Category: Consumerism

Introduction

Exploring the Historical Trends and Ideologies of Consumerism

It had long been considered that the consumerism and consumption patterns used to establish social limits among the existing social groups. However, the emergence of mass culture, as well as proliferation of cultural identities, led to the contrary outcomes.

It has been emphasized, therefore, that “the social patterning of consumption in an increasingly mystified social world” (Holt, 1998, p. 1). Despite this definition, social class distinction had long been associated with different lifestyle patterns that identified consumerism habits among the populations.

The culture of consumption, therefore, is a multi-faceted phenomenon that has been developing over time and space. It has also created underpinnings for the development of counter movements, as well as provided a basis for the development of mass culture and advertising. At the same time, lifestyle identifies have been significantly promoted by means of advertising and by creating the advertising categories of consumerist behavior.

Most importantly, people’s behavior has become largely dependent on specific lifestyles, options, or choices dictated by mass culture. According to Leiss and Botteril (2005), “…individuals often define themselves through a rejection of certain lifestyle options” (p. 267). In this respect, the customization of products has limited the choice of consumers leading to a specific cultural and social diversity.

Tracking the Emergence of Hip Consumerism

The emergence of consumerism culture leads to the critique of consumerist perspectives. Hip consumerism appeared as a counterculture movement fighting against the mass culture imposes a limited possibility to choose. As a result, people often purchase many products which, in fact, are not necessary for them because they bring neither use nor happiness to consumers.

Because consumerism is strongly correlated with conformity, homogeneity, and structure, the opposing view is more focused on the issues that stand beyond this hierarchy. In fact, people neglect such important “social priorities, like health, education, famine relief, and so forth” and, as a result, “a consumerist society is thought to be one that is governed by a set of priorities that no reasonable person would endorse upon reflection” (Heath, 2001, p. 3).

Hip consumerism can also be defined as a rebel, countercultural movement against modern consumerism whose primary purpose is to make people conform to mass culture. Countercultural ideologies, therefore, is more concerned with expanding people’s outlook on more important issues and relieving people from advertising dependency.

Main Discussion

Defining the Concept of Countercultural Idea

To oppose the emerging tendencies of consumerism, counter-cultural values appeared. This movement fought against consumer dissatisfaction with existing status competition among the population. This syndrome of conspicuous consumption, “… in which consumers simply try to show that they are richer than one another…,” was the major trend in the 50s of the past century (Heath, 2001, p. 13). The consumerism tendency met a rigorous opposition on the part of counter-culture movements disclosing the opposite values. According to this movement, consumerism is nothing, but about conformity, which seeks to reach a traditional status hierarchy. Hence, consumers are always in the pursuit of social and economic dominance because it provides those with certain competition privileges. Counter-cultural values are presented by the newly emerged movement of hip consumerism, an ideologies criticizing consumerist trends.

Confronting Mass Culture: Consumer Choice as a Means of Expressing Individuality

As it has been mentioned previously, consumerism is strongly associated with the matter of conformity. What is more important it that consumer choices are often made because of the desire to dominate and prevail, since it enables consumers to express their identity and individuality.

In this respect, Goldman and Papson (1996) state, “signs of authenticity in ads reflect a social world in which concerns about the self, identity, and personhood have become paramount” (p. 141). The quest for uniqueness and individuality has become a matter of moral and ethical choice, a component of cultural background. Hence, consumerism integrated into cultural and social domains and become an inherent component of self-expression.

At the same time, because aspiration for self-identity and authenticity has become paramount for consumers, specific false connotations has been introduced because, one the hand, consumer choice is predetermined for individuals ends and, on the other hand, these choices have integrated into the main stream of mass culture. Mass consumption, therefore, has distorted the image of authenticity and self-expression.

Consumerism as the Link between Two Social Worlds: Underpinnings for Exploring False Connotations and Fashion Icons

Because the analysis of different consumer choices is conducted with regard to trends of consumer ideologies development, it is imperative to pay attention to fashion icons as motivators for creating false connotations between different social classes. The point is that consumerism serves as a false link between the poor and the rich, but it does not provide people of lower status with similar privileges (Kotlowitz, 2000).

For instance, teenagers become obsessed with specific brands of shoes, or clothes, and believe that these material values can help them become closer to the communities with higher social status. In fact, these consumerism fashion icon are deceitful because there is nothing but an item of clothes that receive in exchange.

Despite the deceitful nature of advertizing, it has still a significant impact on people’s attitude, perceptions, and consciousness. In such a way, a mass consumerism culture is formed, the criticism of which is fully justified.

Social Dimension of Consumerism and Its Relation to Advertising

Social dimension of consumerism should be considered in more detail because advertising campaigns are always directed at attracting more consumers to buy commodities they do not need. In this respect, hip consumerism is a movement that seeks to make the target consumers re-evaluate their views on consumption and uncover the actual purposes of consumer culture proliferation.

According to Schor (1999), “…individuals try to keep up with the norms of the social group with which they identify – a “reference group”” (p. 2). This tendency in striving to be equal with others is adequate because people have always strived to live better. At the same time, a new politics of consumerism should be oriented on less competitive strategies because people should buy what they need, but not they think they actually need.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it should be stated that the concept of hip consumerism has now evolved into a new policy of consumption. The world is now on the edge of consumption crisis because there is a significant gap between different social groups and, as result, the discrepancies in consumer choices lead to creating false connection between the social statuses.

The criticism of consumerism, therefore, is socially justified because it generates discrepancies and aggravates the economic and cultural crisis. Therefore, counter-cultural movements should contribute to filling in the gaps between these target groups and provides equal opportunities and consumer choices for individuals.

References

Goldman, R., & Papson, S. (1996). Authenticity in the Age of the Poseur. In R. Golman, & S. Papson, Sign Wars: Cluttered Landscape of Advertising. US: The Guildford Press. pp. 141-186.

Heath, J. (2001). The Structure of Hip Consumerism. Philosophy and Social Criticism. 27(6), 1-17.

Holt, D. B. (1998). Does Cultural Capital Structure American Consumption? The Journal of Consumer Research. 25(1), 1-25.

Kotlowitz, A. (2000). False Connections. In J. Schor, D. B. Holt, and D. H. Holt (Eds.) The Consumer Society Reader. US: The New Press. 253-258.

Leiss, W., and Botterill, J. (2005). Social Communication in Advertising: Consumption in the Mediate Marketplace. London: Routledge.

Schor, J. (1999). The New Politics of Consumption. Why Americans want so much more than they need. Boston Review. 1-79.

Introduction

In the recent past, the process of critiquing consumerism has continued to occupy greater spaces in the mainstream business world. However, despite the constant denunciations, there remains to be no genuine or universally agreed analysis of consumerism. Processes of offering critiques have continued to elicit varied reactions as to which strategy offers the best mechanism of assessing the quality and outcome of consumer thinking.

The process of critiquing consumerism take varied forms, which have often, not been fully differentiated by most literature. This paper seeks to analyze different forms of consumerism approaches, which will form an ideology critique of the existing consumerisms. The paper will then purpose to summarize the discussion by offering some recommendations for a plausible analysis and view about the concept of consumerism.

Definition of terms

Consumerism

This is the conviction that the selling and buying of enormous quantities of consumer goods and services is valuable to the economy or an indication of how strong the economy is. Consumerism is the cultural dominance, in modern capitalist societies and orientation to the marketing and consumption of goods and services (Handelman, 2004; (Stearns, 1990).

It’s a specific set of values, beliefs and customs of behaviors that are based on the idea that goods consumption is beneficial and natural for an individual and society as a whole. Such that peoples personal happiness comes as a result of increase in product consumption.

In addition to this, consumerism is potentially everything that is sellable and can be bought with money (Stearns, 1990). The gross national Happiness concept, which originates from Bhutan emphasizes on the physiological health, education, well being culture, ecology, good governance and community vitality on top of consumption levels.

Another broader approach by the name Wellbeing index which constitutes both the sustainability of the environment and human well being depicts that one hundred and sixteen out of the one hundred and eighty nations studied showed poor ratings on both categories ((Stearns, 1990).

Consumption

This is the acquisition and use of the goods and services by consumers, or the measure of these services and good that are bought (Callaham, 2009). Consumption of consumer goods and services in the contemporary society is the key stimulus for production in a capitalist economy.

It’s the driving force behind the inducement for individuals to go to work thus becoming the major source of social statuses depending on the type of employment. Consumption is the primary foundation that leads to aspirations and pleasures on what individuals can accomplish and success on ones efforts in his or her job area.

History of consumption/consumerism

Consumer culture first surfaced in the United States towards the end of the nineteenth century in a national level, but the emergence of the consumer society stretches back from the 1600. The puritans who founded the Quakers and the Massachusetts who colonized the Pennsylvania was evidently, not for the materialism of the nations of origin.

However by the mid seventeenth century the increase of the new border lines plus the abundance of sundry opportunities for entrepreneurs brought about an important strength to the Puritan and the Quaker simplicity practice (Frank, 2002).

In the 1770’s, the American colonies were exploited so as to keep the England aristocracy luxurious lives alive. In the late 1980’s, departmental stores with a touch of luxury were born, and were created by smart retailers such as John Wanamaker in Philadelphia and Marshall Field in Chicago. These stores are the origin of today’s modern shopping mall which gave women a place to run from the normal home routine.

Mass production and advertising led to a major shift in relation to goods consumption when they emerged in the 1900s. The credit card in the “buy now pay later” plan got hold in the market and consumers got used to the culture since then. In the 1970s, the oil crisis produced by the Arab impediment led to the awakening of the consumers relative to the flimsy finiteness of the world resources. From this time, there has been continuous environmental awareness growth (Frank, 2002).

Periods of 1990’s and beyond have been a good window for fresh research on consumerism with the last decade being the most difficult task. The world watch institute has provided very enlightening and significant findings projecting the consumerism trends now and in the future. Since then it has continuously risen in a sturdy process along the years especially throughout the World War I and the twentieth century.

There were technological progresses during the first quarter of the twentieth century that assisted towards the augmentation of the production processes. This lead to overproduction and very few consumers could afford the products at such a rapid speed of production.

Political approach

Recent trades in political history expose the convoluted correlation between consumerism, democratic ideology, state politics and citizenship definitions. Recent grass roots campaigns against capitalist giants like Wal-Mart and Starbucks brings some light to the politics of consumerism when examining the methods these corporations use.

Consumers react to news of child labor in sweatshops and ecological destruction by staging boycotts and appealing to the congressional representatives to pass laws to end the corporate abuses. Corporate lobbyists additionally appeal to the government with promises of the renewed economic growth in the depressed local economies in exchange for the environmental policies or generous tax relief.

This tragic relationship between business, citizen and government demands that consumerism be examined as a powerful political force. Several very recent texts demonstrate the politicization of consumerism. The concept advocated by Micheletti (2003) about Political Virtue and Shopping explain how consumerism influences governance, laws, and regulatory tools as well as examines direct and indirect consumer political involvement.

Micheletti (2003) credits globalization and technological advances such as the internet for the anomaly created by consumer politics. Micheletti’s text not only deals with the theoretical constructs of political consumerism, but additionally explains how “actions by individuals and groups in common everyday circumstances like shopping daily for one’s family or oneself can matter significantly” This approach illuminates the correlation between globalization and consumer politics (Michele, 2003).

