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Consumerism and Materialism in America
Consumerism and Materialism in America
Materialism and our society a
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Recommended: Consumerism and Materialism in America
Khadija Siddiqua
English 1A
Nicole Cuttler
21 April 2014
Words: 1048
Collaborative Consumerism What I need is not the product, but the experience. This change in consumers has influenced new technologies that have led to the creation of collaborative consumption. Where in corporate consumerism, we care what we consume; the collaborative consumerism is about how we consume. It can also be seen as an increasing possible to terminate ownership and still enjoy the full benefits. So, collaborative consumerism allows us to go beyond the line of the traditional ownership and helps declutter, share, and connect in an eco-friendly way. To the corporate capitalist, the consumers are the target. They try to sell their product
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"Why buy a drill when I need a hole?", Said Rachel Botsman in a Ted Talk. You do not have to own an item to get the benefits it offers. In this era, ownership is not as important as it was before. We do not need a library to enhance our house rather books to enhance our knowledge. We have to let go the idea of materialism and this is the time. In the article," On sale at Old Navy: Cool clothes for identical zombies!" Damien Cave tries to put light on that trap of materialism, "Survey after survey suggests that people who place a high value on material goods are less happy than those who do not" (270). If a lower price item or a used item can provide me the same advantage as a higher price item, then why do I burden myself? The only thing I should care; it is the usages of the product not the price or the brand of the …show more content…
We can enjoy the advantage of products without owning it. Of course, sharing, swapping, trading is nothing new, but when we all are over-consuming then it can be an option. In an age of always moving on, mobile connectivity, those can be transformed into more powerful and more efficient ways of accessing goods and services. Why do I buy something that I am going to use for once? Alternatively, why do I just throw away my waste to the landfill that someone wants? By reducing what we purchase, we consume less, and therefore, waste less. Need a bike? You can ask someone who can lend you one and now that person is only a click away. There are different websites that are helping us with our spare space, dumped closet or stacked bookrack to deal with. If we are not using those anymore we just do not throw them away, but go to Amazon, EBay or Craigslist to find someone who wants them. This way we can replace our olds with new without wasting our place, money, time and lessening the burden of the environment. It is another alternative to the most classic "reduce, reuse, recycle, repair, and redistribution" methods of dealing with our waste or useless
In James Twitchell’s article, “What We Are to Consumers,” he states that “the object of much consumer
Socioeconomics, marketing strategies, culture, consumerism, and an excess of words that can be found in any given Sociology 101 required text book will explain the world’s generational desire fore more and better. However, a few brilliant authors wrote on this topic within a writing textbook. Stephanie Clifford and Quentin Hardy, the authors of “Attention, Shoppers: Store is Tracking Your Cell,” explain how consumerism has lead to discrepancies in consumer privacy. Steve McKevitt, author of “Everything Now,” introduces the idea that consumers have become too comfortable with the fast convenience of today’s new world and how that contributes to societal issues. James Roberts, author of “The Treadmill of Consumption,” describes how society consuming and over-consuming rapidly and how that effects the economy and culture. While these three authors have touched on very different subjects, the combination of Robert’s, McKevitt’s, and Clifford’s and Hardy’s work reveals how much
We live in a new generation of buyers. Consumers used to be taught how products can help them fulfill their needs or reach goals and the benefits of the products were described to provide reasons for buying. Now consumers only buy if they identify therefore positive attitudes towards a brand of product should be taken in consideration to express a brands values as social groups influence consumers by sharing their own experiences and connections in their community. The value of a great shopping experience is rather found in the moment of consumption, rather that in the purchase of a product. Brands should understand that people do not buy only the products, they buy the services that the products provide too.
In ethical consumerism the most commonly applied principles are: social justice, environmental, human rights and as well as the animal welfare discourses . It is the contemporary consumers which are usually constrained by increased amount of scarcity related to time and attention but none the less well a mounting distrust of suppliers
This new trend is giving the consumer control over the decisions that until now, the corporations made for them. This impacts many aspects of business- from the items the retailers decide to stock, how the merchandise is categorized, the delivery, and the consumers even have more control over the development of new products. Putting the consumer in control could save a company a lot of money, while keeping the consumer satisfied with the product.
Many people become victims of consumerism, often aspiring to unrealistic heights or being unable to sustain the financial implications of passive consumerism. The difference between essential consumerism and euphoric consumerism is a very fine line that can be easily crossed over if control is not maintained.
