sell their brands as tolerant and equitable. They usually engage in corporate social responsible, and affirm that they are ethical companies. As a result, consumers have come to expect a lot from large firms. Several of them now use those social ideals to hold corporations accountable.

Consumer advocates often oppose the distortions and contradictions of these values through the people who are responsible over them. Whenever a company sponsors a lunch in a university, then it is supporting certain values. If these corporations had refrained from participating in people’s lives, then chances are that there would be no backlash against them through anti-branding sentiments.

Ledbetter (10) criticizes the selectivity employed by Klein in the creation of her books as she does not talk about the effect of branding in the most controversial industries like oil, cigarettes and finance. Furthermore, he criticizes her inclination towards large corporations alone, even though small businesses have affected jobs, as well.

This book is a critical discourse on the effects of consumerism as perpetuated by large-scale corporations. It is indicative of a new approach to materiality as current methods are triggering a backlash amongst the masses.

Works Cited

Klein, Naomi. No Logo. Knopf, Canada: Picador, 1999. Print,

Ledbetter, James. “Brand Names.”. The New York Times 23 Apr. 2000: A7. Print.

Consumerism has been a part of human culture since the man has obtained the possibility to own more goods than it was necessary for his basic needs. On a large scale, this phenomenon was introduced with the Industrial Revolution, when such goods became cheap enough to be affordable not only to the elite but also to the general public. A lot of effort has been put into studying it from a psychological, social, and anthropological perspective.

Naturally, the literature, which is among the first representatives of art when it comes to social commentary, has been exploring the issue of consumerism extensively. This paper deals with two prominent works that explore consumerism: The Ladies Paradise by Émile Zola and Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. These two works, while using different approaches and tone in addressing the issue of consumerism in contemporary society, offer similar commentary and treatment of the issue, depicting consumer behavior as a vain and mindless activity that gives consumers the false sense of fulfillment while stripping their life of true values.

Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert, is often regarded as a milestone of the Realistic literature and his masterpiece. The novel gained much notoriety upon its release because of its explicit depiction of the underside of the bourgeois life. The author contrasts the outer higher aspirations of the middle and higher class to the actual deception of moral code and vanity endorsed by it. Consumerism plays an important part as one of the key vices of the titular character, Emma Bovary.

While not being defined as an isolated phenomenon before the first half of the twentieth century, its motives and key features are recognizable even in the European society of the 1850s. Emma, the wife of a country doctor Charles Bovary, is experiencing disappointment in life as she is constantly facing the boredom and emptiness of rural life. In an attempt to battle it, she turns to adultery and a luxurious lifestyle, which quickly exceeds her husband’s capabilities and eventually leads to his financial ruin. This overconsumption is one key characteristic of the disruptive behavior exhibited by Emma and apparently disproved by the author.

An interesting thing to note here is the fact that while her spending is only limited to items like firewood, candles and sugar, She subsequently falls to the clever scheme by Monsieur Lheureux, a merchant who offers loans and buying goods on credit. It is an easily recognizable pattern that is familiar to the public today – aggressive marketing and crediting policies used by modern companies are often accused of being deceptive and disruptive for the consumers. It is also worth noting that while the novel is often cited as a commentary on moral degradation, the reasons for Emma’s suicide and Charles’ ruin are financial in nature.

Flaubert is unambiguous in his treatment of consumerism. He openly points to its adverse effects, depicting the characters unsympathetically and with irony, often adhering to stark contrasts between the proclaimed elevated ideals and the grounded reality, such as the scene of passionate exchange of words of love between Emma and one of her lovers which is followed by the scene of sale of a cow. The author’s accusative stance on consumerism was so evident and concrete that his novel has become a trope namer, leading to the emergence of the informal term “Bovary syndrome” to characterize a woman who leads an excessive and extravagant lifestyle that prompts her massive financial debt.

The Ladies’ Paradise by Émile Zola takes a different approach, both in tone and narrative, but addresses the same phenomenon. The novel follows the life of Denise Bandu, who comes to Paris with her two little brothers. Denise starts working in a department store and experiences the world of commerce from the inside.