Examples of boycotts and selective shopping concerning such tangible icons as Nike, McDonalds, and Target appeal to the student of today due to their relativity.

Overall, the recent political studies of consumerism argue that the shift to mass consumerism redefined gender roles, reshaped class politics, benefited the civil rights movement, altered residential landscapes, and ultimately determined political policy from the local level to the global realm (Carducci, 2006).

Taking the political approach provides instructors a means of teaching institutional history from a private point of view: that of the everyday shopper.

Countercultural Views

The cultural view of consumerism is allied to the concept of conformity. It asserts that the business culture wears the image of a monolithic, homogeneous, and hierarchical order. The view attempts to dominate the society and market segments by way of advertisement (Carducci, 2006). According to this concept, consumerism creates a sense of conformity, and it is the centerpiece of the consumerism ideologies of the moment (Frank, 2002).

The prevailing argument against this notion is that it obscures the ordinary fact that consumerism is a rebellious act that justifies the obsolescence of the vicious economic cycles. According to modern consumerism, the most potent figure is a ‘hip consumer’ who expresses his individuality via making individual and informed choices. Therefore, culture jammers remain glorifying and supportive to the moving wheels of commerce since the 1960’s.

Economic Approaches

Certainly not as popular as the cultural, social or political approaches, the economic approach to consumerism still exists. A general overview of the mechanics of consumptive patterns is Angus Deaton’s Understanding Consumption (Heath, 2001).

Another recent economic text that is less dry (and less quantitative and empirical) is Richard Robbins’ Global problems and the Culture of Capitalism (Frank, 2002). Robbins’ work links the culture of capitalism to the worldwide ailments of poverty, disease, and social hierarchy. Empirical data can be useful in the instructional setting, but usually, not as attention getting as the other approaches.

Modern social movements

Social movements are campaigns calling out for change. Change in the mannerism of the way the society acts thinks and sometimes its change of underlining values. In today’s modern society, there has been rapid change in technology and more evolve consumer behavior.

These social movements focus on informing and protecting the consumers by necessitating honest advertising and packaging, improved standards and product guarantees (Kozinets and Handelman, 2004). They emphases on the setting polices that regulate the services, products, standards and methods of interests of buyers, advertisers, sellers and manufactures.

Some movements include the YES Men and the Adbusters (Kozinets and Handelman, 2004). The YES Men movement is basically culture jamming activists group which deals with political and social issues of anti-consumerism, globalization, corporate crime and the environment.

Since their initial sprang by the creation of a phony website, spoofing the world trade organization the Yes man movement has continuous performed large scale hoaxes. They describe this as a journalist collaborative effort to assist the media in narrating stories, which they consider significant.

They often use a strategic way of deploying a satirical approach in which they pretense as a mighty entity and make shocking and ridiculous comments that create a false impression of the original person or organization (Sanlin and Callaham, 2009). They make use of the media to broadcast their personal interpretation of the situation portrayed.

Despite the fact that all their pranks are harmless critics, all way points out that there the danger of people overreacting for the few hours that the information is believed. They could also pose a potential risk to fool the government and major corporations using their skills commit a major crime (Carducci, 2006).

Adbusters Media foundation is another social movement anti- consumerist. They use culture jamming to isolate reality of consumer comforts. It is a type of movement that attempts to defy corporations that define the mainstay of widespread media. This foundation hopes that its followers will reconstruct themselves though non consumption strategies.

Consumer boycotts are politically and socially motivated movements for refusal to patronize particular industries and businesses. Their main significance is an effort to effect change or rather to punish a company due to an injustice perceived (Callaham, 2009). Critics of Boycotts have noted after major announcement of the operation significant decrease in stock prices has been realized in the target firms.

The Anti consumerist stand is that commodities only supply short term fulfillments but not gratification of a happy society. The libertarian criticisms are mainly based on superiority perception. They believe that human beings have the right to make decisions for others what goods are necessary or luxurious and which are not (Sanlin and Callaham, 2009).

Conclusion

Consumerism was conceived as an explanation for the society’s choices made about consumption, which often do not represent fair and valuable judgment. In its quest to explain the nature of individuals and the society, consumerism asserts that individuals are always irrational, they are vulnerable to being brainwashed, and are kept in a state of imprisonment by actions of businesses. The later argument has attempted to generate critiques driven by normative elements, which has stimulated political critique in a liberal setting.

The discussion shows that behaviors of consumerists are majorly driven by comparative preferences. On the other hand, rebel consumerism sense reveals that because individuals have standard values against which to judge products, they are duped by corporate advertisements. In this respect, they are unable to support processes of consumerism.

Although consumerism has viewed rebel consumerism as being incapable of supporting the discourses of consumerism, it has received enormous support as the only potent process that can grant individuals a sense of choice while remaining independent of comparative preferences.

References

Carducci, V., 2006. Culture jamming: A sociological perspective, Journal of consumer culture, 6(1), 116-136.

Kozinets, R.V., and Handelman, J.M., 2004. Adversaries of Consumption: consumer movements, Activism, and Ideology, Journal of consumer research, 31(4), 691-704.

Sanlin, J., and Callaham, J., 2009. Deviance, Dissonance, and Detourenement. Culture jammers’ use of emotion in consumer resistance, Journal of consumer culture, 9(1), 79-115.

Frank, T., 2002. New Consensus for Old: Cultural Studies from Left to Right, Chicago: Prickly Paradigm Press.

Heath, J., 2001.The Structure of Hip consumerism, Philosophy and Social criticism, 27(6), 1–17.

Micheletti, M., 2003. Political Virtue and Shopping: Individuals, Consumerism, and Collective Action, New York: Palgrave MacMillan,

Stearns, P.N., 1990. Social History Update: Encountering Postmodernism,” Journal of Social History, 24(2) p. 450.

Today sociologists and historians actively discuss the development of the phenomenon of consumerism in the modern society with paying much attention to its positive and negative aspects. Consumerism is one of the main features according to which it is possible to characterize the contemporary society in the developed countries.

It has a long history of its development, and different periods had various impacts on the formation of the customers’ behavior and the progress of the social phenomenon. The World War II era provided the society with possibilities to transform the attitude to the traditional aspects of consumerism.

Women and African Americans became the influential figures which could regulate and change the peculiarities of the social consumption.

The peculiarities of consumerism during the World War II era developed depending on the fact that in the new situation women became the major consumers on whom the whole market was oriented, and they could influence the market’s price policy, and African Americans acquired the right to reduce the discrimination with expanding their possibilities as consumers.

These two social categories changed their consumer roles being affected by the alternations in the consumer economy and culture during the wartime.

The economy during World War II was transformed in order to contribute to the war issues. The consumer economy of the World War II period affected women in such a way they changed their social roles and began to work in the war industry because of the significant demand for workers. They also worked as clerks and in service industries.

However, women traditionally were considered as the audience on which the market of goods and services was oriented. During the war women had to change their shopping habits because of the total shortages within the market (Cohen 66). The main task was to purchase effectively according to the peculiarities of the situation when the prices were rather high, and the variety and availability of goods were limited.

Women, as mothers and homemakers, tried to find the most economically advantageous solutions in order to meet the demands of their families. Meat, sugar, and butter shortages made them change the home menu and search for some scarce products.

Moreover, definite services were not acceptable and women had to refuse the usage of such service as, for instance, laundry. Much attention was paid to recycling at home and expanding the possibilities to satisfy the family’s needs with minimal resources. Thus, the changes in the national economy influenced the changes provided by women in their domestic economy.

The peculiarities of consumerism as the social notion of the World War II period influenced the development of the women’s movements against the growth of the prices and even led to their controlling role within the market.

In spite of the fact women was traditionally considered as housewives who were not interested in the aspects of the policy, economy, and social life, they began to take the leading positions in controlling the development of the markets during the wartime. This shift was affected by the whole situation of the development of society during the war.

Social positions of women were changed by the necessity to become the laborers at the wartime, and this fact contributed to the shift in their awareness of the peculiarities of consumerism. It was necessary to control the prices and prevent their growth.

That is why women established the organizations and ruled the movements the main task of which was to protest high prices and control the situation in the market (Cohen 84). Women had no obvious rights to influence any political issues and their opinions were not discussed.

Nevertheless, the role of women as consumers was evident, and now they could affect the development of this aspect of the social and economic life with concentrating on the expansion of their liberties (Cohen 84). That is why the actions of women were directed toward changing the situation according to their definite visions.

If the role of women as active consumers was emphasized by the history of the social development, the positions of African Americans in society were unclear during the wartime. The discrimination of African Americans in relation to many aspects of the social life was the controversial question for the American society.

This discrimination was also reflected in the character of providing the prices for the “whites” and “blacks”. The accents on the higher prices and worse conditions and goods for African Americans were put according to the peculiarities of consumerism before the war.

The changes in social roles and the aspects of economy gave the chance to realize the intentions of African Americans to take the social positions equal to the positions of the “whites”.

Thus, many African Americans received the opportunity to get the job positions which were earlier occupied by the “whites” because of the fact the most of white men served as soldiers and because of the lack of workers and the general job availability in different industries.

In the situation of the war African Americans got the opportunity to share the shift in the positions experienced by women (Cohen 65). The actions of women in providing their visions of the situation with the growth of prices were rather active.

Now it was impossible to increase prices higher than the definite established level, and this fact made marketers to preserve the equal prices for all the categories of the population in spite of their ethnic peculiarities.

The period of World War II contributed to the development of the notion of the ‘citizen consumer’ as opposite to the notion of ‘purchaser consumer’. The citizen consumer directs his or her actions toward gaining the conditions suitable for the whole nation but not only for him or her as a person.

Thus, the citizen consumer acts not only within the definite market but he is also involved in discussing the consumer issues in the larger economic and political context (Cohen 63).

From this point of view, those women who led the consumer movements and conducted the boycotts in order to prevent the growth of prices and significant changes in the policy of consumption can be considered as citizen consumers because the results of their activities affected the whole development of the phenomenon of consumerism during the World War II period.

The concept of the citizen customer is also connected with the progress of the women’s ‘customary responsibility’. Thus, women used all their energies and powers in order to turn “a customary responsibility into a new political opportunity” (Cohen 83).

The peculiarities of the women’s lives during the wartime when they were responsible for households, purchases, and laboring were also associated with the necessity to economize, to plan the budget according to the new economic issues, and with experiencing significant shortages within the markets.

In this situation women did all the possible in order to preserve the freedom to consume in spite of the lack of the goods and services’ availability and price changes. Those roles which were played by women as consumers opened the perspectives to influence the public policy and realize the opportunity to establish the definite norms of the progress of consumerism during the World War II period.

“Suddenly tasks that had been viewed as private and domestic were brought into the civic arena and granted new political importance” (Cohen 67). Customary responsibility as the first step to realizing the political opportunity affected the main features in regulating the products distribution, price policy, and the standards of the markets.

World War II had a lot of impacts on the development of the American society including the shifts in the social positions of such categories of the population as women and African Americans and the progress of the phenomenon of consumerism.

During the wartime, women had to act not only as housewives but also as the active members of the society and laborers. In this situation their role as consumers became more significant because the peculiarities of the market development were oriented on women as the potential customers or the target audience of the definite products and services.

In spite of the fact women experienced a lot of difficulties in functioning within the society under the influence of the new conditions, they acquire the opportunity to realize their ambitions and affect the real situation acting in the field of the market and concentrating on the consumer issues.

