Post on 17-Nov-2014
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Consumerism seems to us a wholly natural way of life
But it is not “natural” – it is a relatively recent social invention
Why did it appear?
What does it involve?
How is it changing now and in the future?
“The cultural dominance, in modern capitalist societies, of an orientation to the marketing and consumption of goods
and services”
(Collins Dictionary
of Sociology)
Consumerism IS new
- From about 1750
- In the most advanced capitalist
countries e.g. UK, Holland
Product of the rise of the
capitalist economy
Not just “leisure classes”
– middle classes, then working classes
EVERY individual is / can be a consumer
A “consumer society” - MASS Consumption
High Modernity
Middle classes – from about 1860sIncreasing wealth more money to spend on consumer goods
Working classesIncreasing wealthHigher aspirations-in USA from 1920s-in Western Europe from 1945
What did the development of MASS consumption involve?
1) Further development of the capitalist economy
- Development of production lines
- Mass production of consumer goods
- Mass-produced goods are cheap to make
Can be sold to a broad mass of people
Still make profits for the company
Commercialization of social spheres
Christmas celebrations- “Traditional” Christmas celebrations
invented c. 1860s
- Gift-giving becomes wholly bound up with consumer economy
- Some “traditional” Christmas symbols are invented by advertisers
Christmas “invaded” by consumerism?
Christmas invented by consumerism
3) Developing social importance of money
Georg Simmel (1900)
Money is not just a means of
buying things
It encourages a particular way of
seeing the world
-EVERYTHING has a monetary value
-EVERYTHING can be bought and sold
The appearance of the “sovereign consumer”
A new kind of individualWith a new way of thinking
•Someone who is wholly free to purchase what they please
•They can potentially purchase ANYTHING (as long as they have enough money)
•They gain their main pleasure in life from consuming
Free of all obligations or restrictions - except to keep on consuming constantly
4) Development of consumer credit
- Borrowing money to buy goods NOW
- Paying back LATER
- From 1920s (esp. in USA) financial institutions offer “cheap” loans and credit cards
- Beginning of department store credit facilities
5) Development of consumer places:
Arcades
- From about 1870s
- Passageways with small, exclusive shops
- Covered, lighted, heated, patrolled
The shopping mall –
USA, 1950s onwards
The department store
- From about 1870s
Covered, lighted, heated, patrolled
Goods on display – not hidden away
Spectacular window displays
Elaborate décor Encourage fantasies & aspirations
Particularly aimed at women
- Female is ‘naturally’ a consumer
Late ModernityLater 20th centuryMove away from purely mass production of goods
More sophisticated technology
-Flexible production-Rapid design and manufacturing of new goods
-Specialist goods for niche markets
Multiple types of consumer
Multiple lifestyles
Early modernity: beginnings of consumerism
High Modernity: mass consumption / consumerism
Late Modernity: flexible production; away from mass consumption; multiple consumption-based lifestyles
No consumer good has an intrinsic or ‘natural’ meaning
Meanings attached by advertising agencies
e.g. champagne = a celebration
e.g. cigarettes = ‘cool’
e.g. car = individual freedom
Advertising agencies
Attempting to fix meanings
Attempting to guide
consumer’s thinking
Mostly sub-conscious
Encouraged to keep consuming
Negative views assume:
- Individuals wholly open to manipulation
- Individuals unthinking and uncritical
- Advertising strategies
always work
Critical and reflective consumers
Use consumption for their own purposes
Difficult to control
Since 1970s:
The rise of global brands
Globalization of ‘non-things’
e.g. fast food, cars, watches, credit cards etc.
-Bland & relatively
free of content or meaning
- Easily understood everywhere
can be consumed anywhere
Activities of trans-national corporations (TNCs) e.g. Coca-Cola, Nike, McDonalds, etc.
“Coca-colonization” (Ulf Hannerz)