The store’s owner, Octave Mouret, is using the progressive sales techniques, like aggressive marketing, large-scale advertisement, the innovative customer services, such as refunds and goods delivery, and recreational rooms and novelties. Each of these techniques is displayed through the eyes of the customers and is thoroughly explained, like reorganizing of goods which, according to Mouret, will cause customers to wander around the shop rather than exit after the intended purchase, boosting sales.

However, rather than scorning at the society permeated by the consumerism, Zola depicts it with joyous admiration. He often adheres to recounting the goods on display in stores’ windows, emphasizing the variety of color, fabric, fashion, And even types of umbrellas And focusing on the character’s admiration with this abundance. It is important to note that these descriptions are more often than not accompanied with the prices either in the form of a price tag, or just a description of “cheap” or “expensive.” By doing this, the author emphasizes the inevitable additional category of modern society. However, unlike Flaubert, he is not openly bitter about this.

Rather, he sees it as an inevitable change that has come and is here to stay. His characters, while consuming wildly and uncontrollably, still retain the complexity of character, rather than serve as an example of vanity and moral decay. They are often seen arguing against succumbing to mindless buying spree, which implies that consumers at that time already demonstrate the understanding of inner workings of commerce. In one lengthy scene, one of the characters, Madame Marty, is seen buying two scarves and a pair of gloves Despite being vocal about her determination to buy a braid and leave.

Her companion, Madame de Boves, is supposedly contrasted to her, being described as detesting such techniques. Yet another customer, Madame Bourdelais, explains to Madame Marty her understanding of “exploiting” stores’ discount policies, buying only what is necessary, and being impenetrable to manipulation. The whole scene is ironic, given the conversation is taking place in the middle of the frantic shopping spree, and all three women were previously hypnotized by the goods and sales pitches.

Despite being much more detailed than Flaubert in describing the workings of salespeople and consumers, Zola instead offers little judgment on this part. He depicts consumerism as an integral part of the modern world, comical, wild, yet beyond the categories of good or evil.

His description of marketing strategies lacks the pejorative attitude that is common today. Instead of putting consumption in the category of moral vices, he offers an amusing insight into it, and possibly arranges it to look more entertaining to the reader, like the ability for humankind to watch itself from the new perspective and make its own decision about if it is alarming or just pleasant.

In all, both works can be seen as a social commentary on the consumerism. However, while Flaubert’s work offers its conclusions, Zola’s novel can only serve as a source for reaching it by reader’s own means without providing definitive clues or justifications.

Bibliography

Flaubert, Gustave. Madame Bovary. New York: W.W. Norton, 2005.

Zola, Emile. The Ladies’ Paradise. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.

Introduction

John Updike touched on a very important issue in his short story “A&P.” The story was written in 1961 when the American economy was booming, and the consumerist society was in its blossom. The author uses a very conspicuous setting, an average store, for his story. He also shows the way people responded to the opportunities and challenges of the new times. Updike depicts different generations to show the way new trends affected people. It is possible to trace different attitudes towards consumerism when observing the reactions of Sammy, Queenie, Lengel, and Stokesie.

Consumerism in the 1960s

In the 1960s, the USA was living through significant economic development. The war, as well as international treaties after WWII, enabled the US economy to boom. Americans did not want to think about wars or the horrors of economic constraints of the 1930s. They focused on the abundance of products and associated advertising. Americans enjoyed a wide range of products they could buy at affordable prices.

Updike reveals this trend by depicting the store with its arrays of products. The author stresses that everything could be found in a small American store, as there were plenty of “the cat-and-dog-food-breakfast-cereal-macaroni-rice-raisins-seasonings-spreads-spaghetti-soft-drinks-crackers-and-cookies” aisles (Updike 94). It is also important to note that the products were not the focus of the people around even though they were shopping. At least, the author does not give any reactions to the shoppers concerning the goods. It seems people simply choose the necessary products, but it is also clear that they take this abundance for granted. They do not think that availability of products may have any negative effect on them. Nonetheless, it did have a negative impact on people, as they became slaves of the system.