Women reached the results in regulating the price policy with the help of providing the protests and boycotts against the growth of the prices. Moreover, not only women began to take the active positions in the society. African Americans also got the opportunity to reduce the discrimination them as consumers in the field of the American economy.

That is why it is possible to note that the notion of ‘citizen consumer’ became the characteristic one for determining the positions of the definite social classes in realizing the economic relations during the period of World War II.

Works Cited

Cohen, Lizabeth. A Consumers’ Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America. USA: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2008. Print.

What Is Consumerism?

Building an advanced community on a desert-like landscape, the Emirati society has utilized its oil resources to transform its traditional image, which is characterized by not only innovativeness but also a glamorous society. The definition of the term “consumerism” is aligned with the protection of consumer rights.

Consumerism in this context, is defined as the economic and social arrangement that is grounded on an orderly conception nurturing of the need to buy products in big amounts.

In other words, it is the aspiration of an individual or a society to own more than they need. Being a state of mind, consumerism compels an individual to escalate their demands. Because of consumerism, the desires that are unimportant are converted to primary wants. As a result, luxuries are converted into needs.

Causes of Consumerism in the Emirati Society

Like in any other society, in the Emirati one, shelter, security, and sustenance are not only essential but also culturally defined. For this reason, the question of mere survival is not important, because anybody, who merely survives cannot go beyond the acquisition of the attributes of survival. Only the individuals, who cross the mere survival level, are considered to belong to the cultural context of the 3s, a symbol for shelter, security and sustenance.

As a result of this process, mere survival is substituted by decent survival. In the Emirati society, decent survival is attributed to a specific social class. Individuals in this class are defined in terms of their livelihoods. In order to understand the relevance of this definition, one has to belong to a specific class.

It is mainly because of the rise in classes that the purchase of greater amounts of goods has become possible in the Emirati society. Such features as the generous economies, globalization and technological progress have played a major role in the advancement of these groups.

The evolution of the Emirati society in general and its specific classes in particular has resulted to “the-more-you-get-the-more-you-need” trend leading to an emergence of such societies as the Emirati society that is run by its markets. In the UAE, consumerism is characterized by prolonged products and services purchasing habit without any regard for the product’s origin and the individuals’ needs.

Consequences of Consumerism

Consumerism in the Emirati society has impacted students’ ability to pursue education negatively. It has been argued that consumerism is attributed to the isolation and despair, as well as to the unattainable prospect of what products can be delivered to the consumers.

Physicians in Emirati also argue that exhaustion, diseases, and stress are connected to the excessive duty that is driven by the aspiration to consume in an exaggerated manner. There are three main consequences that are closely linked to consumerism. One of them is that individuals tend to abuse other people’s fundamental needs. The devaluation of resources is another consequence of consumerism.

Lastly, since in the specified environment, an individual well tends to consume more, the resulting waste seems to be causing considerable concern. Waste products that come from excessive consumption have resulted in environmental risks, hence, causing environmental degradation and major health issues.

Conclusion

Today, everyone needs living a comfortable life. However, in attaining this comfortable life, people have forgotten that their desire for wellbeing has resulted in the scarcity of resources. One of the major consequences of consumerism is that it has resulted in an abuse of material, therefore, triggering the exhaustion of natural resources.

When the sources used to derive the energy and materials for the delivery of consumable goods and services are exhausted, the resulting negative environmental impact and the economic downfall will pose a major threat to the existence of the humankind. To make things worse, consumerism leads to a sharp increase in costs and prices; therefore, triggering poverty in certain social strata.

Introduction

The period of the 1890s-1910s in the USA was marked by considerable changes in the economy. The main reason for such modifications was the establishment of the consumerism epoch, which was induced by the elevated level of goods production and the enhancement of people’s level of life. During the stated period, several major forms of entrepreneurship dominated, including individual and partnership companies, retail markets, and corporations. The former had more advantageous investment opportunities due to a lower risk of liability. A whole new culture evolved because of the dominance of consumerism in society. Corporations were the winners of retail wars in the USA at the beginning of the 20th century because they managed to alter not only the country’s economy but also its social system.

The Culture Born of Consumerism

The end of the 19th and the start of the 20th century was the period marked by a colossal development of commercialism. A large number of companies and economic groups emerged, giving American citizens an opportunity to choose from a vast number of goods. Department stores, hotel chains, mass consumption firms, and many other types of businesses developed in the 1900s, altering the previous ideas of Americans about the market and products they could possess (Leach 15). Retail houses, which were popular at the end of the 1800s, rapidly lost their popularity at the beginning of the 1900s. Large department stores, which opened all over the country, replaced small merchants’ shops. The major weapon in this war was the ability of department stores to provide a variety of goods in one place (Leach 16). Thus, instead of wasting time looking for several items, one could simply go to a place where it was possible to find all of them under one roof.

Small businesses did not give up easily, trying to retain their profit by all means. As a result of such resistance, department store owners initiated “retail wars” (Leach 16). The means employed by competitors were rather harsh, including new approaches to merchandising, such as advertising, decoration, service, and other enticements. The core element in the new economic system was a “revolution in the production” of goods and the emergence of the profit-driven corporation (Leach 16). The revolution became the main reason for the creation of a new institutional system in the USA. Also, the production revolution promoted the appearance of brokers and the increase in product delivery and consumption. For instance, in the 1910s, there was a growth in food output by about 40% (Leach 16). The production of ready-made clothes and artificial jewelry doubled in the last decade of the 19th century. The manufacturing of lamps and glassware, which was 84,000 tons in 1890, escalated to 250 563 tons in 1900 (Leach 16). These and other changes marked the beginning of the epoch of consumerism in the USA.

The period of an extensive increase in product variety was promoted by several factors. First of all, there was a considerable increase in the labor force. Many immigrants and unemployed workers from rural areas were eager to work and receive regular payment for their efforts (Leach 17). Secondly, the movement of products became much easier due to the evolution of telegraph and telephone connections, as well as the development of railroads. It became easier and faster to exchange information on goods and transport them throughout the country. Thirdly, such vital institutions as insurance companies and banks evolved, which gave way to convenient money operations (Leach 17). All in all, Americans obtained diversified access to a variety of goods and services. Newspaper advertisements of the time described the benefits of department stores and offered different ways of payment (“The Bridgeport Evening Farmer,” “The Ocala Banner,” “The Teton Peak”). Consumerism was gaining more and more popularity, which inevitably affected the country’s economic and social life.

Corporations and Their Advantages over Partnerships

A crucial change in the ways of the leading business in the 1910s was the shift from firms to large corporations. Firms of the mid-1800s were characterized by small scale and low productivity. In most cases, the success of such companies relied either on manufacturing one product in a comparatively noncompetitive niche or on differentiating products (Leach 17). In contrast, newly-formed corporations did not pay much attention to differentiation, concentrating on ending competition that had increased suddenly. Corporations emerged as a response to adverse outcomes of high competition, such as an unstable market, increased labor costs, and price fall (Leach 17). Corporations strived to have full freedom and did not want anyone’s control. Contrary to small companies, which were in possession of individuals or partners, corporations had limited liability, which made it possible to continue ownership “beyond the lifetime of the original owners” (Leach 18). Although corporations were social entities, they contained administrative hierarchies that operated labor, tools, and machines. However, their predominant function was the economic one since they were expected to create capital by means of different types of ownership and to seize the market through mergers.

Due to the development of corporations, the economic system of the USA gradually altered its vector from producing goods to making profits. According to Mead, there were several reasons for the popularity of corporations and their advantage over partnerships (25). First of all, partnerships were formed by individuals, whereas corporations were authorized by the state. Thus, the identity of partners was not a crucial component of partnerships. Meanwhile, corporations were closely related to “a life, a personality, a will, and a reputation” of their own as well as of each of their members (Mead 25). Hence, the responsibilities and social connections within the two types of business agencies were different. In case a partnership went bankrupt, each of its members might have to pay debts from their own pocket. On the contrary, corporations’ debts would entangle only the corporation’s money, which made this form of enterprise less risky and more reliable to join (Mead 26). Hence, it was easier for corporations to find investors than it was for partnerships. It is no wonder, then, that corporations became the most formidable economic entities at the beginning of the 20th century.

Commercial Imperialism in the USA

While American imperialism in the geographical dimension has gained much attention from historians and politicians, there also exists the notion of commercial imperialism, which, according to some scholars, has not received proper attention. Domosh argues that American commercial imperialism played a subtle but rather important role in the formation of the country’s leading position in some economic aspects at a global rate (453). In the 20th century, the USA’s economy was focused no so much on establishing formal colonies as on expanding its markets. As Domosh notes, the U.S. government was much more interested in finding markets for mass-produced goods than in establishing new territories (456). In the 19th century, American enterprises devoted much effort to establishing international marketing connections, creating shipping networks, and harvesting the benefits of an expanded consumer market that stretched from Japan to Canada (Domosh 456). At the same time, however, the USA was also involved in formal imperialism, establishing colonies and initiating military actions.

While the formal and informal imperialism in the USA was interconnected, it is still possible to differentiate between them. Specifically, the country’s commercial imperialism was grounded in the creation and distribution of mass-market goods (Domosh 456). With the help of innovative advertising and marketing techniques, American companies sold their goods in different parts of the world. Thus, it is possible to relate geographic imperialism to a commercial one. Even though the two types had their own goals and strategies, they both worked toward the attainment of the same purpose: strengthening the position of the USA in the world.

Social Change Brought by the Progress of Commercialism

Increased shopping opportunities led to considerable changes in Americans’ lives at the beginning of the 20th century. Discretionary expenditures grew from 20% to 35% in the 1900s-1930s (Cross 17). People spent more money on things that were considered luxuries in contemporary Europe, such as telephones, cars, and fashionable clothes. What is more, the U.S. citizens had much free time to relish their possessions since the number of work hours dropped almost by ten between 1910 and 1926 (Cross 18). Therefore, the social life of Americans altered to a great extent.

In the 19th century, the majority of people’s idea of personal identity was related to land ownership, business, and job skills. However, those “markers of self-worth” lost their importance by 1900 (Cross 18). Instead, people started engaging in service and industrial jobs, which did not offer much autonomy but gave higher incomes. Due to the rapid development of corporations, Americans became reduced to “economic subjects” (Cross 18). A rapid change in work preferences led to the institution of new social class divisions in the country. For instance, the increase of white-collar employment from 17.6% in 1900 to 29.4% in 1930 allowed such employees to view themselves as middle class. Industrial workers’ social position also changed with the expansion of commercialism. Although these employees did not earn as much as English laborers, their distinct feature was not in salary. American industry workers were able to lead the same level of life as white-collar employees in the USA or industrial workers in England (Cross 19). Therefore, the social identity of the U.S. people was enhanced due to the development of commercialism in the country.

The Effect of Commercialism on Gender and Generations

At the beginning of the 1900s, numerous disputes between generations evolved, specifically in immigrant families. Young people wanted to obtain an education and judged their parents because of their poor knowledge of the English language. Meanwhile, older individuals criticized youngsters’ eagerness to absorb the new culture and forget one of their ancestors (Cross 38). However, mass consumption often helped to alleviate tensions between generations. Many immigrants, who did not want to return to their previous places of living for fear of being prosecuted or die in poverty, endeavored to “forge” a new identity through consumer goods (Cross 38). Along with accommodating to the American lifestyle, immigrants did not necessarily have to give up their ethnic heritage or traditions. Because consumer goods were viewed as superficial, they did not interfere with the deeper values.

