Essays on Consumer Economy

Introduction

“Into the wild” (1996) by Jon Krakauer and “Lead us into temptation: the triumph of American materialism” (1999) by James B Twitchell are two books with similar themes – the only difference being that one is an antithesis of the other. Before beginning on the journey of the exploring these themes and understanding what each of the author sought to achieve in writing the respective books, let us take a brief look into the story of each of these aforementioned books.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

“Into the Wild”, though seemingly a fiction, is essentially a non-fiction book, which was written as an extension of

Continue reading...

A consumerist culture can be defined as one where the society is defined by consumerism. In economic terms a consumerist culture is one in which there are policies that place much emphasis on goods and the buying and selling of it. There are also people who claim that a consumerist culture is all about free choices where the consumers and producers can determine the economic course of a country. Consumerism, Consumerist culture and consumer society are all topics that have been under much scrutiny these days and about which there are heated debates around the world. Opponents of a

Continue reading...

Introduction

In a formal definition, political consumerism can be said to be the choice of products and producers with the goal of changing politically or ethically objectionable market or institutional practices. These choices are informed by the attitudes as well as values regarding issues of fairness, justice, political or ethical assessment of favorable as well as unfavorable business and government practice, and non-economic issues that concern personal as well as family well being. Political consumerism is concerned with capturing various creative ways in which the citizens, political activists and consumers in general use the marketplace as an arena of consumer

Continue reading...

Mid Term Integration Paper
Mid Term Integration Paper

Question 1

The book of Robbins (2011) explored the most successful culture – capitalism. The author presented historical, anthropological, and economic framework of capitalism origins thus explaining problems caused by globalization. Robbins (2011) succeeded to attract attention to global problems caused by expansion of capitalism and explained why capitalism generated resistance.
Robbins (2011) stated that embryo of capitalism as a distinctive culture emerged five to six centuries ago in Western Europe. Core concepts of capitalism culture are rooted in the statement that commodity consumption is the source of well-being. Further, this idea was developed

Continue reading...

Consumerism is the bane of the modern society. We buy faster cars, bigger televisions, and sleeker phones and aspire for even more technological new editions. It seems like a constant chase proving ourselves smarter by these kinds of shopping sprees. In our day to day lives there is disconnect between what we need and what we crave. We are driven by brand names – Audi or Mercedes car, Iphone for cell phone, Nike or Adidas for shoes etc. In social circles there are discussions on the brands we use. Adults and children alike are influenced by advertisements which portray life

Continue reading...

It is no secret that America is the most wasteful nation in the world, according to EPA an American discards approximately 7 pounds of trash a day which translates to 236 million tons of garbage a year, this is a shocking statistic. The throw away culture is characterized by; overconsumption, excessive wastage, no recycling and of course huge mountains of garbage. Just what is the cause and evidence of this culture of waste? Many commentators point to manufacturers who use the ‘planned obsolescence’ strategy, the ever growing culture of consumerism and the obsession with convenience which have led to

Continue reading...

Introduction

Art and design discipline is struggling to bring together the role of design as a catalyst in a consumer driven economy and its position in planning and implementing lifestyle-sustaining businesses. Designers have a potential to produce products and offer services for social good. However, a gap exists between this potential and callous consumerism. , asserts that consumerist communities devote nearly all of their time, energy, and resources to ‘consuming’, which according to the business men and women is seen as something good.
(Cross 2001, pp. 49-55) defined cconsumerism as a personal belief that one’s wellbeing and pleasure depends significantly

Continue reading...

Affiliated School;

Food and consumption and what I'm particularly interested in is how our thinking of and about consumption is affected by, and affects economics.
Consumption forms the foundation of economics because it leads to demand of goods and services. Production of goods is based on the taste and preference of the consumer; giving the client what he wishes to have the most. Consumers are known to be subjective when it comes to what they consume (Lusk, 2011). In this case change in consumption patterns should lead to change in the goods and services produced. Firms should be flexible enough to

Continue reading...