Rebel Against the System

Rebel of Girls Who Are a Part of the Consumerist Society

As has been mentioned above, different people or rather generations responded differently to conventions of the new time. Thus, Lengel is representative of the older generation. Sammy thinks he is a prisoner of the system as he is concerned with authority, rules, and sales. However, Lengel appears to be the least dependent on the abundance of products, as he simply manages a store, and sales are salary for him. He is rather a part of the system, one of those who are its guards. He is ready to protect some rules created by society and makes girls ashamed of their looks. The way he acts at the counter suggests that he likes the system, as he feels comfortable. Stokesie is also the one who supports the system, and he is glad to be its part.

There are also rebels, of course. The girls seem to rebel against the system and conventions of the society, as they dare come into the store in their swimsuits. Their appearance is shocking as they are young, attractive and they are in the city center where all respectable people go shopping. However, this rebel is quite artificial. Girls (especially Queenie) are deceiving themselves. For instance, Queenie seems to be ignorant of the existence of the rest of the world, paying no attention to the shoppers. However, in reality, she follows people’s reactions, and she acknowledges the power she has over men. She loves this power, and it is clear that she is also a part of the system. It is clear that she feels comfortable among aisles, and she prefers buying certain products for some occasions.

The author may use the girl as a personification of advertising as the girl shows off her body as she wants to ‘sell’ her looks as expensive as possible. The price is astonished glances of men and their fascination with her. Men buy that and are ready to show their fascination. More so, Sammy is ready to do unreasonable things in order to impress the girl and buy a bit of her attention. Likewise, advertisers show off the best features of the product to sell them at the best price. Hence, it is possible to note that Queenie is not simply a part of the system, she is a symbolic representation of its features (such as advertising, showing off, seducing, selling, buying).

Rebel of Sammy Who is at the Crossroads

Nonetheless, one of the biggest surprises is the narrator, Sammy. He seems to be the greatest rebel as he mocks at the aisles of products. He thinks it is quite ridiculous to strive for a career within the system. He thinks that the manager is too strict and does not understand what freedom really is. He thinks that the girls are rebels of the system as they dare break some conventions. He also stands up to the manager and tries to seem a hero for the girls. These facts suggest that he is a real rebel against the system of consumerism. However, he is one of the brightest representatives of the consumerist society. One episode proves that. Sammy imagines the life of the girl when he sees the product she is buying. Hence, he judges the girl and her family by herring she buys. Clearly, products play an important role for him. He does not think they are simply used to satisfy basic needs, but he thinks that certain products reveal people’s status, habits, and so on. Sammy is one of the most conspicuous slaves of the system.

At the end of the story, he quits his job. He leaves the store and covertly hopes girls are there to applaud and call him a hero. However, he is alone in the street with the store behind him. The author gives him a chance to get out of the system and to focus on really meaningful things. Sammy finds himself at the crossroads. Nevertheless, he is likely to remain a prisoner of the system as he felt “how hard the world was going to be… hereafter” (Updike 97). He does not see any options, and his future is rather obscure and sad.

Conclusion

On balance, it is possible to note that Updike unveiled some of the wrongs of the consumerist society. The author showed that people were starting to take an abundance of goods for granted, and they started judging people buy things they had or bought. Interestingly, contemporary society is highly consumerist, and the trends that were only developing in the 1960s are now in their bloom. Many people have become obsessed with products and pay less attention to really meaningful things. Younger generations should read the story and speculate on it to be aware of the hazards of the consumerist society. Young people will learn that, first, everything seems a harmless desire to meet one’s needs, and within a second, people see nothing but products and feel nothing but the desire to buy and consume more.

Works Cited

Updike, John. “A&P.” Fiction: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner, Stephen R. Mandell. Fort Worth: Paulinas, 1993. 93-97. Print.

China is one of the most developed countries of the Third World. Also, it is the most populated country in the world. Thus, it is no wonder that its consumerism market is also one of the most fast developing among the countries of the Third World. Consumerism culture in China was developed under the influence of many factors: social, historical, political, and cultural. Chinese historical and cultural traditions are very important for determining and developing of Chinese economic reforms and consumerist culture.

Over the last decade, the Chinese economy became more open, and the country addressed more to the consumerist culture. Under the influence of these factors, Chinese society formed its own approach to consumerism, and today there is a particular “consumerism behavior” in the country. However, today, because of the rise of inflation and “income disparity,” the consumer marked in China faces big challenges.