Commercialism also made some changes to the gender identities of Americans. Access to cosmetics and fashionable clothes allowed young women to become more independent and distant from their families (Cross 41). New appliances had the potential to emancipate women from tedious manual work on the house (Domosh 458). Even though men’s involvement in generating positive change in civilization was considered to be more profound, women could relish the outcomes of such improvements (Bederman 125). Thus, people’s intergeneration and gender relations also evolved as a result of commercial development.

Conclusion

The establishment and evolvement of commercialism and consumerism in the early-20th-century USA had a profound effect both on people’s lives and the country’s image in world relations. What started as retail wars became one of the most powerful change forces in the USA’s history. Moreover, many other countries’ economic and social environments were touched upon America’s development. An increase in advertising and other important market-related spheres enabled corporations to become the most powerful players in the economic field. Apart from making alterations to people’s financial abilities, corporations made it possible to raise social relationships to a new level. Immigrants and previously unemployed native citizens could find workplaces easily and provide for their families. Females had less manual labor to do due to the opportunities granted by new appliances generated by technological progress. Due to these achievements, it is viable to conclude that the evident winner of retail wars at the beginning of the 20th century was a corporation as a business entity.

Works Cited

Bederman, Gail. Manliness and Civilization: A Cultural History of Gender and Race in the United States, 1880-1917. The University of Chicago Press, 1995.

“The Bridgeport Evening Farmer.”Library of Congress. 1912, Web.

Cross, Gary. An All-Consuming Century: Why Commercialism Won in Modern America. Columbia University Press, 2000.

Domosh, Mana. “Selling Civilization: Toward a Cultural Analysis of America’s Economic Empire in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries.” Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, vol. 29, no. 4, 2004, pp. 453-467.

Leach, William. Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture. Vintage Books, 1994.

Mead, Edward Sherwood. Corporation Finance. D. Appleton and Company, 1920.

“The Ocala Banner.”Library of Congress. 1901, Web.

“The Teton Peak.”Library of Congress, 1903, Web.

Introduction

China has experienced rapid economic growth in the last three decades, thereby becoming the second-largest economy in the world. In the last thirty years, the country maintained an average annual GDP growth of 10% (Cristadoro & Marconi 2012, pp. 275-299). This remarkable achievement is attributed to the government’s efforts to liberalize the economy and to invest in various industries. The rapid economic growth has been accompanied by improved purchasing power among the Chinese. Consequently, frugality and modesty are rapidly being replaced with consumerism in China. A large number of Chinese are increasingly spending on luxury and foreign brands rather than saving. Thus, most multinational companies believe that they have to join the Chinese market in order to improve their sales and profits. This paper will discuss the dynamics of the Chinese consumer and its influence on consumerism. Specifically, the influence of demographic factors such as income, women empowerment, and purchasing habits on consumption will be discussed.

Income Levels

In the last decade, disposable income in China increased by “three to five times faster than in the developed world” (PRWEB 2008). As a result, China has become the second-largest consumer market in the world. The main factor that accounts for the rapid increase in disposable income in China is the market-oriented reforms that have been implemented by the government. The establishment of the material market created more opportunities for job creation through production of a variety of goods. Moreover, the growth of the labor market enabled Chinese to demand higher wages, thereby increasing their disposable incomes (LaVallee 2011). The reforms were supported by state policies that focused on expanding light and service industries, as well as, improving standards of living. For instance, the government uses low taxation to encourage consumption in the private sector. Privatization and commercialization of state enterprises also facilitated the equitable distribution of wealth and improved purchasing power in the country.

The reforms described in the foreign paragraph have led to an increase in disposable income in urban areas from 690 Yuan in 1985 to 17175 Yuan in 2009 (LaVallee 2011). In rural areas, disposable income increased from 686 Yuan to 5153 Yuan between 1990 and 2009. This suggests that consumption is higher in China’s urban areas where disposable income is significantly higher than in rural areas. This explains in part the concentration of large retail outlets and luxury brands in major cities such as Beijing. Despite the disparities in income between rural and urban areas, the overall purchasing power in the country is still high due to the low poverty rate. In particular, China’s poverty rate reduced from 50% in 1980 to 2% in 2010 (Cristadoro & Marconi 2012, pp. 275-299). This means that nearly all Chinese are able to afford basic consumer goods.

The increase in the number of millionaires and billionaires also promotes consumerism in China. By 2010, there were approximately 1,363 billionaires in the country (LaVallee 2011). Most of the millionaires and billionaires consume luxury goods such as high-quality and customized watches and jewelry (LaVallee 2011). This has increased demand for imported brands that are known for high quality and durability. Overall, high disposable income is one of the main drivers of consumption/ consumerism in China. This creates opportunities for both local and foreign companies to increase their revenue by serving the Chinese market.

Saving Habits

The level of savings in China is significantly higher than in most developed countries such as the US and the UK. In 2007, China’s domestic savings was 48.6% of its GDP, whereas in the US the savings was 13.6% of the GDP (LaVallee 2011). China’s consumption rate is less than 50% of its GDP, whereas in the US the consumption rate is nearly 70% of the GDP (LaVallee 2011). Lack of adequate social safety nets is the main factor that forces China’s population to focus on saving rather than spending. The reforms implemented by the Chinese government in the last three decades focused on promoting economic growth rather than creating social safety nets to protect the low-income earners in the population. In particular, the country still lacks adequate social programs such as pension schemes and healthcare insurance. Consequently, the citizens have to save in order to avoid poverty in old age or the catastrophic effects of diseases (Wiseman & MacLeod 2009). The propensity to save is high across all age groups except among teenagers. A high propensity to save is a threat to companies that intend to serve the Chinese market since it reduces the amount of money that is available for immediate consumption.

The high saving rate has not had a significant negative effect on consumption in China. High economic growth has enabled the country to maintain high consumption despite its population’s high saving rate (Wiseman & MacLeod 2009). By 2005, nearly 96 out of every 100 households in the country’s urban areas had washing machines (Wiseman & MacLeod 2009). Additionally, there were mobile phones in nearly every household. This indicates that high savings do not discourage consumption in China. Individuals’ desire to spend on high-quality goods and services increases after they attain a certain minimum income level (Wiseman & MacLeod 2009). Thus, Chinese consumers are more likely to increase their expenditure rather than savings as their incomes increase.

Cristadoro & Marconi (2012, pp. 275-299) opine that savings in the current period are not a threat to firms that operate in China since it represents postponed rather than lost consumption. To elucidate, the money saved by the population today will be used for consumption in future. The benefit of this strategy is that consumers will be able to smooth their consumption in the long run. Specifically, consumers will be able to maintain their current level of consumption by utilizing their savings during the economic downturn that might occur in the future (Cristadoro & Marconi 2012, pp. 275-299). For instance, most Chinese companies were able to survive the 2008/2009 global financial crisis since consumption in the country did not fluctuate significantly.

Purchasing Habits of the Chinese Population

Consumption in China is greatly influenced by the citizens’ purchasing habits. Most Chinese consumers are interested in quality bargains so that they can save their money to purchase more high-quality goods and services. In this regard, the Chinese use a variety of shopping platforms that enable them to obtain the best deals in the market. These include online shopping, utilizing catalogs, and buying from wholesalers (PRWEB 2008). These strategies enable the consumers to access a variety of goods and to compare prices in the market. As consumers get access to more brands, sellers are forced to reduce their retail prices in order to retain their customers.

Chinese also prefer to shop in groups that consist of friends and relatives in order to get the best deal in the market (PRWEB 2008). The rationale of this strategy is that the consumers are able to negotiate for group discounts, which lower the overall cost of purchasing various goods. Shopping in groups is also beneficial to sellers since it encourages bulk purchases. Group purchases encourage consumerism because members of the group are often influenced by their peers to engage in impulse buying of goods and services. As skillful hunters, Chinese consumers shop in order to enjoy the thrill associated with searching for the best deal in the market (PRWEB 2008).

Although Chinese consumers value brands, they do not maintain their loyalty to them (PRWEB 2008). Chinese consider the quality and the practical benefits associated with a particular brand to be more important than its emotional appeal. The majority of the consumers make their purchase decisions based on the technical differences between different brands. They are also interested in products with superior qualities such as excellent functionality, reliability, durability, and ease of use. Chinese consumers focus on conducting personal research, consulting colleagues, and experimenting with different brands to make the right purchase decision (PRWEB 2008). As a result, the consumers easily shift their loyalty from one brand to another. In response to this challenge, companies operating in China have had to ensure that their brand promises are credible. In particular, they have to deliver the qualities and benefits associated with their brands in order to retain their customers.

The Chinese, especially, the affluent are interested in luxury and imported brands. For example, Australia’s UGG snow boots are performing very well in China. The boots’ market share increased from 14.50% in 2008 to 20.11% in 2012. Moreover, the demand for the boots is expected to increase by 19% by 2015. Chinese consumers associate ownership of luxury brands with success and having good taste (KPMG 2007). Most consumers are willing to buy luxury goods even if they cannot afford them. Thus, retail sales for luxury goods have been increasing in response to rising disposable income among the citizens. Consumers of luxury goods consist of members of the middle class and individuals below the age of 34 years (LaVallee 2011).

Empowered Women

Chinese women have been socially and economically empowered over the years, thereby becoming a major force in consumption. The total purchasing power of young Chinese women who are single or married with no children is expected to increase from $180 billion in 2005 to $260 billion in 2015 (Lei 2007). Although women are not always the main breadwinners in China, they have a considerable control over the expenditure of household income. Nearly 78% of married Chinese women are responsible for making purchase decisions for consumer goods such as groceries and clothes (Lei 2007). In addition, nearly 25% of married Chinese women participate in making decisions for the purchase of expensive and durable goods such as cars and houses. The final decision on the type of durable or expensive good to be purchased in most households is mainly influenced by the personal preferences of women.

Research shows that most working Chinese women focus on spending rather than saving. Approximately 65% of Chinese women spend over 60% of their monthly income (Lei 2007). This implies that most women prefer to consume rather than to save for the future. Generally, the level of consumption and savings among Chinese women is influenced by their income levels and positions at work. Women with high income or senior positions at work tend to spend a larger proportion of their monthly income on consumption rather than savings (Lei 2007). By contrast, women with low monthly income and those who hold low ranks at their workplaces tend to save more and spend less. In this regard, consumption in the Chinese market is expected to increase in the future as more women join the job market to increase their earnings. The main goods and services that are purchased by Chinese women include houses, white goods, and children’s education. Thus, the companies that sell these goods and services are likely to be the main beneficiaries of the expected increase in consumption by women in the next decade.

Conclusion

China has a great opportunity for companies that intend to expand their market share and increase their profits. The country has one of the largest populations with high purchasing power in the world. Chinese consumers are interested in high-quality brands. In addition, they appreciate foreign brands that promise superior qualities. Consumption in China is expected to increase as the economy continues to grow, thereby increasing the wealth of the population. The main threats to consumption in China include high saving rates and income disparity between urban and rural areas. However, the saving rate is expected to reduce in the future as the government establishes social safety nets.

References

Cristadoro, R & Marconi, D 2012, Household Savings in China, Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, vol. 10 no. 3, pp. 275-299.

