The Impact Of Consumerism On Our Society Today

Since the onset of consumerism, the major growth of consumption has caused society to improve their daily life. With new innovations such as washing machines, dishwashers, automobiles, and cell phones society is able to eliminate hard work and progress forward. The inventions and innovations created have enhanced the quality of many lives. The everyday labor around the house is reduced, we can talk to anyone from around the world at any time, and look up any kind of information without having to read a book. However many of these time saving and efficient innovations are purchased by people who have no need for these devices and purchased them un- necessarily as luxury items. There have been many essays written about the positive and negative

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley depicts a future world that has mechanized and removed all sense of life to being human. In this world, people work for the common good of the community and are conditioned to dislike what, today, we would consider common and healthy relationships with people and environments. The story follows a man, John, not born into the culture and his struggle with the unfamiliarity with the “Brave New World”. Published in 1932, Brave New World often leaves roots back to the world Aldous was in when he was writing the novel. I believe the genius of Huxley’s writing was his ability to effectively select the traits of 1930’s society that would later become a staple for Americanism in the coming century and, in time, allowing for a relatable story to the modern day while giving us warning to the future.

Brave New World covers a range of themes and issues that have been pertinent to moral society since it was first published in 1932. From genetic engineering to class struggles, Brave New World examines a future where embryos are chemically treated to ensure they fit a certain class, and then babies and children are hypnotized into believing governmental doctrines as pure truth. The use of Soma, a narcotic used as an instant anti-depressant, casts a worrying shadow on the chemical treatment of clinical depression to an extent, and ethical grey areas such as IVF are easily comparable to the key themes of the book. The enforced consumer society in Brave New World is strikingly familiar. Huxley may have written it in as a satire of the society

The citizens of the United States of America are known for their strong sense of freedom. Take that freedom away, and there would be a prodigious riot that traverses across the country. However, the same freedom that Americans thrive on, are slowly poisoning the minds of the masses. Consumerism is the name; the plan is to slowly take over the population, and it has. Consumerism is both beneficial and detrimental to society, and freedom would not exist without the need people have to buy new and innovative items.

There is a very big epidemic of consumerism within the United Sates and it is a result of the contribution of many factors within our society. It is evident that this is not necessary when one views other communities throughout the world but America has yet to make the changes it needs to solve this problem. A big problem with retailers and producers of products is their use of sweatshops, which are located in and out of the U.S. Sweatshops are a huge problem because they are known for having very low safety standards for their employees and mistreat their employees consistently. The reason they are used is because they can give the company better profits off of their goods.

Thesis-Huxley is prescient in his novel a Brave New World through his attention to consumerism, the use of drugs to control emotions and his concept of free sex.

Perhaps one of the most controversial, creative and courageous times in American history; the decade after the first world war would take America as a nation to the front of the world stage. It is best summed up in a reflective editorial from the small newspaper, The Atlanta Constitution, “The people of every age think theirs is the “golden age” of the world—and they think aright. The age we live in is the alivest and best that mankind has ever known” (Howell 8). And although there were aspects of the 1920s that seem to support the argument that the decade was reactionary, when seen alongside the loud, roaring culture and society, these events simply fade into background noise.

‘Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley is a science-fiction book in which people live in a future society and a place called the World State. In this book, Aldous Huxley used the definition of consumerism to describe the behaviors of the citizens of the World State. Various behaviors and conducts of the people of the World State were related to the act of consumerism and pursuing happiness from them. Generally, by consuming anything such as soma, people and knowledge, citizens of the World State sought for happiness. However, those practices of consumerism also blinded the truth among the citizens of the World State.

Some people argue that it is acceptable for people in the United States to consume at high levels because their consumerism keeps the world economy going. What are the weaknesses in this idea? Although America’s consumerism may seem to help the economy of less fortunate countries, this rampant depletion has become financially and ecologically unsustainable. Globally, 86% of consumption expenditures comes from the 20% of the world’s people in first world countries, while the poorest 20% account for only a meager 14%. It seems that consumption has become a function of our culture. Only by generating and selling goods does capitalism currently work; and the more produced and purchased the more we have progress and prosperity.

Contrary to Coca-Cola executives’ beliefs, the “Pepsi Challenge” didn’t necessarily prove that people preferred Pepsi to Coke; it just suggested that, when blindfolded, people preferred a small amount of Pepsi to the same amount of Coke. Louis Cheskin’s success as an advertiser is notable because it proves that people don’t always know what they want; they have to be told. In the case of margarine, for instance, people weren’t consciously aware that they would respond to margarine wrapped in attractive gold foil—it wasn’t until Cheskin released margarine of this kind that people “discovered” their attraction to such a product. It’s also important to notice that Cheskin didn’t change the taste of margarine; rather, he only altered the product’s presentation. Good packaging can be very important because it catches customers’ eyes and convinces them that the product itself is good, too.

There are many different types of worldviews that that are held among the countless people of this world. Consumerism is one that is very prominent in this day in time. “Consumerism absolutizes consumption by believing that we can find fulfillment by accumulating wealth and everything that comes with it.” (Wilkins &Sanford, 2009). There are many different elements of consumerism I will discuss, along with how this worldview of consumerism compares with the Christian worldview, and lastly, I will express how knowing what the Bible says about consumerism affects my life personally.

Consumerism is the center of American culture. Americans tend to confuse their wants with their needs. With new advances in technology, as well as the help of advertisers, people are provided with easy access to new products that seem essential to their everyday life, even though they have survived this long without them. People cannot live without food, clothing, and shelter. But realistically, according to people's different lifestyles, more than food, clothing, and shelter are needed. Most people need to work to survive. Unless a job is either in their own home, or within walking distance, a means of transportation is needed. Whether it be a vehicle, money for a taxi-cab, or a token for a ride on the subway, money must be spent

Consumerism is a phenomenon that has been dominant in all societies for an extremely long time. It causes people to excessively purchase goods and consume things excessive to their actual needs. “A consumer is a person or thing that consumes” (Dictionary.com). Consumerism can be defined as a belief that an expanding consumption of goods is an advantage to the county’s economy. Today people are practically brainwashed to buy more than what they need in order to keep the economy afloat. No one thinks twice about why they are buying things or maybe even what they need. Consumerism has a big impact on our country, good or bad.

Consumerism is damaging to our society, in our North American society consumerism is often portrayed to be a negative aspect of people’s lives. However, one can also argue positive effects that result from consumerism, or emphasize on the negative effects of consumerism and how it can be a constraining force in one’s own life. Consumerism is an idea of an economic policy that the market is shaped by the choice of the consumer and continues to emerge to shape the world’s mass markets. Some of the negative effects of consumerism that many critics may argue and that will be further emphasized on are the overexploitation of consumerism which has lead to economic poverty, and increase

Consumerism is a description of society’s lifestyle in which many people embrace to achieve their goals by acquiring goods that they clearly do not need (Stearns, 7). The idea that the market is shaped by the choice of the consumers’ needs and wants can be defined as a consumer sovereignty (Goodwin, Nelson, Ackerman, Weisskopf, 2). This belief is based on the assumption that the consumer knows what it wants. Contrary to this logic, marketers convince us that the consumer does not know what they want. The consumer has to be told what they want or be persuaded by advertising items in a matter that demonstrates the reason a product makes their life easier or will improve their life instantly. As one of the most successful entrepreneurs,