Why waste money and material when people owning things they actually only need to use once or twice? The idea of ownership is shifting and becomes the idea of access or subscription instead of a one-time purchase. The innovation of technology made these ideas easy and fast by connecting consumers and created rating systems with the help of social networks and mobile technologies. Corporate America that contributed to over-consumption has raised global environmental and financial concerns. On the other hand, the rising trend of collaborative consumerism encourages eco-conscious ways to de-clutter over-consumption; it may have a negative impact on traditional corporate consumerism, but encourages ecofriendly entrepreneurships; it also improves human relationship by finding the power of community and connecting with each other; it is an optional lifestyle for individuals, and a major challenge for businesses and societies.
Corporate marketing controls and manipulates consumers’ appetites by using different advertising tactics. “Consumers are being scammed… Stores like Old navy and Ikea are duping millions, inspiring mass conformity while pretending to deliver high culture to the masses.” (Cave, p. 269) Customers that are attracted by big sale or discount signs in front of the store or TV media may end up buying too many unnecessary goods. Besides, online marketing is using technologies such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Data Mining systems to target consumers as “purchase funnels”, and the use of “shopping cookies” that pop up ads everywhere when people surf internet may be very annoying. Therefore, “as ads become more persistent and more customized, consumers are going to demand one place to opt out of everything.”...
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...choose a more communal living and a better relationship with their local and online communities, and it is necessary to influence Americans to make better decisions and lead the world to a better future.
Works Cited
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This past month I made my last visit to the popular teenage/college student retail store Abercrombie and Fitch. Finishing up some back to school shopping, I was on a quest for jeans, and I knew the place to get them. My last two favorite pairs were from Abercrombie and Fitch, and I was planning on buying the same kind once again. Happy and relieved that I would not spend the afternoon ransacking the mall for one pair of jeans, I entered the store to the pulsating beat of techno dance music. In front of me was the teenage Mecca of what is truly hip -- the first thing I noticed were the life-size pictured that covered the walls -- half-clad muscular and glistening young men, frolicking around with pouty faced but beautiful young women who were wearing either size 2 short shorts with bikini tops or 3 layered sweaters. The tables were covered with overpriced shorts, shirts, and sweaters, strewn about by desperate customers searching for the perfect outfit. The sales people who roamed the floors were definitions of cool themselves -- ranging from age 16-22, they modeled their employee discounts in a haughty way which encouraged the customers to strive for their ultra-hip look. And strive the customers did. What was the most noticeable upon entering the store (besides the blaringly loud music which made me wonder if I was at a clothing store or a dance club) were the herds of desperate young men and women, who seemed to range from age 12-25, strutting around the store and searching for anything that had the name A&F on it. I can only imaging how many nights of baby-sitting it would take some of these eager teenagers to buy one sweater. The young custome...
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Zombie literature in its current form has been around since the early 1920’s, the concept of the “Zombie” itself originated in the nation of Haiti around the same time. Since it’s inception, the purpose of the zombie genre is to commentate on social issues during many periods of human history. These periods include World War II, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War. The zombie has represented several things from the nuclear bomb, to the collective fears of humanity in general, such as the fear of death and of dying. Zombies have also been represented as a physical manifestation of the flaws of humanity, such as mindless, joyless consumerism. (McGregor)
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." Images of Woman in American Popular Culture. Ed. Angela G. Dorenkamp, et al. Port Worth: Harcourt Brace, 1995. 78-89.
In “The man behind Abercrombie and Fitch.” An interview conducted by Benoit Denizet-Lewis displays a glimpse into the life of Mike Jeffries and his views of his company only hiring “good-looking” people and targeting “good-looking” people to wear his clothes. This has been done in order to force his audience to recognize that the issue of acceptance one’s peers and exclusion of a community mentioned by Mike Jeffries, is a result of cultural perceptions and individual self-image. Denizet-Lewis skillfully shows that while Jeffries remarks of not wanting the “not-so-popular” kids to shop in his stores, it poses a question to consumers asking what change in our attitudes will come or if there will be any change at all. Thus comes the issue of how consumers today have a shift in the reasoning behind why one buys clothing and the motivating factors that influence one to buy certain clothing. Denizet-Lewis also demonstrates the different messages that controversial advertisements and statements affect different groups of people and how what they project is really what people desire, though deemed by many people as unacceptable or inappropriate. The author also examines how in the news media, the image has become more important than the message and how images have taken precedent over actual issues and character. As a result of this, various communities have formed by the construct of selling to “beautiful people” and how popular appeal has become an extension of a person.
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Being a consumer, it disturbs me that companies would use us to advertise their products for free. Although I feel that this type of advertising is very shady, I think it is a very strategic way to advertise in the world of social media. Today everything from a post on Facebook to a video on YouTube is a way to advertise. The Internet has provided companies the perfect hunting ground to get consumers. Our dependence on technology leaves us helplessly trapped in this intricate snare of advertisements and our only worth to some of these companies are our money and data we give them. As a consumer, myself, seeing all these advertisements have made me numb to the fact that companies are trying to get our attention. Many of times I, myself fall prey to the ever-hungry advertisement disguised as friendly questionnaires or giveaways. I think companies are smart to see the potential in advertisement on the Internet but it is shuttering how they manipulate us and the sheer number of adverts we see a
Meyer, Michael. “One day in the war of images.” Columbia Journalism Review Mar.- Apr. 2014: 39-45. Print.
Should the most selfish elite individual take heed and meditate on the ideology behind community, he/she may awaken to the fact that many persons looking after one person has more advantages and a better survival rate than one trying to preserve one. The needs of the one will never outweigh the needs of the collective group. In the end individuality inevitably leads to self-destruction; therefore, commitment to community is a requirement for contemporary Americans and vital to its survival.
The New Yorker, with 47 publications each year, often generates some debate. In July 2007, the literary magazine released its latest issue. The cover included the title, price, edition, and three differently dressed women sitting on a bench. The first woman’s face and body are covered, except for her eyes. The second, with long blonde hair, is wearing a halter top, short shorts, sunglasses, and flip flops. The third is wearing a tunic and veil. Our first impressions are often stereotypical, and we must look deeper than the cover. Immediately, different conclusions are drawn based on each woman’s appearance. Just from this magazine cover, we can assume different things about each individual: including her religion, self image, and family life.
Advertising is an information source to inform people about the products and prices of the company, which can help them to make informed choices. More recently, a huge amount of money has been spent on advertising throughout the world. Different types of advertisement such as television, radio, magazine, newspaper, the internet, billboards and posters can influence consumer’s behavior positively or negatively as there are different arguments and opinions. This essay will focus on the purpose of the advertisement for the company, the positive and negative effects of the advertisement on consumer behavior. According to Shimp (2007), there are five important factors which determine the purpose of an advertisement in terms of marketers’ communication with consumers.