KPMG 2007, Luxury Brands in China, Web.

LaVallee, A 2011, China to Overtake Japan in Luxury Demand, Web.

Lei, T 2007, The Rise of Female Consumerism, Web.

PRWEB 2008, Consumer Marketers May be Poised for Big Mistakes in China, Web.

Wiseman, P & MacLeod, C 2009, Consumerism has Not Caught on Yet in China, Web.

Abstract

Consumerism involves encouraging consumers to purchase more products on the basis of the strength of the economy. It shows the consumers that it is good to continually acquire goods and services. A number of scholars have criticized this idea. They argue that it is not good for the consumers and for the economy. In this paper, the author analyzed the attitudes of wealthy and educated and poor and uneducated Americans towards consumerism. The aim was to analyze the group reporting higher levels of consumerism in the society. Two sociological theories were used in discussing the differences between the attitudes of these two groups. They include the conflict and functionalist. Information from eight peer-reviewed American journals was used in this paper. It was found that rich and educated Americans support consumerism more than their poor and uneducated counterparts.

Key words: consumerism, educated, uneducated, wealthy, poor, sociological theories

Introduction

Background Information

America remains to be one of the most developed societies in modern history. The economy is characterized by high income per capita and increased growth. Consequently, consumerism has emerged to be one of the defining attributes of the American society. The concept is controlled and determined by the society the individual lives in. In America, inequities with regards to wealth are evident. There are those who are wealthy and those who are poor. It is noted that the rich continue to amass more wealth as the poor become poorer. Different factors are responsible for the levels of poverty reported among people in America. One of them is unemployment. According to Oorschot (2007), most of the unemployed people in this country lack the necessary qualifications required by employers. Such qualities include experience, skills, and education.

Lack of proper education is the main cause of unemployment among Americans. The impacts of these inadequate qualifications are reflected in the society and in the economy of America. As such, it is important to determine how these qualities are related to consumerism in modern American society. Many people do not understand the reason why attitudes towards consumerism differ between the wealthy and educated and the poor and uneducated Americans. In this theoretical foundation paper, the author is going to analyze these discrepancies.

Research Question

The paper will be guided by the following research question:

Are there any variations between the attitudes held by wealthy and educated Americans and those associated with poor and uneducated Americans as far as consumerism is concerned?

Theories Used

According to Migone (2007), the match between education and job readiness is only optimal among individuals from middle and upper classes. The reason is that these persons have the financial support that is a prerequisite to success in relation to the two attributes (Migone, 2007). Young adults from lower class backgrounds lack the knowledge and training required to acquire well paying jobs.

To address this issue in relation to the research question posed above, conflict and functionalist theories will be used. The latter explains that groups in the society are always in competition over limited resources. The rivalry leads to conflict (Migone, 2007). On the other hand, functionalist theory explains that the society is made up of various components. Each of the components has a specific function.

The author of this paper will focus on the various economic factors that create a division between the lower and the upper classes (Diener & Seligman, 2004). The factors will go a long way in explaining the differences between the attitudes held by the two groups regarding consumerism. In addition, the author will analyze the major causes of consumerism and how these attitudes can be avoided to protect the economy. Furthermore, an explanation as to why the gap between the rich and the poor in America continues to increase instead of reducing will be provided.

Literature Review

Consumerism among the Rich and the Poor

Attitudes towards consumerism between the rich and the poor vary significantly. A number of studies have analyzed whether or not consumerism is stronger among the wealthier and more educated Americans than among the poor and less educated members of the society. The ‘inequality’ gap in the country is wide. The gap between the rich and the poor is increasing on a daily basis. The development affects the economy of the nation in different ways. For example, the rich have access to a number of things that the middle class and the poor cannot afford.

Many rich people in America are influenced by commercial advertisements (Charmaz, 2011). In most cases, these individuals are highly educated and employed. The increased exposure to television and other media outlets encourages them to buy things that they may not necessarily require. Consequently, they end up spending a lot of money on unnecessary items. The situation leads to consumerism. It is one of the reasons why materialism is high among the rich in the society.

The social lives of both the middle and the lower class persons are limited. The people in this bracket have little resources to spend on luxuries. Most of them have to make choices between what to purchase and what to put aside. A good example of this decision involves the choice between food and clothes. It is noted that people in the middle and lower classes will go for food first before making other choices regarding clothes (Johnston & Baumann, 2007). Consumerists or people who have enough to spend tend to use their money on things that are not important. Most of the items purchased are the latest in their line. However, it is important to note that some of the items purchased have personal importance.

Scholars, theorists, and analysts have made efforts to explain the reason why the gap between the poor and the rich in America continues to increase (Charmaz, 2011). The stakeholders are in agreement that the society is divided into groups. Employment opportunities are few. Individuals from the various groups have varied access to these openings. The inequalities evident in America mean that equal access to these opportunities is not realized. For example, schools that are regarded to be for the rich are very expensive. It is in these schools that one is likely to have access to all the facilities required for proper learning. It is not easy for the middle and lower class people to fund education in these learning institutions. The children born to individuals in the lower classes of the society have no other choice but to attend local schools that only offer basic education. What this means is that the individual who attended the elite school and the one who went through the local establishment will never be equal. One of them is exposed to what the job industry requires. In case of an interview, the graduate from the upper social background will be in a better position to clinch the job compared to the student from the lower class (Johnston & Baumann, 2007). Bearing in mind that job opportunities are limited in the nation, the chances of the graduate from the lower class getting a job are very few. At times, employers are biased when offering these employment opportunities. The rich are favored as the poor are left out. Consequently, the wealthy members of the society continue to rule big companies and institutions, while the poor remain in the same position in the society. As a result, the differences between the two groups increase. As the gap widens, attitudes towards consumerism shift.

Theories Explaining Consumerism and Social Behavior: A Case for Conflict and Functionalist Models

Many theories have been used to explain the social behavior of people in the society. Many Americans identify with what they have as opposed to what or who they are. As such, identity is pegged on material things. The situation leads to a conflict between the self and the reality, as well as between the individual and other persons in the society. The conflict theory clearly explains this situation. The theory defines the role of power and superiority in creating social order in a society or a country (Oorschot, 2007). The theoretical framework is largely associated with Karl Marx. In his writings, the scholar tries to explain intra-conflict and inter-conflict among groups in the society. The various groups tend to compete for the available social and economic resources. The conflict theory explains that the wealth of the society is under the control of the stable individuals. The wealth is analyzed in terms of power, social, and economic resources (Chancellor & Lyubomirsky, 2011). Inequality results from these conflicts in the society. The theory clearly explains why there is a difference between the rich and the poor. The rich people in the society try to prove themselves by acquiring more properties. In the process of this acquisition, they spend unnecessarily, leading to consumerism.

The wealthy seek respect and recognition by showing off their wealth. The situation brings the concept of consumerism. For example, an individual may seek to acquire an expensive car due to consumerism. They continue accumulating more cars to prove their identity. Such individuals will do anything to defend their property. The conflict theory explains that inequality in the society occurs when people who have control over resources defend them to ensure they continue to enjoy the benefits associated with their exploitation (Migone, 2007). The theory is applicable to the American society. Most of the rich people in America fight to retain their positions in big companies or institutions. It is the main reason why major and influential positions in the country are held by old people (Edgell, Gerteis & Hartmann, 2006). Even though they are old, they still want to defend their positions to continue benefiting. The actions of these persons deny the poor and the young the chance to advance in life. The social life of the rich continues to prosper. At times, this influence is inherited and, meaning that it stays within the family. Greed for power and money is one of the factors that facilitate consumerism. The rich continue enjoying the resources, while the poor wallow in poverty.

The functionalist theory is another theoretical model that can be used to explain the attitude towards consumerism between the wealthier and more educated and the poor and less educated Americans. The theory explains that the society is composed of different parts. Each of these components depends on the others for survival and stability (Ferraro, Pfeffer & Sutton, 2005). A country can achieve economic and social stability when all the parts are working together. The theoretical framework also explains that the economy thrives when people are given equal opportunities in the various institutions (Diener & Seligman, 2004). A case in point is how people pay taxes to the government. In return, the taxpayer expects the government to offer high quality services, such as healthcare and education (Edgell et al., 2006). When the various functions work together to accomplish the set goals, productivity is enhanced.

However, consumerism may tamper with the balance between the functions of different organs of a society. Social problems occur when institutions fail to treat individuals equally. Most of the establishments controlled by the wealthy continue to function without offering other people in the society a chance to uplift their status. America is one of the societies where the different organs are not functioning as required. The gap between the poor and the rich is increased by the fact that the social institutions are controlled by few individuals (Oorschot, 2007). The people at the top of the socio-economic ladder are wealthier than those at the lower echelons. Access to money among the rich allows them to spend extravagantly. As such, consumerism emerges.

Consumerism, Inequalities, and Social and Economic Instabilities

People occupying different social positions manage situations for their own benefits. Their activities may lead to social and economic instabilities. What this means is that the economy is not fully supported by the pillars of the society. The rich and the poor belong to the same social setup. To avoid conflicts and establish stability, a balance should be established between the rich and the poor people (Ferraro et al., 2005). However, this equilibrium is threatened by a number of factors. The main problem is that those in powerful and influential positions have more to spend than the poor. In addition, they tend to neglect their duties in the office. Most of them like owning imported and expensive items as a way of showing what they are worth. By so doing, they fail to support the local society. The situation is evident in America where the economy is deteriorating due to lack of support from the local market (Diener & Seligman, 2004). Many Americans value self-indulgence and consumption, which translates to poor economic performance. People in the lower classes are trapped in poverty. They have no option but to remain in their current positions.

According to the functionalism theory highlighted above, the poor form the largest part of the society. As such, upgrading their society can lead to stability of the American economy. The wealthy persons hold stronger and positive attitudes consumerism compared to the poor because they have access to resources. They exploit these opportunities without caring about the status of the economy (Ferraro et al., 2005).

Public education prepares young adults for the labor market. It is the function of the government to enhance this education in efforts to revitalize the job market. If the authorities fail in these functions, inequality sets in (Ferraro et al., 2005). At the end of the day, the discrepancies between the rich and the poor increase.

Conclusion

The major goal of this study was to evaluate whether or not there are any discrepancies between the attitudes held by the rich and highly educated Americans and the poor and uneducated persons in relation to consumerism. To achieve this objective, conflict and functionalist theories were used to analyze the status of consumerism in the society. A literature review was conducted using information from 8 peer reviewed articles. The study revealed that there were differences between the attitudes held by the two groups. It was revealed that the rich and educated persons in the American society have stronger attitudes towards consumerism compared to the rich and uneducated. The research is significant given that the skewed support for consumerism is one of the major reasons behind inequalities in America. The poor and less educated cannot compete fairly with the rich in the job market. The reason is that the rich are more educated. Poor training and lack of job opportunities prevents individuals from the lower classes to ascend to higher positions. The government is responsible for the provision of public education. It is possible for the American authorities to raise the economy of the nation by providing quality and affordable public education. The move will help the less fortunate members of the society to acquire skills that can increase their chances in the job industry.

It is clear from the research that the economy of a nation can be destroyed by consumerism. The study has analyzed the various factors that foster strong attitudes towards consumerism among the rich. The research made it evident that it is possible to save an economy that is floundering due to consumerism. Many developed nations are facing this problem. The challenge can be solved by bringing together the government and other stakeholders.

