In a perfect world, collaborative consumerism sounds ideal. A network that exists to help people share, declutter and connect sounds exactly like what we need. However, I feel that when you break down the idea, it doesn’t sound so black and white. In today’s society we are incredibly consumer driven, not to mention Americans specifically. I believe we strive for the whole package, not just the physical looks as we discussed previously but the expensive car and handbag are just as important. As Americans, some would argue that many of us live beyond our means. It’s not un common for my generation to be in thousands of dollars of credit card debt. I feel this phenomenon has greatly impacted my generation. We live in a technology driven, reality show induced tunnel. Everywhere you look there are advertisements offering the newest and latest version of a product we love. Many of us idolize the people we see on television shows and movies. If a celebrity is seen holding a certain brand of hand bag, and we ourselves acquire the same bag, it can up our status level in some people’s eyes. A great example of how consumer driven we are is the well known brand Apple. Apple makes phones, laptops, and iPods that many of us love. The crazy part is, it seems every year they are coming out with a new model of the same product with only slight enhancements. These newer models can easily cost hundreds of dollars. Personally, as an apple user I don’t see the point in upgrading every time there is an upgrade available. Why pay hundreds of dollars for something so similar to the one I have already? It blows my mind, how many people will literally wait in line just to buy the new one when the older version they have works per... ... middle of paper ... ... To answer the original question is collaborative consumerism an improvement on corporate consumerism, I say no. There are many upsides and I would be lying if I said with all of our recent advantages in technology it has made consumption incredibly easy, too easy in fact, with just the click of a button. By offering a virtual community where one can trade, does not help us to declutter or tone down our consumerism drive, it just looks different. Trade and bartering have existed for centuries, and it hasn’t seemed to make a dent in our consumerism. I feel the idea of trade is strong, as I myself have taken part in it, but I do not think collaborative consumerism will be an improvement. If we can virtually share things like books and movies at a lower cost, we still have money left over burning a hole in our pockets that we can and will find a way to spend.
Some may be living the so called "American dream" and are financially comfortable, while others are extremely poor. However, what we primarily see in the media is the lifestyle of the extreme rich and famous. Wealth and fame can be seen anywhere on television, in the news and in magazines. This lifestyle may be unrealistic to many, but Americans are fascinated with money and lavish lifestyles.”
Being in America, a society encompassed by those of a wealthy nature versus those striving to obtain as much wealth as they can in their own limitations, it seems inevitable for one to pass judgment on those who choose the glamorous lifestyle over any morals they may have had prior to their riches. After reading Money and Class in America, it can be concluded that Mr. Lewis Lapham makes an intriguing point as he states that it is seemingly unintelligent to assume that one that is wealthy in pocket is also wealthy in intelligence. Everyday, greed filled Americans prove this judgment to be blatantly wrong, as they partake in the extravagant lifestyle without much thought in the immorality that comes with the lifestyle. Though some may say that
Wilder, consumerism is a way of life. It is something they are always taking part in, even
A large part of this problem is that many Americans buy into the ploys of capitalism, sacrificing happiness for material gain. “Americans have voluntarily created, and voluntarily maintained, a society which increasingly frustrates and aggravates” them (8). Society’s uncontrolled development results in an artificial sense of scarcity which ensures “a steady flow of output” (78).
The wealth inequality debate should focus on what public policies will aid the accumulation of wealth by more, not fewer, American families. The first step American’s need to make toward transforming our consumer culture is to understand it better.
As Kendall notes, “the media portrays people who produce goods and services as much less interesting than those who excessively consume them” (429). Viewers want to be entertained, and simply just don’t care about the struggles of the working class. They overlook “low wages (and) lack of benefits” (429) because through caricature framing the media sways people to believe works to be stupid and reckless. Using this frame, they created people such as Homer Simpson, showing people that the working class doesn’t deserve raises, better healthcare, or any such luxuries because they can’t think for themselves. If that wasn't bad enough, the media often characterizes all workers as wanting to transcend their class (429). Through shows such as Extreme Makeover, they depict people who want to spice up their life and improve themselves as people, and that they need help to get to the next level. The media has undercut all of the hard work of this class, and has made people believe that the working class is unavailable, dumb and needs help to be their best self when in fact they are what allows for the success of
What seems to go unnoticed by many Americans is the evident and growing wealth gap. According to Pew Research Center, the current U.S. income is at its highest since 1928. This large dispersion of wealth can be attributed by the “fall [of the] routine producers” (Reich). Where jobs that were once attainable during the 70s are declining due to advancing technology and corporations finding workers in poor countries who are willing to work at half the cost of the routine producers. What also drives this wealth gap is the power of corporations in an age of extravagant consumerism. Through media, the demand to buy what we want is unavoidable. Corporations are able to gain revenue while people go unemployed because of America’s vast opportunities to buy what we want when we want it.
Could this force the company to continuous innovate to prevent the products from entering a mature market? You have to give the customers reason to upgrade. I think that is why Apple has been so successful – by releasing an updated proprietary product every year (iPhone and iPod). This strategy has allowed them to stay ahead of their competitors, forcing the competitors to chase them and also continuously bring new products to the...
