Consumerism facts for kids
Consumerism is a way of life where people are encouraged to buy more and more goods and services. Think of it like a big shopping spree that never really ends!
This idea really took off after the Industrial Revolution, especially in the 1900s. Factories started making so many products that there were often more goods than people wanted to buy. To solve this, companies began using clever tricks like planned obsolescence (making things that break or go out of style quickly) and lots of advertising. This encouraged people to keep buying new things.
In 1899, a thinker named Thorstein Veblen wrote a book called The Theory of the Leisure Class. He looked at how people spent their money, especially those with lots of free time. He noticed that people often bought things not just because they needed them, but to show off their wealth and status. This is called "conspicuous consumption".
In simple terms, consumerism can mean two main things:
- It can be about protecting consumers and making sure they get fair deals and good information.
- It can also mean buying a lot of things, sometimes more than you need, which is often seen as a negative thing.
Many people criticize consumerism. They say it pushes us to buy too much, which can harm the environment by using up too many natural resources and creating lots of waste. It can also lead to problems like climate change. Some experts also worry about how consumerism affects society, like making differences between social classes bigger.
Contents
What Does "Consumerism" Mean?
The word consumerism can be a bit confusing because it has a few different meanings.
Supporting Consumers
One meaning of consumerism is about helping people make smart choices when they buy things. It's about making sure consumers have good information, like reports that test products. It also means making sure companies act fairly and that products are safe. This is where consumer protection laws come in. The consumer movement is a social effort to make sure consumers are treated well in the marketplace.
Buying a Lot of Things
Another meaning of consumerism, which became popular in the 1970s, is about buying many products.
- Sometimes, it means collecting things in a selfish or wasteful way, focusing too much on owning stuff. This is also called economic materialism. People who dislike this idea often support anti-consumerism or simple living.
- It can also mean that the marketplace pushes people to buy things, which might make them lose their unique identity or harm society. This idea is sometimes linked to globalization, and some people protest against it in the "anti-globalization movement".
In 1955, John Bugas from Ford Motor Company suggested using "consumerism" instead of "capitalism" to describe the American economy. He thought it would show that the consumer is the "boss" and benefits from the system. This idea is similar to Carl Menger's view that consumer choices control the economy.
However, a writer named Vance Packard worked to change the meaning of "consumerism" to something more negative. His 1960 book, The Waste Makers, used the word to mean excessive buying and waste.
How Consumerism Started
Early Days of Buying
The idea of a "consumer society" began to grow in the late 1600s and really picked up in the 1700s. Some people believe it was driven by a growing middle class who wanted new luxury goods and cared more about fashion. Others argue that it was needed for capitalism to grow, as companies competed for markets and profits.
In places like London in the 17th century, wealthy people and merchants started buying more luxury items. Shopping centers, like the New Exchange, opened in 1609. Shops became places where people met and socialized, just like theaters.
A famous writer named Bernard Mandeville wrote Fable of the Bees in 1714. He argued that a country's wealth came from people buying things and even from their self-interest.
The Rise of Advertising
An important pottery maker named Josiah Wedgwood noticed that rich people's fashions would eventually spread to other parts of society. He was one of the first to use marketing to influence people's tastes. He made his goods popular with the rich, and soon, middle-class people wanted them too.
Other companies followed his lead. Since then, advertising has become very important in creating a consumer society. Ads are everywhere, telling people that they need certain products to make their lives better.
Making Things in Large Numbers
The Industrial Revolution made it possible to produce many more goods. Factories could make products much faster and cheaper than ever before. This meant that for the first time, many products became available to almost everyone in Western countries.
Department stores changed shopping forever. Customers could find a huge variety of goods all in one place, and shopping became a fun activity.
By the early 1900s, most workers still spent a lot of their money on basic needs like food. To really boost consumerism, a system of mass production and consumption was needed. Henry Ford, who made cars, was a great example of this. He used assembly lines, inspired by meat-packing factories, to make cars quickly and cheaply. This made products much more affordable.
Some people even suggested that we should be encouraged to use things up faster. In 1932, Earnest Elmo Calkins said that "consumer engineering must see to it that we use up the kind of goods we now merely use." This shows that consumerism was often planned, not just something that happened.
TV and Buying Habits
When television became popular in the late 1940s, it was a huge opportunity for advertisers. They could show products with lifelike images and sounds right in people's homes. This made people want to buy more things and upgrade what they already had.
