Consumerism

Consumerism is a multifaceted concept that has been used to denote various phenomena related to market economies, advertising, and mass media. Its meaning has evolved significantly over time, reflecting changing societal attitudes towards consumption.

In the early 70s, the term was coined as a set of collective efforts to support the consumer's interests. In that sense:

Consumerism was the concept that the marketplace itself is responsible for ensuring social justice through fair economic practices. Consumer protection policies and laws compel manufacturers to make products safe.

In contrast though, social critics such as Vance Packard, have presented "consumerism" as not a positive term about consumer practices but rather a negative term, meaning excessive materialism and wastefulness. On the same note, Andreas B. Eisingerich - the Professor of Marketing at Imperial College Business School - discusses that in many critical contexts, consumerism is used to describe the tendency of people to identify strongly with products or services they consume, especially those with commercial brand-names and perceived status-symbolism appeal, e.g. a luxury car, designer clothing, or expensive jewelry.

A major criticism of consumerism is that it serves the interests of capitalism, driving excessive production, often leading to wasteful usage of resources, escalating environmental deterioration, and contributing to income inequality.

Critics claim that consumerism results in social hierarchies being determined by ownership of luxury goods and nonessential consumer products used as symbolic markers for social stratification purposes. Moreover, they assert that strong connections formed with particular brands replace genuine interpersonal interactions, ultimately fostering a pervasive cultural homogenization effect detrimental to independent thought expression within contemporary society.

Modern consumerist societies tend to harm the environment and speed up global warming because they consume resources faster compared to non-consumerist societies. They often engage in unfair labor practices too. This happens when companies exploit workers from less developed countries to keep up with the high product demands. These patterns threaten our planet and promote inequality. To build healthier consumption behaviors and establish fairer worldwide economics, we must address these concerns. It is essential to understand how focusing solely on acquiring possessions may jeopardize future generations and maintain unethical work environments beyond our borders.

Not all anti-consumerists oppose consumption in itself, as in such context it's seen as the act of using resources to satisfy current needs and wants; but they argue against increasing the consumption of resources beyond what is environmentally sustainable. Consumers are often unaware of the negative environmental impacts of producing many modern goods and services, and that the extensive advertising industry only serves to reinforce increasing consumption.

A modern example of consumerism is Fast Fashion:

low-priced but stylish clothing that moves quickly from design to retail stores to meet and capitalize on trends. Although the monetary cost is low, textile workers and the environment are paying a high price. Fast fashion is cheap because workers are not paid adequately.

In recent years, thrift culture rose as a counteraction to fast fashion, presenting a more eco-friendly and cheaper alternative to fast fashion brands.

And as capitalism often behaves, a glut of fast fashion has made its way into thrift stores, making it hard for people who have been purchasing secondhand for decades to find quality garments they can wear, and in turn demolishing the whole idea of thrifting, as fast fashion brands started designing garments that mimic second-hand aesthetic.

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