References

Chancellor, J., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2011). Happiness and thrift: When (spending) less is (hedonically) more. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 21(2), 131-138.

Charmaz, K. (2011). Grounded theory methods in social justice research. The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research, 4, 359-380.

Diener, E., & Seligman, M. (2004). Beyond money, towards an economy of wellbeing. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 5(1), 1-31.

Edgell, P., Gerteis, J., & Hartmann, D. (2006). Atheists as “other”: Moral boundaries and cultural membership in American society. American Sociological Review, 71(2), 211-234.

Ferraro, F., Pfeffer, J., & Sutton, R. (2005). Economics language and assumptions: How theories can become self-fulfilling. Academy of Management Review, 30(1), 8-24.

Johnston, J., & Baumann, S. (2007). Democracy versus distinction: A study of omnivorousness in Gourmet food writing 1. American Journal of Sociology, 113(1), 165-204.

Migone, A. (2007). Hedonistic consumerism: Patterns of consumption in contemporary capitalism. Review of Radical Political Economics, 39(2), 173-200.

Oorschot, W. (2007). Culture and social policy: A developing field of study. International Journal of Social Welfare, 16(2), 129-139.

Introduction

The concept of America’s consumer culture builds upon the belief of many Americans that the buyer defines herself through the things that she buys while the things that she buys helps to shape and determine what will be made available in the future. This leads to the idea that the perceived built world that we live in has become more real to us as consumers than the actual real world that exists outside of our created spaces. Essentially, the term consumerism is used to refer to a general belief that the purchase of products will lead inevitably to a sense of happiness and fulfillment in life. According to Kanner, “It’s the meta-message that you can solve all of life’s problems by purchasing the right products” (Kersting, 2004). It is a concept that remains ingrained in society based on individual needs for belonging combined with deliberate reinforcement on the part of advertisers and designers. Because purchases are made on perceived correctness for the prescribed “perfect” life displayed in the media, which has replaced individual social circles as the measure by which one is judged, individual identities are subjugated to the common ideal and little thought is given to what is required to fit the likes and dislikes of the individual’s actual personality and interests. When these products don’t serve to satisfy their cravings for fulfillment, those subscribing to the consumer culture run out to purchase more items they’ve seen on television rather than searching their personalities for what is important to them. “’Objects are now carrying the status weight that blood and religion and pigment used to carry.’ Which is to say that Americans not only ‘buy up’ but wear their wealth on their sleeve — or chest … labels no longer hid discreetly inside the collar. Today, Tommy Hilfiger’s prized name can take up most of the shirt” (Kulman, 2004). When a consumer begins to perceive this failing and starts falling out of the perceived ‘norm’, they are brought back into the fold with carefully contrived media blitzes targeted to their variant group. The purpose of this paper is to examine the various elements of America’s consumer culture, including how it affects the way we work, play and view the world around us.

The problem of time

Whether it occurs in the world of shopping or in the world of maintaining all the systems that make shopping possible, a necessary evil is the concept of work. Someone must be there to man the store, someone else to ship the products, someone available to produce those products and someone to purchase them. Without work, the entire system shuts down. The primary question is how to balance the time? In order for the system to work, it must maintain a steady pace which is facilitated by experienced employees. Employee retention is contingent on employee satisfaction. According to surveys conducted in 2004, though, more than half of all Americans are unhappy with their jobs, a figure that is up from the 40 percent who expressed dissatisfaction only a decade ago (Franco, 2005). According to the study, there are a number of factors contributing to the decline that can be seen across all income levels. These factors include constantly changing technological requirements, rising productivity demands and changing workplace expectations on one side and a changing view of the role of work in the lives of incoming workers on the other (Franco, 2005). Research conducted through Purdue University to help improve productivity and customer satisfaction has revealed a direct link between employee happiness and customer satisfaction as well as overall profitability (Childers, 2005). One of the suggestions proposed to keep employees happy is to reduce the length of the work week. By shortening the work week to four 10-hour days, employees could be expected to work the same amount of time overall, but gain a perception of increased freedom in the additional day free of work.

This concept was becoming increasingly important in modern society as consumers slowly began to stay at home rather than go out to shop. A Consumer Pulse Survey conducted by Kurt Salmon Associates of New York in 1998 (Fost, 1998) indicated that more and more people are feeling stressed in their increasingly busy lifestyles, complaining of having much less free time than they used to have and becoming much less willing to spend this time shopping. For most, shopping for any type of apparel was considered to be a nuisance they worked to avoid as much as possible. However, the concept of shopping as entertainment, offering more than just the simple shopping experience, once again gave Americans an excuse to hit the stores. Nike caught on to the idea of the branding/architecture/design connection early in working to build their brand and maintain an appeal for these overstressed shoppers-who-would-rather-be-home. “Many in the industry note an increasing trend to create a memorable and enjoyable shopping experience. They’re giving it names – entertailing, shoppertainment, eatertainment – even though few can agree on what, exactly, constitutes entertainment” (Fost, 1998: 36). The main idea behind this entertainment/retail/museum approach is to provide customers with a more comfortable place in which to do their shopping, a destination in which all members of the family might find something to attract their attention and a means of highlighting the important role the brand has played in the development of their individual identities. “It’s a perfect marriage between construction and marketing. Using a building’s structure and amenities to help market a product line – retail is receiving a high approval rating from the television generation – a consumer base is being mesmerized by sports, animation and the glamour of Hollywood” (Vangen, 1998: 64). In developing this atmosphere, retail outlets must evaluate themselves through the context of the experience offered and how that experience works to support the strength and message of the brand.

Jon Goss illustrates in his article “The ‘Magic of the Mall’: An Analysis of Form, Function, and Meaning in the Contemporary Retail Environment” (1993), how shopping center developers have learned and implemented strategies that tend to manipulate shoppers to make them purchase more thus revealing important elements of the American consumer culture. This includes the way that the space is organized in order to facilitate the shopping experience and the study of how to display products in such a way as to encourage shoppers to purchase them. Within this scheme, the consumer emerges as “passive, sensual, and vulnerable victims of the ‘force field which they don’t understand,’ just as the designers’ discourse is both manifestly elitist and gendered – from ‘market penetration analysis’ to the persistent tropes of seduction, stimulation and physical manipulation” (19). He indicates that the consumer culture is partially constructed through the deliberate machinations of the developers when he says “developers have sought to assuage this collective guilt over conspicuous consumption by designing into the retail built environment the means for a fantasized dissociation from the act of shopping” (19). The collective guilt he is referring to is described in the opening paragraphs as being the guilt of the shopper who feels it is somehow sinful to participate or lose oneself in the concepts of mass consumption. This is a wide-spread sentiment among the population and, if retailers wish to continue raking in the profits, developers must find ways of relieving the guilt. They do so by providing alternative activities within the space in order to provide the illusion that consumers might be engaged in other activities while on the premises. For most, this has translated into the concept of theme shopping or shopping as entertainment. This concept of the mall has thus evolved into a mall as community gathering space and is actively marketed as such.

One of the important elements of being able to participate in this great ‘mall’ society is the ability to purchase goods being offered at that mall which requires access to the funds necessary to make this happen. Because many people do not actually make the money they need to keep up with current expectations, the idea of consumer credit was born as a means of meeting the challenge. Officially, consumer credit is a term that means “a debt contracted for the purpose of increasing present consumption” (Townsend, 2004). Because this process enables the consumer to make a purchase immediately even if they don’t yet have the funds to pay for it, many American consumers have extended their debt by tremendous amounts in order to purchase ‘needed’ objects such as houses, cars, clothing, food, medical attention and other objects. Because it is not limited to paying for just those things an individual might actually need, such as medicine, shelter and sustenance, consumers have extended credit to ensure they are able to keep up appearances at the mall, proving by their purchases that they are as well-off as the next guy even when they’re not. However, as Townsend points out, most of the purchases made on consumer credit are not things that will contribute to the necessary funds required to get rid of that debt, forcing yet more credit taken by the consumer just to keep afloat. Eventually, all of these bills must be paid, decreasing the capital available to purchase actually needed goods and gaining very little sympathy from the surrounding culture whose attitude is to simply take out more credit. As more and more Americans wake up to the concept that eventually they will need to pay back all the money they have borrowed, plus interest, they begin to move away from the concepts of consumer credit as a means of protecting themselves to a greater degree from the harmful effects of living beyond one’s means.

For many consumers, debt is treated in the same light as death – thoughts of both are avoided at all costs, yet neither is avoidable. Consumers generally don’t stop to consider the effects of their tremendous spending habits, both on a psychological and on a financial level, until they are older. Reknowed psychologist Erik Erikson characterizes the older adult as an individual who must resolve the ego integrity vs. despair crisis (Niolon, 2006). During this phase of life, individuals either learn how to accept their perceived failures and successes in life to develop a sense of wisdom and satisfaction in self or determine not to accept these elements of their life thus far and end up developing a sense of dread and despair regarding their eventual death (Niolon, 2006). According to Troll (1984), the older a consumer becomes the more restricted in his or her abilities and capabilities he or she is perceived to be. While younger consumer are perceived as having a wide variety of potential characteristics and attitudes that can be exploited by the large marketing firms, the older consumer is associated with only a few possible identities. “The most detrimental aspect of bias is that the objects of that bias share the attitudes of the other members of their society, tending to stereotype, distort and look down upon themselves” (Troll, 1984, p. 1). Thus, stereotypes of older consumers are shared by the older consumers themselves which has served to maintain a relatively constant perception of old age and death as being relatively synonymous. This stereotype is reinforced by statistical data that suggests that most people who live below the poverty line are women over the age of 65 and practical knowledge that indicates younger generations often have more education, or more up-to-date education, than older generations. Thus, the ability to keep up, in terms of technology and/or spending habits, has become a measure of a person’s viability within the greater culture while images of death and decay are abhorred and rejected. As long as one remains a viable consumer, one is still alive.

The equation of identity with the values identified by the commercial culture has led to an overall reduction of traditional values as they become overwhelmed by the messages being sent out by the marketers. This is becoming recognized on a widespread basis, but the cries against merchandise are dim compared to the hawksters of the present day. This is demonstrated as mainstream media writers overtly refer to the process in derogatory terms, but no one stops their spending spree long enough to listen. “The malls are clogged, newspapers are fat, and some of the houses I drive past have been lit up since the day after Thanksgiving. We are in the midst of Consumptionfest, the year’s most magical season. We are all called upon to pay alms to the profits and to decorate our homes in green and red, colors that signify the expenditure of cash that bleeds us dry” (Large, 2003). In celebrating special holidays such as Christmas and Easter, the number of gifts distributed and the value of those gifts are not recognized as valuable in themselves but rather taken to symbolize the degree to which the giver holds the receiver in esteem. A cheap gift given in passing sends the message of being held in low esteem while more expensive gifts wrapped in professional paper indicate higher esteem and personal value. Other holidays, such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, are driven almost completely by the retail industry, insisting that expensive jewelry, new vehicles or other expensive commodities must be exchanged as the only means by which we might adequately express the depth of our love for one another. More esoteric forms of expression, such as doing nice things for one another, caring about one another’s welfare, are no longer the standard by which we base our opinions and beliefs. As a result, we are quickly and easily fooled by the empty words of marketing while we fail to recognize true expressions of affection when they occur.

