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.
Have you ever felt like you are spending too much money at a time, on pointless items? Statistics show that American’s consumption rate of goods has increased by forty-five percent in the last twenty years (Statistics-Consumption/quality of life pg. 194). Americans are experiencing a thing that is many times known as “Affluenza”, this is when someone buys more items, such as clothes, cars, houses, or any unnecessary items. Many people talk about this so-called “Affluenza”, like it is a medical term. The word Affluenza is pretty much saying that people make money and work hard for their money and they like to buy nice things, because they can and they have the money to. They are fortunate enough to be able to have these nice things for themselves because they work so hard for it. Many Americans are not satisfied with their positions because of false ads, selfishness, and jealousy. Some celebrities, some of the wealthiest people on the planet have committed suicide because they are not happy with what they have and they feel like they need more items, when really they have everything they need to be happy, but they suffer from Affluenza and make these bad decisions.
One of the most hazardous aspects of our society is that we are a consumer society. People are driven to spend money; the advertising industry has become a very successful and profitable industry by effectively convincing people to spend money. Many people have more money and possessions than they will ever need, while many more people will never have enough. People are driven to make as much money as possible so they can belong to a higher social class.
“People brag and whimper about the woes of their early years, but nothing can compare with the Irish version: the poverty; the shiftless loquacious alcoholic father; the pious defeated mother moaning by the fire; pompous priests; bullying schoolmasters; the English and the terrible things they did to us for eight hundred years.” (McCourt 11) Most people today take life for granted. That is, they live way beyond their means, live off of their credit cards, and when a bill comes say “everything will be fine” or “my parents will take care of it.” Modern society is like a plastic bubble with countless people living within it, assuming that they will be protected from the terrors of the outside world.
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
In the 1950’s people had their eyes on the prize of achieving the American Dream. Now in the 21st Century everyone doesn’t want just the American Dream they just want more of everything and to achieve that they need more money. It also seems like more of a competition now to who has the most money and the most expensive materialized items. Big money for little effort is glorified and is seen in gambling and drug dealing movies and TV shows such as 21 and Breaking Bad. Many individuals thrive to be on shows with monetary reward because of the cultural myth that money make you happy. The 1950s quiz shows and 2016 reality TV shows both follow Sternheimer’s American Dream Theme of “Success Just for Being Yourself.” This theme focuses on that idea that “we are all in this together”, this was evident in the quiz show when a large number of contestants that were testifying stuck together and lied. An example of this in todays reality TV in the ‘Bachelor Nation” which includes contestants and
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).
Generation Debt by Anya Kamenetz discusses how people in my generation and below are born into debt. Kamenetz is a yale graduate who is having trouble finding a job after graduation. She mentions that “debt is inevitable” in our generation with college prices raising. She made her way through by her parent’s rules of spending no more than you earn and paying off the one credit card she owns. She also elaborates on the stigma that comes with being a young adult. How our generation is branded “immature” and “lazy” without a second look at our actual personalities. Also taking the time to point out that we work hard to get by and try to make ends meet without drowning in our inevitable debt.
"What has happened in America is that achievement is so important that everyone wants everyone else to know what they have done. . . And in case you don't know, they want to tell you with a lethal combination of houses, cars and diamonds. (Fabrikant 2005))" Inequality in the United States is changing, and for the worse. People who are not wealthy are now competing to have the "status" of wealthy, which causes the wealthy to literally get wealthier while the middle class and upper middle class are going increasingly in debt trying to keep up with the wealthy.
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.
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...
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.
It also hints at the average American’s values, as he regards materialistic goods higher than basic essentials. So why do consumers spend money—typically on credit, money they do not have—on these glamorous objects? Julia Halpert, a journalist writing for The Fiscal Times, has the answer in her article “Millennials: Young, Broke, and Spending on Luxury”. Halpert expertly employs Jason Dorsey, a millennials expert, who explains that “brands represent a lifestyle and luxury goods provide a strong visual representation ‘that either I've made it’ or ‘I want to tell you I've made it’”. This justification demonstrates the common narcissist agenda, that possessing material goods are essential and it makes you socially above another person. A narcissist purchases luxury goods to show off, to display his elevated status and wealth in comparison to others. He wants to garner the jealousy and attention of others and create an environment that concentrates only him. And he, the narcissist, learns through celebrities and the
“Small towns and neighborhoods in America used to be cohesive,” political scientist Bruce Frohnen pronounced in the May 1999 issue of Family Policy. “They did not seek openness to all ways of life. Nor did they seek economic betterment as the sole proper goal,” he added. “Faith and tradition were ruling forces in the lives of Americans, bidding them care for their families and neighbors and their souls, as much as their pocketbooks.” But as the material girls and boys grew, so did the need for greed. In a recent study by Roper Starch Worldwide, the values of teenagers moving into the new millennium have drastically changed from their parent’s visions. The percentage who said they wanted to earn “a lot of money” grew 25 points from the 38 percent in 1975. Those who said they needed a microwave oven as a necessity rose 19 points, and the percentage that believed life without an answering machine was incomprehensible grew more than 18 points. At the same time, teenagers who believed “developing a meaningful philosophy of life” dropped by 42 percent. However the rise of money’s power in student-age adults coincided with a reward system for the newly transpired talents. Repetitive tasks are being replaced by super technology while responsibilities requiring intelligence and skill are more emphasized. It is a “winner take all” society though, where the lopsided share of benefits go to very few players.
I have eaten from the plate of materialism, only to find that it tasted foul in my mouth. I bought the high-end stereo and the large television. I soon realized these possessions made me feel guilty because I was ignoring my upbringing. I was betraying all of the feelings that I felt as a child in a poor family. Now, my walls are bare because I do not like to surround myself with propaganda. The same propaganda advertisers flaunted in front of me while I was growing up in a lower income family, not lower class. The notion that the country's population is separated into classes by wealth, with the least wealthy deemed the lower class, is repulsive to me. I refuse to conform to the typical American consumer stereotype who needs material possessions to feel validated, ever again.
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