There are also other issues that influence on this process, they include the increase of “purchasing power” and “the appreciation of yuan”. To understand the future development of Chinese consumerism culture and behavior, it is important to explore and understand their historical context. Indeed, the 20th century was a period of great changes in history and culture of the Chinese society that caused changes in consumer characteristics of it since 1914 till present.

In the period since 1914 till present, the attitude and of the world to the economic, social and cultural relations has changed. World wars and numerous revolutions provided the establishment of global relations between countries, as well as initiated the process of the establishment of the equality between men and women; many colonies gained independence and established their own nations, etc.

All these events and processes influenced the development of the Chinese culture as well and caused big changes in economic and political areas. The major events that influenced on the development of the consumerist culture in China were: the establishment of China Republic in 1912 and its early years till the 1920s, Cultural Revolution and establishment of communism and as a result of it the establishment of women’s equality, land collectivization and equality between classes.

The east Asian civilizations fall under the influence of the Western world after World War II, “the western influences permeated popular culture. Western style of dress, sports, and music gained acceptance in the cities (Stearns, 2010, p.554) In the 1970s; there were changes in domestic consumption.

The enterprises distributed social “welfare benefits” providing some consumer items that were still not available for many people. It was a bureaucratic fiat that took a distribution of the consumer goods in its hands and influenced greatly on many domains of social relations, “the government regulated large sectors of the economy and even family life” (Stearns, 2010, p. 556). However, as Peter N. Stearns (2010) mentions in his book that:

“China, the mother country of East Asian civilization, did not participate fully in the initial east Asian economy boom until the end of the 20th century. The political system remained resolutely authorial. In China, from the late 1040s on, communist officials prevented political opposition, monopolized the main sources of information and propaganda, and abandoned all pretense of establishing a Western-style parliamentary regime” (p. 555 – 556).

These days, China society gradually adopts the consumer traditions and lifestyle of the Western world. The Third World media is the largest “distributor of consumerism”, it is controlled by the capitalism class that dominates in the world. Further changes in the social structure and consumerism culture were caused by the Industrial Revolution in China.

The Industrial Revolution in China caused the revolution in consumption, and it was one more major factor that contributed to the development of the consumerism and made this country a leader in the newly industrialized world economic. Chinese people got access to new models of communication and various types of commercialized outlets.

Consumers’ behavior has changed, and their need and desires have grown. The consumerism culture in China filled an everyday life and structured people’s everyday experience. The consumerism even regulated people’s relations to products that determined their everyday life experience.

Many psychologists and cosmologists call consumerism “a way of life”. Thus, the study of consumerism and consumption of different types of goods by customers must take into consideration such issues as the production of consumer services, as well as goods and the ways they are used. Today people give a great value to material possession, and consumer culture in the world is characterized by a statement “we tent to consume more than we need for life”.

Historically, people produced different products to cover their basic needs, but with the Industrial Revolution, the things have changed. The revolution caused great changes in consumption behavior, and product consumption increased among all social classes. The major impact of the Industrial Revolution is that it turned the old production oriented society to consumption oriented one.

With the rise of technology, the demands of the consumption oriented society, as technology is one of the most influential social devices that are oriented on the everyday expression of consumerism traditions. The development of technologies has brought a great variety of consumer products and contributed to the increase in the standards of living.

Also, they put new relations between consumers and products. Fashion is one more crucial factor that shapes the consumerism culture and reinforces consumption of products. It has a psychological basis, as “fashion creates a desire to buy products. In other words, the more consumers are encouraged to buy, the more they buy indeed.

Analyzing all mentioned above, we can come up to the conclusion that consumer culture and media are closely related, especially in modern society. The role of television and advertising cannot be underestimated.

Chinese people are greatly affected by this factor as they have a very developed media. These days, television and the internet have spread the “spirit” of consumerism around the world. These days, there is certain type of relations between society and television. China is placed among highly productive countries. Thus it is considered to be a highly “consumptive” as well.

As it has already been mentioned, China adopts the western lifestyle. Today, Chinese society is characterized by an endless appetite for consumer goods and services. It is not only because the country is overpopulated, but because it has one of the biggest internal markets in the world which is developing very fast. The major areas of consumption are food, electronic goods, clothes and entertainment. In the world marked, China is famous for its cheap products, but it has big ambitions to create its brands.