As Americans respond like moths to a flame whenever a sale sign goes up, it is important to consider how the economic policies of the past have contributed to the development and current state of the consumer culture. Mercantilism is essentially the theory that nations become wealthy by limiting the number of imports and encouraging the number of exports (LaHaye, 2008). It was a popular concept in the 1600s-1800s when nations sought to build central strength coming out of feudalism and had a need to fund numerous wars with hard metals like gold and silver. Essentially, this policy encouraged the exploitation of weaker countries and people as a means of acquiring raw materials as imports and then exploiting these same people again as the finished products of these materials were exported back at significantly increased prices (LaHaye, 2008). This worked well to generate wealth for the stronger country, but served to foster resentment and rebellion among the exploited, as Americans especially should remember. Within this structure, the focus is placed upon production rather than consumption which seems to be the exact opposite of America’s present system in which consumption is the primary name of the game among individual citizens. However, mercantilism, in the form of protectionism, is still alive and well in today’s American economy. It is these principles that have given rise to the nation’s larger monopoly industries found in banking, automotives and computer industries to name a few. While the American citizen is under the impression that they’re operating in a consumer economy that circulates for the benefit of the many, the reality of the situation, as current economic events have demonstrated, is that the mercantile system continues to protect the wealthy few at the expense of outsiders.

Recent events in the economy have caused more and more Americans to take note not only of their own finances, but also of the finances of the country. New awareness of the national debt, including its increasing size, has coupled with the recent recession to create a situation in which most consumers can no longer conveniently ignore the price of their spending habits. Like the inevitable quality of death, debt has caught up to America and we’re feeling the pinch. “We are reverting from a ‘borrow and buy’ economy to the ‘cash and carry’ model of our grandparents” (Gross, 2008) as we realize the danger of debt today against income that may or may not be there tomorrow. As Gross points out, “students returning to college are finding that student loans have vanished. Retailers who freely extended credit to any customer with a pulse are deploying bean counters armed with sophisticated software to sniff out potential deadbeats” (2008). Following the collapse of the housing market, however, consumers began to think more seriously about their spending and borrowing habits, particularly as lending institutions began to fail and people began losing their jobs and houses. The instinct to pull back into protectionism (neo-mercantilism), though, will only contribute to the growing problem. As economists from Adam Smith forward have suggested, the only way to pull out of the current economic slump is to continue to invest in trade and exchange. For example, it is pointed out that “buying Chinese and Japanese goods also provides the central banks of those countries with the money they need in order to buy the bonds that fund our national debt” (Young, 2007) while leaving the door open for America to rebuild from its current state. Without this outside interest, the country would not have this opportunity to recover.

Conclusion

It is undeniable that today’s consumer culture is heavily swayed by the advertisers and marketers that deliberately manipulate human nature to play upon our ideas of identity and value. Americans define themselves not by their inner virtues or their traditional values but by the items they’ve collected and their ability to keep up with the latest trends and styles seen on the media. To do this even when these styles exceed our own means, we’ve turned to the almighty credit card rather than admit we cannot manage the constant competition or attempt to find something more meaningful within. However, we cannot blame this culture completely on the media without taking some responsibility ourselves. As consumers, we help define the culture we live in. Buying into the concept of having to keep up with outer appearances rather than developing inner values is reinforced by us as we overspend for Christmas in order to prove to impressionable children that we love them. As a result, they have no choice but to continue equating love with the money one spends on you and the need to purchase in order to express emotion. Having constructed a culture in which inner personal nature and emotion are defined by the products we consume and exchange, it is difficult to redefine values just because the economy has shifted. A falling economy and a rapidly rising national debt have many paying more attention to their spending habits, but will it be enough to really bring about change? If it is, will it be the kind of change we need? The tendency in this culture when times get tough is to adopt a protectionist attitude in which we pledge to support only each other, but this is not the approach we need to rescue the future. Instead, we need to refocus our value systems to the traditional values of inner worth and sincere emotion at the same time that we continue to engage in international trade.

References

Childers, P. (September, 2005). “Your Message Inside Goes Outside: How employees are treated within the company dramatically affects customer satisfaction and profits.” HR Magazine. Web.

Fost, Dan. (June 1998). “That’s Entertainment.” Marketing Tools. Vol. 5, I. 5: 36.

Franco, L. (February 28, 2005). U.S. Job Satisfaction Keeps Falling, The Conference Board Reports Today. The Conference Board. Web.

Goss, Jon. (1993). “The ‘Magic of the Mall’: An Analysis of Form, Function, and Meaning in the Contemporary Retail Environment” Annals of the Association of American Geographers. March 1993, Vol. 83 Issue 1, pp. 18-47.

Gross, Daniel. (August 30, 2008). “The Death of the Credit Card.”Slate. Washington Post.

Kerstings, Karen. (June 2004). “Driving Teen Egos — And Buying — Through Branding.”APA Online.

Kulman, Linda. (June 24, 2004). “Our Consuming Interest.” U.S. News and World Report. Vol. 136, N. 23: 58.

LaHaye, Laura. (2008). “Mercantilism.” The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. Library of Economics and Liberty.

Large, Jerry. (December 11, 2003). “Holiday Season is a Time to Define Your Values.”The Seattle Times.

Niolon, R. (2006). “Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development.”Resources for Students and Professionals. PsychPages.

Townsend, Robert B. (2002). Does it Pay to Borrow?G.I. Roundtable Series in Sequence.

Troll, Lillian E. (August 1984). “Poor, Dumb and Ugly: The Older Women in Contemporary Society.” Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.

Vangen, Clara M.W. (July 1998). “Interactive Retail.” Buildings. Vol. 92, I. 7: 64.

Young, John. (December 9, 2007). “Getting Ready for the Peak.” Western Voices World News. European Americans United. Web.

Consumerism is defined as the policies developed seeking to protect and inform customers on continued buying of product, through honest packaging and branding. It emphasizes and encourages the progressive consumption of products by the consumers, beyond what the environment can sustain. Consumerism gives a reflection of the social stratification of individual and their position of influence on matters of political, social and economic.

Consumerism can be traced back during the industrial revolution where there was a massive production of products. This was an era characterized with outstanding availability of products at a relatively lower price. Meaning everybody was in a position to get what they wanted. These led to the invention of ways to encourage the consumers to use these products so that the manufacturers could continue to produce more. In economic, consumerism refers to the belief that the customers should dictate the economic structure of the society

The entry of consumerism in the market in 1960’s saw the shift and change in the shopping phenomenon. Later, the shopping lost its significance and became a class seeking movement. Consumerism formed a more polarized culture among the young and the elderly, the upper and the lower class as well as in the different sexual categories. This has led to disconnection between relatives, and also between the past and the future.

Conservatives who were the major critics of the consumerism theory came to save the free spending Americans. The conservatives were trying to find the balance between the freedom and discipline. This was aimed at restraining the over consumption by families. The conservatives introduced stringent measures to the market to reduce the over flow consumption. This however just fueled the same polices they were opposed to, because they unleashed the market by cutting down the taxes, increasing the spending in defense and deregulating the regulator. The result of this new policy was still an emergence of group comprised of very affluent and extreme poor society.

It did not address the problems which arouse as a result of consumerism theory. Eventually the once again, the American were to be introduced to a policy of individualism (Abuvia, 2005.p.90). This was later substituted for inexpensive housing. The free market conservatism pushed this new consumerism into a more selfish hand less social –bounded process.

The contradictions of consumerism have been evident, with the capitalist campaigning for consumerism policies while the libertarians are opposed to it. Madeline Levine, an American, regarded the transformation within the American way of life as, “a shift away from the values of community and integrity and towards competition, materialism and disconnection”. Besides, since the marketers target selling their products to the affluent people within the society, a relationship between what the people procure with their status has developed. This has led to impulse buying of commodity which society does not require but which are reflections of their superiority. Individuals at the lower stratification ladder are always trying to emulate those upper the ladder in order to fit in the society.

This pushes the middle class people in pursuing the celebrity life and hence increasing on their budgets to buy luxuries which do not necessarily add to their economic welfare but to a social status. Consumerism enticed People in acquiring commodities like goods and services as the utmost core or the way to happiness. This ideology is in contrary with the theory of ecologism which emphasize on the importance of preserving ecology.

The main contradiction of consumerism consists offering you both solidarity and the power against the other. The political factor says that saying what or how the commodity is, heavily outweighs the goal of getting you to spend your money on it in a contradictory but mystified fantasy of solidarity and power. The consumerism though perceived to be the real reflector of the true status of individual, there have been a myth that state that the (your status is reflected on what you buy). The long term effect of trying to satisfy this urge is massive destruction of the ecology. These have its effect felt even by the next generation. In order the consumerism survive from its irresolvable contradiction it deploys marketing tactics like advertising and branding its products.

Consumption proffers an endless series of reconciliation fantasies for the contradictions within consumerism. This deters people from turning to the ecologism. Advertising has a sole intention of holding the attention and of course over emphasizes on the quality and importance of the product in question. The adverts create sensory perception and seize attention and motivate one in acquiring the commodity. Since the adverts are placed at all avenue and mediums which are easily accessed by the customers, it becomes easier to tame the customers in developing the urge to buy the product even when they do not require them. It should be noted that with consumerism, their product are always advertised differently giving the ignorant customers a picture of new products, but it’s the same old products.

In order to generate new customers, consumerism brainwashes the memory of the culture to customize and match their intention. Precisely looking at the critics of the consumerism theory their argument is purely based on ecological rather than the economic sector of the countries economy. Although the policies of consumerism are determined by the demand forces, care should be taken to reduce the degradation of environment.

It is unrealistic not to find a balance between the amount generated and the amount consumed. The progressive production shows a positive index in the growth of economy, a mechanism should be established to regulate the production of commodities. Where the raw material used in the production of commodity is particularly non-renewable, the responsible ministry should discourage. As stated by Jorge Majfud, “Trying to reduce environmental pollution without reducing consumerism is like combating drug trafficking without reducing the drug addiction.” The effects of consumerism are ruthlessly felt, while fighting it is far more expensive (Luigino, 2007 p. 90).

The policies of consumerism are somehow exploitative, taking sides with the elite group and forgetting the interest of majority unfortunate who cannot be able to raise enough money to fight for social status with the rich. This in the long run leads to a segmented society with levels or castes based on those who have and those who don’t have. This inequity may result in hatred among the society. The outcries of the libertarian are inclusive as they are concerned of the welfare of all citizens.

They discourage what is truly a forceful and exploitative marketing, where the main idea and intention is to make sales from the unsuspecting customers, or from customers who are willing to spend on the expense of social status. If such economic atrocities are continually left unchecked over longer period of time, it would open up a wide gap between the rich and the poor. Since the resources are naturally and non discriminative those who cannot afford the luxuries should also be engaged by afforded the most basic things they require like food, shelter, clothing and medical care.( Brewer, 1993, p.400)

Neglecting or singling out a particular group on the ground of poverty has a detrimental psychological effect as the less fortunate feel like outcast and cannot contribute to national economy effectively. Implementation or collaboration of capitalism and socialism can help in amending and creating a neutral ground to help and accommodate the two diverse groups. The capitalist on the other hand supports prioritizing the needs for the customer rather than adopting the policies of inclusiveness. During the nineteenth century the consumerism was taking a momentum due to the industrial revolution and capitalist development which was taking place by then.