Consumerism is the bane of the modern society. We buy faster cars, bigger televisions, and sleeker phones and aspire for even more technological new editions. It seems like a constant chase proving ourselves smarter by these kinds of shopping sprees. In our day to day lives there is disconnect between what we need and what we crave. We are driven by brand names – Audi or Mercedes car, Iphone for cell phone, Nike or Adidas for shoes etc. In social circles there are discussions on the brands we use. Adults and children alike are influenced by advertisements which portray life

Continue reading...

According to Guy Debord, a spectacle is the main representation of our social life. It constitutes advertising, entertainment, etc. present in mass media, for the purposes of watching and listening to it. Because it is just a representation, meaning that the spectacle repeats itself many times and people get as much exposure to it as possible, the spectacle unavoidably becomes the reality. However, the spectacle naturally consists of many separate images that, in fact, are a worldview. Step by step, the worldview becomes, first, materialized and later - objective.
I chose an excerpt from Society of the Spectacle due

Continue reading...

Affiliated Institution

Abstract
This study defines consumerism and the reasons for its growing trend globally. The objectives of the research are to establish the implications of growing consumerism on the economy and global business trends. This research focuses on the reasons why the poor are not necessarily the problem facing the economy, but rather the increasing consumption by the wealthy. They are encouraged by the government to want more and thus putting the environment at risk. The study then focuses on the issues arising due to this increased consumerism. Techniques used to gather information involve secondary sources involving interviews with various

Continue reading...

Like the old adage says, money does not buy happiness, nor does materialism or consumerism. Consumerism/materialism is not only a personal problem, but an environmental one. In our contemporary society, we have countless shopping malls/centers where individuals use extra time spending their cash than ever before, explaining why the number of Americans filing for bankruptcy is ever increasing. The co-authors of Affluenza: The All Consuming Epidemic discuss in detail the concept of consumerism or materialism, taking an opposing stance on the subject of consumerism. This book is split into 30 chapters, categorized into 3 sections, placing consumerism in the

Continue reading...

Introduction

First of all, your thesis statement is specific since it precisely indicates what the plan is about. It is direct to the point and this is fundamental because it gives you an opportunity to successfully verify your argument. Additionally, it is argumentative in nature. On the introduction part, I think you could have introduced the book, its authors and generally summarize what it discusses into details Moreover; you could have summarized about the concept of materialism/consumerism as it is discussed in the book.
I like the way you have presented the first effect of materialism. Your introduction of this

Continue reading...

Introduction

Following the standard medical practice where the symptoms are tested, the diagnosis is in essence made, and then the physician tries to get information concerning causes of a certain malady. Part 2 of Affluenza: The- All Consuming Epidemic explores the root causes of Affluenza. This part contains six chapters, but the last chapter that is; chapter 20 does not discuss these causes but starts to talk about the treatments. Deepening their diagnosis, authors in these six chapters explore the roots of Affluenza.
For that reason, this paper focuses on chapters 15-23 where it discusses various historical causes of Affluenza

Continue reading...

Consumerism has been one of the fastest growing cultures in America. Many Americans have found them purchasing for goods and services that are not necessary and which they can live without. Despite the knowledge of the idea that people do not need these goods and items, many Americans have found it difficult to separate themselves from the culture of consumerism. Many people for example continue to purchasing clothing yet their closets are full of clothes that still have price tags on them. This paper seeks to look at American values and behaviors using consumerism as the key focus.
First

Continue reading...

Effects of Consumerism

Consumerism in Healthcare
Reform critics referred to consumerism as a disruptive force to effective and efficient healthcare delivery. Several issues are still left unaddressed in the healthcare sector such as full optimization of healthcare delivery, payment mechanisms, consumers acting as the reformers, and supply versus the shift in demand. These issues are driven by forces such as pervasiveness of technology, rise of transparency, globalization, and medical tourism, social media and inconvenient care models that in effect insinuate consumerism in the healthcare sector.

Care Received

Consumerism affects the quality of care received in terms of limiting the options available for the patients.

Continue reading...