In the United States, a new culture grew around buying products, especially cars and other big items, to show off one's social status. TV ads were very good at creating this desire. They made people compare and comment on products, which helped them decide to buy.
Consumerism Today
In the 21st century, businesses know that wealthy customers are the best to target. The tastes of the rich often become the standard for everyone else. People who aren't as wealthy might buy expensive items to feel like they belong or to improve their social status. This gives them the immediate satisfaction of owning something fancy.
People also tend to copy those above them in society. Poor people might try to imitate the wealthy, and the wealthy might copy celebrities. This is why you see celebrities promoting products – people want to buy what their favorite stars use. Even if someone thinks they are unique, they might still buy things to feel connected to a certain group or image.
Today, social media plays a big role in consumerism. People spend a lot of time on their phones, and social media influences their buying habits. Consumers share product information and opinions, and they can easily change their minds about a brand based on what they see online. Social media helps people decide what to buy faster.
Criticisms of Consumerism
Many people criticize consumerism. They say it makes people identify too much with the products they buy, especially famous brands or things that show status, like a luxury car or expensive jewelry. Some critics believe that consumerism mainly exists to help capitalism grow.
Sometimes, people become so attached to a brand that they spend a lot of time and money supporting it. Gary Cross, in his book "All Consuming Century," argues that consumerism succeeded because it seemed to offer freedom and democracy. However, many people disagree with this idea.
Tim Kasser, in his book The High Price of Materialism, explains how focusing on buying things can affect our happiness. He says that people who value money and possessions more than other things tend to be less happy and have lower self-esteem. They might also feel more anxious and insecure. He also points out that materialistic values can harm our relationships and the environment.
Some critics believe that buying lots of unnecessary things can replace healthy human relationships. They see consumerism as a way of controlling society, where people are encouraged to define themselves by what they own.
In 1955, economist Victor Lebow famously said that our economy needs us to make "consumption our way of life." He believed we needed to buy, use up, and replace things faster and faster.
Some thinkers worry about how products define who we are. Media expert Straut Ewen used the term "commodity self" to describe an identity built on the goods we consume. For example, people might say they are a "Mac user" or a "Coke drinker." The idea that choosing a product makes you unique is often used by companies to sell more. This desire to build an identity through products is a big part of consumerist societies.
Impact on the Environment
A major criticism of consumerism is its negative impact on the environment. Societies that buy a lot tend to use more resources and create more pollution, which contributes to global warming.
Pope Francis has also criticized consumerism in his letter Laudato si'. He says that consumerism harms the environment and separates people from their true selves and their connection to nature.
James Gustave Speth argues that the main goal of consumerism is constant growth, which is bad for the environment. He says that our economic system doesn't protect natural resources, and our political system doesn't fix this problem.
Experts like William Rees and Warren Hern say that humans consume much more than the Earth can sustainably provide. They point out that many countries use more resources than they have, relying on other countries' resources. This means we are using up the world's resources too quickly.
Not all critics are against buying things entirely. But they argue against using resources more than the environment can handle. Jonathan Porritt notes that consumers often don't know about the environmental harm caused by making many modern goods. Advertising only encourages more buying.
Consumerism as a Way of Thinking
In today's global world, consumerism has become a big part of our culture. Critics say it's not just about environmental harm, but also about how it spreads through our way of life.
Leslie Sklair talks about the "culture-ideology of consumerism." He explains that after the 1950s, capitalism changed, and new technologies made it easier to produce and distribute goods. The mass media, like TV and later the internet, became very good at spreading new consumerist lifestyles around the world.
Today, people are constantly exposed to consumerism and product placement in media and daily life. The line between information, entertainment, and advertising has become blurry. Shopping centers are designed to encourage buying, making people feel comfortable and eager to spend money. Historian Gary Cross says that the huge variety of goods and entertainment allows almost everyone to find something they like, no matter their background.
The success of consumerism can be seen everywhere. People rush to buy things, often using credit cards, which ties them into the global financial system.
Other Ways to Live
Since consumerism began, many people and groups have looked for different ways to live. These include:
- "simple living" – choosing to live with fewer possessions.
- "eco-conscious shopping" – buying things that are better for the environment.
- "Localvore" or "buying local" – supporting businesses and farms in your own community.
- Freeganism – trying to live off discarded goods to reduce waste.
The field of ecological economics studies how our economy, society, and environment are connected, especially when it comes to consumer-driven buying.
Images for kids
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Bernard Mandeville's work Fable of the Bees, which justified conspicuous consumption
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