Capitalist had taken extensive research on ways of satisfying the customers and their effort was coming to fruitation. Henry Ford among other influential people within the industry, were perfectly aware of the fact that the level of production is determined by level of consumption. This is because it would give consumers a choice of variety to choose from and also reduce the price and improve quality.

Frederick Taylor is another scholar who contributed massively to the success of consumerism, when he came up with the theory of scientific management, marking the inception of implausible production and reduced costs of production on the assembly lines.

The industrial revolution created a phenomenal economic upsurge, with products being available in outstanding orders and relatively cheaper prices. This was historic as this had never been experienced before. These ensured every individual virtually had the products available to them. The coming in into limelight of the capitalism and the theory of consumerism was unprecedented (Leiss, 1988, p. 53).

They had exceptional understanding of marketing and they were ready to create the market for the products they were massively producing. This is well elaborated by Earnest Calkins who noted that, “consumer engineering must see to it that we use up the kind of goods we now merely use”. In addition, Christine Frederick, a scholar and theorist observed that, “the way to break vicious deadlock of low standard of living is to spend freely, and even waste creatively”.

The way the capitalists applied the tradition marketing mix particularly on the promotion was fantastic. The consumerism adopted the techniques of advertising using the media on the availability of the products they were selling. This was also added a zing by being branded to give it an exceptional look. The capitalist invested heavily on customer satisfaction and this led to the theory of consumerism becoming an instant hit and very popular among the lower, upper and elite groups. It also raised the level of living as everyone in each level worked hard to emulate the others in the upper level. Those in the lower caste wanted to own things owned by the middle class, while the middle class were looking forward to the elite class. The celebrities at the upper most level had the honor of endorsing the product (Wolfreys, 2006.p. 80)

The transformation from a small scale to a large scale production revolution, the capitalist and the theory of consumerism has proved practical. The most technical and failure by most business is failure to develop sound marketing policies. Although the buying trend in the consumerism theory does not reflect the true urgency of the product, it is essential as it helps in the growth of economy. It is baseless to criticize such theory which continues to fetch profit while the socialist though opposed to the theory have not adopted a workable theory (Kambara, 2005, p. 48). The growth of the economy under consumerism is measured by the units of products sold.

Moreover, the capitalist development and the industrial revolution have incorporated a large number of employees who continues to add to the growth of the economy. The theory has much positive that negatives as it has also facilitated growth of skilled and professional marketers. The contradictions of the consumerism and the socialism emanate from the fear of consumerism taking control and using the power to exploit the socialist. However, although the fear of Consumerism is valid the theory itself is practical and it has helped many. Besides, it has created social stratification which provokes competition and efficiency.

Conclusion

The theory of consumerism is by contrary a better theory compared to the socialism approach of economy and although its abuse can result in massive human abuse, it adoption has seen to accelerate the growth of economy. The socialist should give room consumerism although government should also install checks to curb any excessiveness. The two theories suggested namely consumerism and its main challenger conservatism, each has its short coming. Although the consumerism had managed to build a strong market for their products, this was as exploitative as only a specific group could afford that. The conservatives though were opposed to the theory of over consumption and they were unable to draw good policies but instead they came up with other different policies from consumerism but equally exploitative.

Reference List

Abuvia, C. A.,& Adelman, B. M., 2005, Market metaphors for meeting mates: Working papers. University of Michigan (E-book). Web.

Brewer, J., & Porter, R., 1993, Consumption and the World of Goods. London: (E- book). Web.

Luigino, B.,.2007. Handbook on the economics of happiness: Business & Economics/ Economics / General. (E-book). Web.

Kambara, T., 2007, China and the global energy crisis: development and prospects for China’s oil and naturalgas. EdwardElgarPublishing.E (E-book). Web.

Leiss, W., 1988, the Limits to Satisfaction: An Essay on the Problem of Needs and Commodities. Business & Economics / Consumer Behavior. McGill- Queen’s Press. (E-book). Web.

Wolfreys, J., 2006, Modern North American criticism and theory: a critical guide EdinburghUniversityPress, (E-book). Web.

Introduction

Consumerism is the regular development and maintenance of specific consumption patterns, which are characterized by an increased need to acquire goods and services in large amounts (Ryan 23). Conversely, consumerism can also refer to different consumer movements whose activities entail protecting consumer interests by ensuring that the packaging of goods is done by the prevailing standards and regulations. In addition, some consumer movements ensure that the health and safety of consumers are maintained by the producers, advertisers, and sellers. Therefore, consumerism entails a set of checks and balances that safeguard the interests of consumers. However, consumerism can also involve different defining aspects, which are aimed at shaping various economic and social practices in a given population (Ryan 27). In America, holidays are no longer celebrated in the same way religious and cultural celebrations were observed in the early eighteenth Century by different ethnic, regional, and local communities because most manufacturers and merchants have reinvented different holidays to match the consumer preferences and increase sales. After all, most Americans attach different meanings, preparations, and observances to specific holidays, and because the cultural practices, consumer culture, and social norms during holidays have changed drastically.

The role of consumer holidays in shaping America

The connection between American holidays and business enterprises dates back to the early eighteenth century. Studies show that most entrepreneurs considered religious festivals and other holidays to be unfavorable for commercial investments (Schmidt 194). However, the notion began to change significantly in the mid-eighteenth Century because most producers and merchants realized the need to develop goods and services, which match the specific observances attached to various festivals and holidays. As a result, the religious festivals and holidays, which were meant to celebrate specific events such as the birth of Jesus Christ during Christmas began to undertake commercial orientations and finally led to the rise of totally different holidays in America. Furthermore, some ethnic, local, and traditional festivals, which were being observed regionally, began to receive national recognition due to their commercialization (Schmidt 194). Therefore, holidays such as St. Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas, and Easter, which were rarely observed at a national level, began to have different meanings altogether. Conversely, the role played by Christianity and cultural celebrations in terms of influencing the consumer culture and the stake of women in shaping the traditions of different holidays are attributable to the spirit of consumerism and the initial commercialization of various religious and traditional festivals (Schmidt 195).

Moreover, the rise of new holidays in America did not go unnoticed by different manufacturers and merchants who developed goods and services that match specialized customer preferences and observances during specific holidays. For instance, the development of the American holiday variety stores is attributable to the development of luxurious goods, which are characterized by a mixture of style and faith (Schmidt 195). In addition, some manufacturers took advantage of the need for a variety of gifts during thanksgiving to develop goods that were initially required by a small proportion of the population into products desired at the national and international levels during specific holidays. Here, the producers and advertisers were equally important in terms of influencing the consumption patterns during holidays and reinventing local and regional holidays into national festivals. Furthermore, most manufacturers and merchandisers use the holiday season to increase the production of new goods and services because of the increased demand (Ryan 702). Therefore, consumer holidays sustain economic growth by promoting the production of goods and services, which are normally produced and sold in low amounts during other seasons of the year. Conversely, consumer holidays play a major role in ensuring that America transforms from being an agricultural-based country into a region with industries and commercial enterprises, which produce and sell consumer goods in large quantities (Whitaker 302).

Additionally, consumerism plays a pivotal role in shaping the characteristics of different holidays in America. As a result, studies show that most Americans attach different meanings and observances to various national holidays (Schmidt 196). For instance, it is a normal practice during holidays to prepare love tokens, buy a tie for dad, and shop for Easter bonnets. In so doing, the original festivals, which were characterized by their traditional, ethnic, and regional orientations, are given new and standardized national meanings (Cross 104). Furthermore, the commercialization of Valentine’s Day, which is characterized by couples and lovers exchanging candies and gifts, gave a whole new meaning to a forgotten saint’s day. And now, Valentine’s Day is a national holiday that has been on the American calendar since 1860 (Schmidt 194). Furthermore, the celebration of Christmas as a special day when family members come together to exchange presents led to the development of a domestic holiday that differs from the Protestants’ view of Christmas celebrations. In addition, observation of Christmas led to the development of new a method of delivering presents by Santa Claus to loved ones. Overall, various meanings, preparations, and observances attached to different holidays present merchandisers with the opportunity to promote the sale of goods that have cultural or familial orientations (Cross 105).

Conversely, most Americans have adopted new cultural practices, consumer culture, and social norms because of the role consumerism plays in different aspects of their social lives (Whitaker 308). Moreover, the rise of different holidays America has seen the emergence of a culture of exchanging presents, which are commercially bought. As a result, the idea of commercializing holidays and social events has also brought a new approach to expressing emotions within the confines of the family. For instance, courtship, which was practiced differently before the nineteenth century, has been transformed into a characteristically new method of courtship, which is known as dating (Whitaker 315). The consumerist nature of dating is marked by couples exchanging gifts and watching movies together. Therefore, consumer holidays such as Valentines’ Day play a pivotal role in strengthening social bonds, which were loosely attended to in the past. On the other hand, parents find it easy to manipulate their children’s behavior by using the consumerist approach. Here, most Americans purchase gifts such as play stations and books to reward their children for achieving certain academic and behavioral standards. In addition, family celebrations such as birthday parties are important occasions to manage fear and anger in children through the consumerist approach (Whitaker 332).

However, opponents of consumer holidays would argue that the commercialization of holidays such as promoting Christmas shopping is a deceptive way of encouraging Americans to purchase goods that they do not need and to incur huge expenses through credit cards (Cross 256). For instance, the promotion of certain goods that have cultural and familial orientations during specific holidays may not auger well with the opponents of consumerism. Here, the critics would argue that the promotion of sales through advertising exploits the perceived short-term memory and the near-sightedness of the consumers because advertising can influence the consumption patterns by informing the consumers about the existence of discounts and great bargains. Therefore, commercialization of national holidays and advertising would make consumers spend more on goods that they do not need regardless of their purchasing power and budgets (Schmidt 198).

Nonetheless, it is worth noting that commercialization of national holidays does not encourage over-consumption and overspending but it rather helps consumers to take advantage of the availability of goods, which are rarely produced per year. Furthermore, most producers and sellers offer great discounts and bargains during national holidays to enable those with low purchasing power to purchase the much-needed goods, which are used to strengthen social bonds, friendship, and family relationships (Ryan 705). On the other hand, consumer holidays encourage the emergence of new industries, which are specialized in specific products. In so doing, commercialized holidays play an indirect role in promoting sustainable economic growth in America.

Conclusions

The essay presents discussions on the rise of consumer holidays in America and their role in promoting different aspects of the social and economic lives of Americans. From the discussions above, it is notable that the rise of consumer holidays and consumerism has seen the emergence of new national holidays that were not present in the early eighteenth century. Moreover, the essay notes that most manufacturers and merchandisers have exploited the establishment of the new national holidays to promote the development and sale of goods and services, which represent the interests and preferences of consumers. On the other hand, the rise of consumer holidays has promoted the characterization and standardization of traditional and local festivals, which were being observed in a different manner from what they represent today. As a result, the commercialization of national holidays has promoted the development of new cultural practices, consumer culture, and social norms in most American communities.

Works cited

Cross, Gary. An All-Consuming Century: why Commercialism Won In Modern America. Columbia: The Columbia University Press, 2000. Print.

Ryan, Michael. Consumerism. New York: The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, Blackwell Publishing, 2007. Print.

Schmidt, Eric L. “Consumer rites: the buying and selling of American holidays.” Journal of Social History 31.5 (2007): 194-196. Print.

Whitaker, Jan. Service and Style: how the American Department Store fashioned the Middle Class. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2006. Print.