Consumerism in the western economies is a common phenomenon, but even developing economies are resorting to it. Consumerism is the consumption of goods and services at a higher rate. In healthcare, consumerism is neither a program nor a product, it is an introduction to new care delivery methods, which promote and facilitate bigger patient responsibility through the intelligent use of information technology (Magee, 2009). Experts have noticed that, due to reduced reimbursement on medical care, physicians allocate little time to each patient in order to maximize the number of patients they can attend to in a day. Patients have

Continue reading...

Today, take time to think. What is it that you most want to have in this world, at this very moment? The movie The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard and Amitai Etzioni’s literary work Spent published on The New Republic talk about the very things that would first pop into our heads when asked this question – things. Both narratives depict very similar themes mainly expressing society’s attitudes towards material goods. It is strange to think that out of the many possible aspects of our lives, material possession would define and center most of it
In her

Continue reading...

This essay will consider the way in which American consumerism defines us as an individual and a society. As such, the paper will using the key readings from the specified text address the issues of how and why we use the purchase of goods and services to help define ourselves as individuals.

The general thesis statement to be examined in this paper is the contention that the acquisition and consumption of goods and services is used by the American public not only to fulfil basic physiological needs to also to help define a person either as an individual or

Continue reading...

Williams’ article, “Buying into the Green Movement,” discusses the alleged belief that purchasing environmentally green products will save the planet from disaster. While his argument is valid, his generalisation about the thoughts of the general public seem unreliable.

Williams’ main argument is that members of the public are, quite literally, buying into the idea of green consumerism. He points out that many people believe that they can combat the world’s environmental problems simply by purchasing green products instead of their usual ones. He goes on to explain that such purchases will make little or no difference to the

Continue reading...

In James Twitchell's essay "Two Cheers for Materialism," he explores the diverse and often troubling relationship between success and materialism. In today's society, he argues, personal and emotional satisfaction, as well as societal satisfaction, comes from the accumulation of wealth and material goods. While many people seem to criticize this perspective as shallow and absent of emotional and character growth, Twitchell has a defense for materialism as an important and positive aspect of American culture. Consumerism and materialism are comforting and freeing for Americans, says Twitchell, as it offers us the direct incentive to make our own way in

Continue reading...

There is often a trade-off for our society between consumption and the environment. The faster the economy grows the more resources it needs for further development and hence the more stress it puts on the environment. Consumerism in the contemporary society is often blamed for continuous pressure to produce and for the wasteful use of resources for manufacturing unnecessary material goods. However, there are always numerous sides of the issue to consider and it is impossible to find a unique solution to the dilemma between consumption and environment.

The article “The Consumer Culture. Are Americans becoming materialistic?” gives a

Continue reading...

In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, a dystopian future is described that is meant to directly comment on our own consumerist culture. The World State keeps the citizens of the world under control by enforcing social classes and brainwashing them to value consumption above all else. In today's society, our need for material goods, and our deeply held beliefs about the 'haves' and 'have-nots' match Huxley's world, but our world allows resistance to those ideas.

The World State is dependent heavily upon a world in which consumerism is king - products are revered, and Henry Ford's principle of the

Continue reading...

ON ADULTS AND CHILDREN IN THE US

The Effects of Materialism & Consumerism on Adults & Children in the US

It is a common instance each year that different brand labels launch a brand new or updated product just in time for a special occasion. Whether it may be in time for the change of seasons or just for the holidays, there is something new. In some countries, particularly developed countries, can follow the trend and buy whenever there is a release. For other countries, they would only buy something new once they have the money to buy them. Why are companies bent on releasing new items almost

Continue reading...

Primary source document: http://goo.gl/836rZ

In the history of the USA, during the 1920’s the relationship between the people and the material goods, also called consumer culture underwent developmental changes that modified the economy. This is a period when there emerged a consumer culture. Having followed a period of major economic changes, in and towards the end of the late 19th century, the period of 1920’s had no new developments or inventions that had not been made in the previous economic era. Thus, the emergence of a consumer culture in these years is

Continue reading...