Introduction
A consumerism culture is one where the economical environment is defined by the patterns of purchases and spending culture of the consumers. In America, it began after the Second World War, and reached its highest levels in the early 2000s (Ali, 2009). This culture encourages the acquisition of commodities as a means to achieving happiness instead of the ideals of family religion or art. Proponents of a consumer culture argue that when people are able to meet their needs and wants, they are more productive; this helps to drive the American economy and that of other nations. Opponents of consumerism argue that this culture encourages greed and wastefulness. Both groups agree that consumerism is a symbol of economic freedom (Ali, 2009). The most obvious form of consumerism culture globally today is the USA; in ancient times, ancient Rome and ancient Egypt were also categorized as consumerist cultures.
Consumerism Culture in America
According to Weeks, (2006), Americans now carry and own much more ‘stuff’ than ever in American history. In fact, Weeks observes that even the bags are bigger and people on the streets are overburdened carrying a variety of things which are designed to increase autonomy. Consumerism culture has been encouraged by the rising influence of mass media, corporate politics, and cultural commercialization. Consumerism propagates the myth that gratification can be derived from buying goods; and becomes a marker of self worth.
Certain studies have shown that the average American lifestyle results in the extraction of approximately 88 kilograms of waste daily (Ali, 2009). This is because the culture of consumerism advocates for patterns of high consumption which results in large amounts of waste. This can be attributed to the fact that we have linked our sense of achievement to the ownership of status symbols like big cars, big houses, mobile phones, and others. Consumerism has been linked to materialism because materialism encourages values physical objects instead of spiritual values. This culture is also a function of capitalism, which is a system that advocates private production of goods which are sold to consumers at a profit.
One major problem represented by the consumerism culture is that due to the high rates of consumption, there is a lot of waste being discarded by the public. In his essay, Eighner, (1993), depicts this situation clearly as he terms himself a ‘scavenger’. He describes graphically how he was able to survive on dumpsters not only for his food, but also for other items like clothes, and even electronics like calculators and others. He describes the items he finds and in fact claims that a large number of ‘wastes’ are actually in fairly good condition and in some cases, excellent condition (Eighner, 1993). Through the scavenging experience, the author reports having learnt vital lessons (Eighner, 1993). One is that many things are of no value to their owners and only act as a ‘white elephants’; and the second lesson was that mental things held much more value than material goods.
Consumerism has been propagated by the egocentric Western culture which turned America into easy prey for the entrenchment of consumerism into the American culture. Capitalism can also be cited as a contributory factor; manufacturers engage in aggressive and often deceptive advertising to entice the public into purchasing more goods (Ali, 2009). The traditional values which represented the individual ideal have been replaced by economic worth; an individual’s sense of importance and self actualization is determined in financial terms (Ali, 2009).
Consumerism has also contributed greatly to social stratification, status inequalities and ethnic segmentation in the society (Ali, 2009). These issues are brought about because society defines success in terms of economic worth, furthering inequalities since minorities face difficult economic and social challenges. As a result of this stratification, ‘creative consumption’ has developed as an adaptation by minorities who have less financial muscle find ways to change or modernize their consumption patterns. This culture has therefore contributed greatly to the increase in crime rates in the country as the competition for prestige and self worth is fierce and uncompromising (Ali, 2009).
Media advertising has also propagated this image of the self-fulfilled American defined of course by economic worth. As a result, the average American is insecure, with a distorted sense of self worth and self awareness. Consumer ideals are celebrated; for example who we are is defined by the clothes that we wear. Mass media has therefore actively pursued well calculated advertising aimed at selling their goods.
The Solution: Sustainable Spending
To be able to combat the problem posed by a consumerism culture a social change is required. There is a need to shift from the mindset where things are valued and move towards practicing sustainable living. This means that Americans should be encouraged to adopt a culture which celebrates restoration. This means that encouraging acquisition of goods which are actually necessary and the need to be more resistant towards colorful and manipulative advertising. Various institutions may be used advance sustainability, these include: the media; government; education; business; and social movements (Ali, 2009).
Consumerism culture represents the maximization of profits; this should be shifted to focus on promoting the good of the society. The media can be used to reintroduce rapidly fading values into the society either through movies and programs which depict consumerism as an evil or through the celebration of traditional and solid values. The media has the potential to cause a shift in the popular culture of consumerism and advance that of sustainability.
Social movements can also act as agents of change and bring about a revolution in societal attitudes. Social movements usually advocate for specific causes, and they can take up the cause of combating the ill effects of consumerism. Social movements act by creating emotional connections on issues with the public and therefore this makes it a useful mode of creating shifts in societal attitudes. This emotional connection can be termed as a ‘tipping point’; this works by stirring up passions among a tiny majority, and these people work by stirring up similar passions among the rest of the populace (Ali, 2009).
Conclusion
The consumerism culture has become deeply ingrained in the societal and economic culture of the American society. This has given rise to high rates of goods consumption by consumers and also the propagation of social stratification. To combat this culture, there is need for a change in the societal attitude towards adoption of sustainability as a culture. It also requires a reduction of the culture of ‘for profit’ in every aspect of existence. This can be achieved using various institutions like the media, government, the business society, and social movements.
References
Ali, A., (2009). Facing Elusive Global Economic Challenges. Competition Forum, 7(1), 1-5
Eighner L. (1993). On Dumpster Diving. Available at http://producer.csi.edu/cdraney/archive-courses/fall07/engl102/e-texts/eighner-dumpster.htm
Weeks L. (2006). Burdens of the Modern Beast. Available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2006/02/07/AR2006020702030.html