In this constantly changing economy, companies are continuously looking for new ways to set themselves apart from their competitors. In recent years, environmental, or “green,” marketing has become a new trend. The movement first started in the 1970s during the hippie movement in which consumers began to express concern for the preservation of the environment (Jenkins and Kähler). On top of this increasing environmental awareness, now consumers are also beginning to care a lot more about what goes on behind the scenes in the companies that they buy from. People want to support companies with a conscious. According to the Salem Press Encyclopedia, the definition of green marketing is “The touting of the environmental benefits of a product, service, or company to bolster its image and encourage sales” (Jenkins and Kähler). With this in mind, corporations did some research and discovered that not only can green marketing help facilitate a positive brand identity, but it can also help reduce costs in the long run (Jenkins and Kähler). This new socially responsible idea seemed genius at the start, but now the trend has hit a wall. This hiatus is a result of lack of customer information about the actual effects of “green” products, confusion and overload in the marketplace regarding vague and un-standardized labels, and the failure of companies to clearly illustrate the added value of their “green” products or services. If all these discrepancies are handled, one can assume that consumers will race to the stores to purchase items that will make the world a “greener” more socially responsible place.
...e changing cell phones before their contract is up or buying new and improved laptops every year because of one upgrade, it may cut down on what people throw away or not use anymore. Or if stores allowed them to trade in their older equipment for the new equipment all the time they would be more likely to bring it in to avoid the extra cost in buying brand new electronics. Verizon started a service where you can get money back towards your next phone if you turn in your old one. That allows customers to dispose of their phones properly and get an incentive for it. More programs like that will definitely improve electronic waste.
All over America people are consuming almost every day, in some cases all the time. When Americans go shopping all they see is a product on a shelf, they don’t see the devastating toll that that product has on the environment. Americans’ devotion to lifestyles that focus on the accumulation of non-essential goods has led to a “throw-away mentality.” For example, manufactures design products to fail from television sets to washing machines to computers in order for people to have to throw them away and replace them (Vince). Manufactures deliberately make products fail so that they can sell more products. They know that American consumers will buy new products to replace old products because they are motivated by their “wants.” However, the problem is that manufactures are weakening the environment because the natural resources used to make these products are being constantly drained and then lost. For example, “the average American throws away over 68 pounds of textiles per year” (Whitehead). Not only does this show that Americans are extremely wasteful it also shows that manufactures only use short-term innovation to satisfy consumers. The author of “Everything Now,” explains that by changing the focus to peoples wants instead of needs has displaced the process of innovation. Thus, making it challenging to address future long-term problems (149). This means that short-term innovations have hidden consequences that will eventually surface. The more consumers demand the more damage manufactures are doing to the environment. America will soon have little to no resources if apathetic consumers don’t start buying less of the stuff they don’t need. Manufactures will not change unless the American people do so
Recycling is very important worldwide and is a very crucial part of our society. Recycling should be mandatory. It benefits our wallets and purses and the world we live in. According to a 2007 survey, the amount of Americans whom recycle is somewhere between fifty-nine and sixty-seven percent (Natsu). Sometimes, times get tough in the United States, but recycling can actually save you a lot of money. Even with only two-thirds of America recycling, together we have saved more than one-hundred billion dollars to spend on other things (Palliser 16). This was achieved due to the fact that recycled materials and products are cheaper than un-recycled materials and products. This is due to the fact that creating products from raw materials uses more energy (Recycling Benefits The Economy).
Most importantly, it saves lives. We should all learn the importance of recycling. For example, some sea lions won?t get stuck in plastics if we recycle. We would also breathe better air. We can recycle and aluminum can and put it back on the shelf for something useful. If we just leave it in the landfill, it?ll decompose and it?ll be of no use. It?ll also reduce pollution or else it?ll make a new one.
The concept of ethical consumption is very controversial. People argue that we need consumerism to keep moving forward in today’s society while others feel that the platform for consumption has become so corrupt that it is impossible to do so in a way that is safe and ethical. Consumerism is a growing trend that people find extremely appealing because it is a way to reflect freedom as well as individuality. Ultimately, it is hard to stop extensive consumption because it is continuously changing to meet the needs of people. Although it may be popular it is not always right. In today’s society through close investigation of overly influential people and advertisements, non-environmentally friendly production techniques and privacy issues, ethical consumption has proven to be impossible.
Using goods that are beneficiary to the saying of “reduce, reuse or recycle” will surely help to save energy and money.
Some people say recycling is a waste of time. If one is a very busy person, then maybe. But taking that extra two seconds to recycle, saving energy, money, resources, and the world isn’t a bad plan either. If everyone would take the extra two seconds to recycle, the extra effort would help to make the world would be a much cleaner and more efficient place. Recycling could also help to lower taxes in the long run. Recycled materials have value, and trash costs money. A city recycling program could sell it and make money. Then, with the extra money, the city wouldn’t have to charge as much money on taxes. Now how does those two extra seconds sound now? One can better the place they live in and save some money by taking two extra seconds to recycle.
Recycling reduces the amount of material that needs to go into an landfill. This helps reduce the need for them.