Popular Culture And Consumerism

According to Clugston (2007) consumption is a self-induced and societal disorder-- a societal addiction. Every American is addicted to excessive consumption; we are all living beyond our means – most of us individually. Seeing how the Nacirema focuses so much on their physical appearance, it shows how too self-absorbed they are and how they are never contented with what they have. Sorman (2011) defined liberal economics as a body of thought based on Adam Smith's ideas about the forces of supply and demand in the marketplace, emphasizing the social and economic benefits when individuals pursue their own self-interest. Liberal economics can be directly related in such a way that in the culture of the Americans, they would buy products which are meant for self enhancement and for the betterment of their well being like make-up, toothpaste, facial cleansers, etc.

Joshua Shavel Consumer Nation 10/5/17 How Consumerism Changed America America is often described as a nation of consumers. This description usually has a negative tone, implying that Americans are materialistic, and in comparison to the majority of other countries, this is true. Many people accuse Americans of having a level of consumption that is actually wasteful in a lot of ways. Finding the difference between “needs” and “wants” is difficult in a consumer nation, where options are almost limitless. Consumerism can also bring about positive change, though, and this is especially true in the United States.

1 - Consumerism developed in America during the early twentieth century in large part due to the boom in industry created by Europe 's inability to create goods after World War I. Combined this with American inventions such as Henry Ford’s assembly line and Americans had money to spend (Schultz, 2013). With the advent of an electrical distribution system, Americans had electricity in their homes for the first time, which led to the desire for all types of electrical appliances to make life easier. All these new products meant that companies had to get the word out about their products which ignited the advertising industry, which led to even more consumerism. Mix into this recipe, the growing credit industry, and you had consumerism like

Consumer Culture Theory is a theoretical approach which emerged in the 1980s, however, it was Arnould and Thomson (2005) who published a journal article summarising the past 20 years of consumer research. Consumer culture theory addresses the “complex relationships between consumer actions, the marketplace and cultural meaning” (Wang, 2014, p.252). In other words, consumer cultural theorists are interested in consumption patterns, the reasons behind consumer actions and why everyday values/beliefs can be linked to consumption (Askegaard, 2015). Aspects of this theory are shown in Hamilton 's article, as people will try different coping strategies like consumption to make themselves look better and to move away from any negative stereotypes. This leads on to labelling theory because single mothers are often labelled as ‘chavs’ according to Hamilton, therefore, they can be more likely to live up to this label, which makes it harder for them to continue the normal routines of everyday life which can lead to abnormal actions (Becker, 2008).

As World War II came to an end, the United States entered the 50s. This decade became a major influential time that brought many cultural and societal changes. Categories such as the economy, where a boom in new products increased, the technology world which incorporated new medicines and computers, entertainment when the television became popular and the overall lifestyles that Americans adapted to. All of these topics reshaped and created several advancements throughout society during the 1950s.

Consumerism and Consumption in Eighteenth Century Britain Consumo ergo sum - I consume, therefore I am. This turn on the classic phrase I think, therefore I am has become increasingly popular, especially used for reflection on our society and by critics of capitalism. In order to understand our society better, it is important to descry the origins of the capitalistic ecosphere we live in. Traces of consumerism can be found throughout all ages of humanity, however a particularly great shift took place in the eighteenth century. This essay intends to prove that the new culture of consumerism influenced the British society in all aspects during this period.

Throughout history, consumerism has been defined and changed by aspects such as war, changes in work and production, and government policies. Americans have been able to consume more luxuries over time and have had more control over the way the economy progress and even when to call it to a halt. Consumerism has benefitted American citizens by putting money back into their pockets through policies and procedures such as the New Deal and the increase in union power. Workers’ wages have increased due to consumer and their unions have become more powerful over time. Consumerism is not a thing of the past, but rather a favorable advantage of the future that has allowed America to progress and benefitted American

I’m astounded by how different the views on consumerism are for people living in a developing country compared to a first world country like Canada. I only noticed how unacceptable my addiction to consumerism is when it was time to pack my luggage for the flight home and I wasn’t able to fit everything and thus I’m forced to leave nearly 70$ worth of goods behind. It was the first time where I legitimately felt unintelligent with what I was spending my money on and my relatives to this day create no shortage of teasing about it.

The concept of consumerism was first brought to my awareness in First Year Writing. I admit, before this intro course, I was indeed ignorant of the negative impacts that consumption had on society. FYS opened my mind to the dangers of over-consumption, and more importantly, helped me see beyond what meets the eye. Take for example, Disney, a seemingly innocent corporation, a company’s whose name is practically synonymous with the notion of childhood innocence. Upon initial judgement, one would assume that Disney is merely harmless family entertainment.

Therefore, Consumerism has variety of meanings, it can be defend as protecting consumer interests, advertising, sales promotion decency, and the quality of the products. Also, it can be defended as consumer rights protection. Consumerism affects poverty because it causes some to consume more than they need, forces limits on choice, and influences

In modern Western civilization, based on Aldous Huxley’s personal views, he implied warnings about the future of modern society throughout Brave New World. Huxley implied the dangers of technology, a big government, degrading humanity and its implication; therefore, modern citizens should be consequently thinking those dangers and how it still applies to modern civilization. If Huxley observed the daily life of modern students in western civilization, he would point out how life in Brave New World is similar to life today through technology, consumption, and how we see each other. Consumerism makes the community and economy stable, which is the goal of the society in Brave New World. In the novel, the buying and selling of goods and services are important to them in their consumer economy.

Commentary Essay on Shopping and Other Spiritual Adventures in America Today The American people are focusing more on materialistic items, people are shopping for pleasure more than necessity. This article comments on how people are shopping to release stress or to gain pleasure. Even though the article was written in 1984, it is still pertinent to modern time. In Shopping and Other Spiritual Adventures in America Today by Phyllis Rose, varied sentence length, different point of views, and anaphora are utilized to prove that society is becoming consumed in materialism.

Very few books in the history of economic thought still render an accurate portrayal of society today. Written 115 years ago, Thorstein Veblen’s The Theory of the Social Class (1899) describes a materialistic society obsessed with reputation and social status, echoing a portrayal of the modern capitalistic consumer culture that defines us today. As Roger Mason (1998), professor of consumer theory states: “Consuming for status has, in fact, become a defining element of the new consumer societies” (p.vii). In his treatise, Veblen’s discusses such a society, in order to portray the ‘leisure class’, the 19th century society that characterized the upper class that formed as a consequence of the Second Industrial Revolution. Such a society uses the consumption of goods and leisure as means of climbing up the social ladder.

Marx’s theory of commodity fetishism defines the dangers of a capitalist society that is controlled a by a small group of bourgeoisie owners that seek profit through a narrow selection of products. More so, consumers are often unaware of the dangers of these products and the addictive properties of a commodity that dominate their lives. In this manner, a sociological analysis of Karl Marx’s commodity fetishism has been analyzed within the problematic issues of an American consumer

In the contemporary living of the humankind in the 21st century, the popular culture plays a vital role in our own lives especially in youth. Hence, we future teachers and all adults must be more acquainted and involved in advancing our critical understanding to everything we read, watch and hear in all sorts of media than the youth to guide them properly in attaining more accurate and holistic knowledge inside or outside the classroom. As a student of Developments in education, I realized the advantage of how proper understanding Philippine cultures can contribute to effective teaching, because someday we will be in contact with Filipino children who will grow into adults of tomorrow. It will become essential for us, future teachers to have