The Chinese luxury consumerism should also be mention, today it is one of the largest in the world. For example, the main customers who visit such famous shopping streets like Fifth Avenue in New York and Bond Street in London are Chinese tourists. Also, their own Luxury marked becomes the largest in the world. One should not forget about the connection between consumerism and the environment. Consumerism culture influences negatively on the environment.

The habits of a modern lifestyle may cause great ecological changes, especially if people will not start thinking about reducing their ecological footprints. As the most active consumers, Chinese people affect greatly on the environment. The impact of the products and the production process should be reorganized. Certain steps have already been done in this direction. Today, green products and services are becoming more popular, certain policies have been produced in order to regulate “fuel efficient standards”.

So, Chine is the country of the Third World that is considered to be one of the biggest consumers and has the most developed consumerism culture in the world. As Stearns (2010) claims, “East Asia, more influential in the wider world by the early 21st century than at any previous point in history, has maintained its ability to see the world through its own length” (p. 559).

The consumerism traditions and characteristics of the country were developed under the influence of many historical events that occurred over the last decades and provided great changes in the social structure and culture of Chinese people. The major impact on the development of the consumerism behavior and culture had an Industrial Revolution that turned a productive oriented society into the consuming oriented one.

These days, Chinese people adopt the lifestyle of the Western countries that also have a great influence on its consumer characteristics. Though the majority of consumed products are produced by national companies, Chinese people actively explore the foreign market and products, especially in the area of the automobile industry.

However, the country has a big potential in the creation of its brands for all products and cars including. Thus, we can say that fast-developing consumerism in China can change greatly the world’s economic balance.

References List

Stearns, P. N. (2010). World History in Brief: Major Patterns of Change and Continuity Combined Volume, 7th edition. New York: Pearson.

Introduction

The history of China is rich in memorable events and considerable contributions with the help of which this country takes the leading positions in almost all spheres of life nowadays. From a variety of aspects, China is regarded as the country of extremes and experimentations. In spite of the fact that China had a huge potential in many fields, Chinese people did not find it obligatory to participate in the economic boom that spread over all Asian countries after the World War II.

The political system of China was considered to be resolutely authoritarian till the last years of the 20^th century (Stearns, 2009). However, a number of changes were observed after the ideas of Communism were implemented.

It is necessary to underline that the rise of Communism in China and the activities of Mao Zedong had a certain impact on consumerism, and Chinese consumers had to changes their strategies and improve priorities to achieve the success in the chosen field. Cross-generational disparities were observed in the Chinese society, this is why it was able to control human birth as well as the generations of Chinese consumers and distribution of incomes.

Under the ideas of Communism, the vast majority of Chinese consumers got a chance to improve their affairs and set new professional goals which contribute international relations, the development of retail stores, abilities to enter the Chinese market, and workers’ motivation. Chinese consumerism has already undergone a number of challenges and changes from 1914 till now, and the results remain to be rather successful and promising for the whole country.

Backgrounds which lead to Communism in China and promotion of consumerism

After the reign of the Qing Dynasty was over, China underwent numerous challenges as there was no authority in the country and people could not evaluate their possibilities in regard to the current conditions. Some land lords made attempts to control the situation, still, their actions were characterized by negative results and threats to the Chinese society.

In fact, the period after 1912 was one of the darkest in Chinese history. However, within a short period of time, many people who belonged to lower strata of the society started promoting the principles of Communism with the help of which it became possible to implement order and control.

Under the conditions before the Communism period, only a fewer consumers were able to meet their purposes and achieve certain success in their activities. It was hard to protect the consumers’ rights in the country where there was no authority; this is why it was crucially important for people to define one particular power that could control the nation. In 1920, it was suggested to support a new political faith that had liberal roots.

And at the end of the 1940s, Communism came to power in order to destroy the conceptions dictated by the proletariat. The chosen steps were rather radical: monopolization of the sources of information, attention to the already known Western-style parliamentary regime, and constant political opposition (Stearns, 2009).

