Negative Effects Of Consumerism

In this essay I will be outlining consumerism and claims that a consumer society is always a throw-away society. Consumption plays a big part in our lives and causes us to live in divided societies. It may make us feel like we fit in buying new gadgets and clothes and also give us that sense of belonging but we don’t take into account what happens to the old items and packaging. People do not want to look at the problems caused. I will use this essay with the evidence I have read

As the consumption level and living quality keep increasing, most of us no longer need to worry about not having enough to eat and wear, so we start to consume in growing numbers. Therefore, a lot of us became so-called consumerists. After reading the book written by Annie Leonard, I got a clearer idea on the consumerist worldview, and I thought about how am I fitting in this consumer society as well.

As we are constantly exposed to mass media and popular culture in our modern society, the insidious nature of consumerism has allowed it to penetrate into every aspect of our lives, dictating our very beliefs, values and wants. Nearly every individual in our society subconsciously conforms to the shallow and superficial mindset that characterises our consumerist culture. This idea is highlighted by the following texts; the poem “Enter without so much as knocking” by Bruce Dawe, an extract from the sermon “The Religion of Consumerism” delivered by Peter House, the poem “Breakthrough” by Bruce Dawe, and the

Consumerism has been defined idea of expressing oneself through the purchase of certain products. In other words, consumerism is the tendency to associate oneself to type of goods we purchase. It is believed that the ability to consume or rather purchase goods and services offer freedom and modes of self-expression. Consumerism is conspicuous in the USA. Americans often purchase certain goods to build their identities. They have certain preferences towards certain materials. For example, they have several options concerning the car to buy, the clothes to buy and the type of smartphone to buy. However, the only area where Americans do not have much choice is fuel.

After the mid 1960’s up until now, the use of consumerism has risen tremendously. There are two labels: You are either the consumer or the promoter. As the consumer, you purchase goods and services for personal benefit. Usually, whenever a new product and or service is brought to attention, time is spent saving and scraping up all the money to obtain it, but for what reason? Is it bad that the American people spend majority of their lives slaves to the propaganda and encaptured by the ads and new products just for social recognition?

Over the course of the semester, we discussed consumption and the ways in which it affects the behavior of people throughout history. Based off our readings and discussions, I have come to the conclusion that ethical consumption is not possible in today's popular culture because the media has corrupted the industry and turned it into a materialistic consumer culture.The globalized nature of production and consumption, has led to a consumer culture characterized by a need to emulate the consumption habits of those thought to be superior. It has made people obsess over material things and turned their lives in a never ending cycle of wanting more.

In this American society, Americans have grown a fascination with possessions and have become the biggest spenders. They continuously spend more than they earn; we always find an excuse to spend money. Regardless, of our financial means allow us to to purchase a product. . Unfortunately, the American society has become completely monopolized by consumerism and an obsession with shopping. We always find ourselves buying more each day and completely disregard the usefulness or necessity of the product. Consumerism has become part of the American culture and the new American dream. With people constantly judging our daily activities on social media, we have come to believe materialism is

“We no longer live life. We consume it.” (Vicki Robin) All of us live in a consumer based era, where it’s out with the old and in with the new. “Consumerism is an economic theory which states that a progressively greater level of consumption is beneficial to the consumers.” ( Since the 1800s and the Industrial Revolution the world has been consuming at higher rates than ever. The Revolution allowed products to be available in enormous quantities in faster production rates. At a glance, consumerism may seem like a way of life, but many of us are unaware of the underlying consequences that it poses in our culture. Pollution, food shortages, and

For my reflective project I have decided to follow-on to an ethical issue that I believe has effects to the society we live in, locally and globally. My question discusses consumerism and how it affects Britain in aspects such as environment, education, economy and health. The reason for my choice of this question was because I am interested in it; this is because it is the main effect of disturbances in the environment and it affects everyone in the world whether rich or poor.

Consumerism is seen as caustic in the eyes of many. The common trend seen among copious economists is that consumerism is evil and is corrupting the people partaking. The claim that consumerism is causing a global wide drop in happiness is ludicrous. In Rockwell’s essay “In Defense of Consumerism” he claims without consumerism there is no production, and without production there are no jobs, which ultimately leads to poverty and unhappiness. Over a couple centuries life expectancy has increased by almost 30 years due to advances of medicine and the availability of modern conveniences (Rockwell 640). This is all due to the increase consumption of superfluous items. Consumerism benefits society by stimulating the economy, providing necessities, and increasing life expectancy.

Consumerism encourages extensive production of goods that are not necessary, and are not being refurbished, repaired, or even recycled. As a matter of fact, consumption is an engine of the economy. Usually, in a free

Humans love to buy things, myself included. We love to buy things so much that it has almost become something that we do subconsciously. When we see something that looks appealing we have to have it. Despite whether or not it’s really necessary to our day to day life does not matter to the average first world citizen. The word “consumer” is defined as a person who purchases goods and services for personal use. Much of what we consume ultimately ends up in a landfill, storage or at the bottom of our closet. This has become such a major issue because we are being so wasteful and careless. Our necessity for “things” has become so extreme and it is almost a competition between people. Everyone wants the latest phone or style of shoe, it has almost become as if we can no longer survive without it, or at least cannot function properly without it.

For the sake of this essay we will use a more anthropological definition which is: the meaningful use people make of the stuff that are associated with them, but there is a difference between consumption and consumerism. Consumption is the act of consuming something whereas consumerism is the materialistic attachment to possession. Consumerism is seen as a religion, a way of life. Consumerism is seen as the manifestation of the apparently very much present act of consumption (Miles, 1998, p. 3). Is it not then that consumption is not the problem but the manifestation which is consumerism is? Consumerism is now seen as an act nothing short of being a religion. It is apparent in our everyday lives and it structures our everyday experiences. Everyday life in the developed world appears to be dominated by the relationship we have with consumer goods (Miles, 1998, p.

Consumption, we describe as the act of meeting basic needs with material goods and the practice of consuming as a way of life is ‘consumerism’ ( Kennedy 173). The ideology that the meaning of life is found in buying things has really caused majority to spend almost their monthly salary on goods and services in search of utility. This excessive recreational spending also plays a part in increase of inflation, also has made more money in circulation.

To better understand the term “consumerism” we must first understand what it means and who it affects. To consume signifies using something to satisfy one’s own needs and desires. To be a consumer means purchasing goods and services for personal use. As stated by Bauman, “consumed things cease to exist, literally or spiritually.” They tend to be used in a physical way (by eating them or or wearing them) or in a spiritual way (when something loses its personal value). Buying and owning things has became a huge necessity for people. With the development of technology, the way we share information was