Millennials are well on their way to redefining the “American Dream.” In a world where they have to constantly exercise critical thinking to financially survive the debts the average Millennial life incurs, suggesting that their reluctance to fall into the status quo will hurt them is a stagnant, inflexible view. It only hurts those entrenched in a narrow worldview limited to one accepted lifestyle and standard of living. To this life, Millennials are thoroughly disillusioned. They’re causing all these economic ‘problems’ because they aren’t buying into the hazy suburban complacency that the traditional dream represents. It’s not just that it costs too much to get there, it’s mostly that it’s hardly achievable. Contemporary high school is less of a system for education as it is an Olympic triathlon. Students must jump through every well-nigh arbitrary hoop, competing against each other for the most scholarship money based on the right opinion said in the right words. Who was in the most meaningless clubs at the same time? Who happened to attend a school with the most extra-curricular activities or AP courses? When school – that
It is believed that American people in the lower and middle classes have needs for status mobility. For example, when browsing through a fashion magazine, one can find numerous sections that are dedicated to creating ways to look like the featured model or actress for half the price. The intention of the article, in most cases, is to give others the impression that you are of high social status. In addition, advertisers often use people in the entertainment business to model their products so that the viewer may purchase the product. For example, when mimicking the purchases of hotel heiress, Paris Hilton one may believe, “If I buy this, I’ll look cool just like Paris Hilton!” The fact that this method is usually successful is a product of the anxiety felt by lower and middle class families. For those reasons, it is likely that Domhoff’s statement that the upper class “creates respect, envy, and deference in others,” is true. It seems that many of America’s lower and middle class families would like to create those same feelings of respect and envy in others.
... Although it may not seem fair that there are rich people blowing money on impractical and meaningless things while living in poverty, it’s a reality that the United States has experienced for centuries. Works Cited Desilver, Drew. A. “U. S. Income Inequality, On The Rise.” Pew Research Center.
Celebrities are promoting their products on television, newspapers, magazines and people cannot seem to live without the latest fashion dress, watch, suit, gaming consoles/games, and other this that are super expensive for the working and middle class. David Kendall (a professor of sociology at Baylor University) explains in his article “Framing class, Vicarious Living and Conspicuous Consumption” that the media glorifies the upper class and that they are basically calling out the poor and the rich to imitate the upper class by buying their products they sell. Kendall states in his article that “extensive television viewing leads to higher rates of spending and to lower savings, presumably because it stimulates consumer desires.”(Kendall 317). This quote is extremely true the more television a person watches the more chances he or she will fall for the advertisement that is being displayed. The most sad thing of all is that most people will buy these products displayed by celebrities and will be left with zero money to pay the rent and food to feed themselves. Limiting media will solve the social inequality in a more personal way we won’t feel constantly less than others because of the wealth they
A century or 2 past, our society’s hierarchy was supported cash and land. Today’s new materialism determines your placement on the social ladder. In many high schools, if you don’t have an iPod or any other cool device, a replacement automotive or lots of cash, then the cool crowd typically doesn’t even notice a person. In nearly each organization, cash and things are the entire foundation, thus it is sensible that Americans would be thus materialistic.
American has had in the last fifty years decades of unprecedented economic growth which has has all but solved the economic problems of how to secure the necessities of life and most people are living lives of luxury and comfort (Alexander 1). This has caused the consumer industry to skyrocket. Everywhere one looks there are advertisements being thrown at them. These items are not advertised as luxury items, but as something someone needs to survive. The consequences of consumerism is people are saving less money and feel they need to keep earning more money to keep up with the demands of society (Etzioni 1). Students today are being told to go to college because it will give them an opportunity to earn more money at a better job. Has anyone stopped to question if they really need to make more money or could they live a satisfying and happy life without having to work sixty or seventy hours a week? Alexander states in his paper The Voluntary Simplicity Movement “The huge increase in wealth has stopped contributing to people individual” and “social well-being and the process of getting richer is now causing the very problem that they seem to think getting richer will solve” (Alexander 1). It would seem many americans do not enjoy this quick paced lifestyle which keeps them always at the edge of truly having it all. According to a study done in 1989 “Three out of four Americans would like to see our country to reform to a simpler lifestyle with less emphasis on material success” (Etzioni 3). At the same time though from 1980-1990 consumer spending rose by 21.4 percent (Etzioni 4). If both these studies are true then Americans are running into this oxymoron where they are living the consumerism lifestyle but wishing their lives ...
School media is a key component since it provides basely a guideline of how to be a successful and have the standards of the 21st century. Even more importantly, a common way to the path of success is college which is said to prepare one to take on the world; from a young age one is told to finish school, go to college, and get a fancy job. People work their whole lives trying to satisfy their need to be successful stems from the american dream ideal, which is to own a house, fill it with beautiful things. People pride in having things, for example, iphones used to be a luxury but now have become a necessity. There is also an opposite approach to “fake it till you make it” analogy, many need to look successful which in turn means wealthy to feel successful. Money could be achieved in two ways, hard work or inheritance. A person with a large amount of inheritance has a lot of money without working hard which is one of the many loopholes to success and a counterfeit to a main part of