Mao Zedong as an important figure in the Chinese history

The activities chosen by Mao Zedong were directed to improve the whole situation in the country and start controlling all spheres of life. Talking about consumerism, it is necessary to admit that consumer behavior was defined by the orders which had to be followed by the citizens under the Communistic regime. In fact, Communism controlled everything in China, from child birth to possible international relations.

What Mao Zedong offered was to refuse the ideas of Confucian according to which it was necessary to worship ancestors, promote harmony, and appreciate ceremonies. In his turn, Mao Zedong offered to underline the importance of young people in China by means of neglecting hierarchies and even family values. Youth had to get a chance to demonstrate their ideas and actions in order to choose a new way of country’s development.

Zedong paid much attention to Chinese families. It was even established that a family who had more than one child should be punished (Stearns, 2009). This one-child policy influenced Chinese consumers a lot: current generation of consumers was raised by means of several adults only and was able to enjoy considerable margins for spending.

It was suggested that the new ideology made some temporary improvements; however, such step influenced the future of the country, and the results are observed nowadays: current consumers may explore the global market the way they want using the Internet capacities and properly developed foreign media.

Consumerism in China

Taking into account the fact that China was influenced by Communism for a short period of time, it was evident that generalization of consumerism was impossible. In fact, consumerism was predetermined by uneven distribution of incomes and poor living style. In China, the main reasons to promote consumerism were to satisfy men’s needs, to feed properly, and to have appropriate clothes.

To make sure that consumerism was properly developed in the country, it was very important to focus on advertising that was controlled by the Communist Party, to increase profit potential that was determined by poor living conditions, to make use of professional help from Western countries, and to improve international relations and develop new ways of consuming.

Chinese consumerism promote the improvements of living standards under which a number of consumer patterns for health care introduce new trends and support the ideas of disparity between different regions.

For example, certain differences were observed in towns and rural areas. Rural areas had to spend a lot from the budget on numerous commercial tools and products, and the amount of basic equipment diminished. In towns, there was no need to divide budget on additional and basic equipment but be focused on appropriate health care services.

Still, the investigations show that the consumer market in China grows fast, and within a short period of time, new products may be accepted even if the predecessors are successful in the chosen market. Consumerism becomes a significant aspect in Chinese life, and consumers get the desirable access to retail stores, travels, international relations, and goods’ exchange.

A kind of revolution in defense of young people of China provided the youth with abilities to increase their educational levels abroad, to travel a lot and enlarge their cultural heritage, and to promote the development of the tourism industry with the help of which people from different countries are able to visit Chinese markets, share their own tastes, and use shopping as the most effective means of consumerism.

Communism dictates new conditions for Chinese people and defines the characteristics of consumerism

The role of fast spreading Communism is considered to be integral for Chinese consumerism. For example, Communist leaders thought that imitation of the West should improve the living conditions of Chinese people, this is why they tried to send as many students to study abroad as possible, they trained medical professionals in the Western sense, and they continued to associate their production to those products which came from different countries (Stearns, 2009).

Chinese young people visit different countries, gain necessary recognition, and develop their skills in order to come back to the native land and improve the services offered on the daily basis. Consumer characteristics in China are connected to travelling: incomes are usually based on how often tourists visit China and how long Chinese citizens may be abroad. International relations are developed due to the Communists’ intentions to influence Chinese mind and decrease ancestors’ worshiping.

There is a burning need to move faster, and constant attention to historical achievements and obedience to parents prevent the new generation to improve their skills and develop accordingly. This is why the period after Communism was spread in China is still identified as a new step to consumerism and citizens’ abilities to demonstrate their own potentials.

Conclusion

In general, Chinese society undergoes a number of positive changes due to consumerism. Still, consumerism in China was impossible without properly developed Communistic ideas by Mao Zedong, this is why when it is necessary to evaluate Chinese consumerism, it is very important to focus on Communism and the possibilities available.

For several decades, the nation suffered because of inability to organize the control over human abilities, and consumers had to neglect their own demands. Still, the achievements after the 1940s show how confident and skillful the Chinese nation could be.

Reference List

Stearns, P. N. (2009). World History in Brief: Major Patterns of Change and Continuity, Combined Volume. New York: Pearson.