Modern Family: Consumption and Lifestyle

To consume is the ability to use and dispose of goods or services. In modern society, consumption allows individuals to define whom they want to be by creating their own identity through lifestyle choices. This is accomplished through buying goods and services associated with the lifestyle to which they aspire. It is suggested by Bauman that consumption is the dominant feature in shaping our identities (Bauman, 2009, p.27)

Whilst walking through any town or city in contemporary Britain, we see many types of different people. There are those listening to music through headphones or loud speakers, those dressed in the latest high street fashion, or those wearing clothing that reflects their musical choices. There are also those groups visibly using mobile phones and tablets in public places such as coffee shops and cafes. Wherever we look, we see people defining themselves by what they are consuming.

Our lifestyle and identity can also be shaped by where we choose to shop; such as town centres or out of town retail parks. Although town centres offer almost the same named shops as the retail park, people that shop at each of these locations do so for certain reasons such as safety, cleanliness, convenience or transport. A recent study was carried out by Peter Jackson (1998) in north London. Jackson and fellow researchers asked customers why they liked shopping at out of town retail parks. The study showed that most people who shopped in these areas did so as they had a positive view of the area being a safe, convenient, modern place for families to shop (Jackson, 2009, p. 45). The larger shopping centres and parks were also seen as ordered and regulated. The inner city streets and town centres however were seen as places of cri...

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...g the sort of retail skill and expertise they have in running those businesses, then, of course one thing they do is also generate jobs. Our big four supermarkets alone employ 870,000 people in this country” (Audio-visual, Reflections on ‘Material Lives’, 2009). This is what Wrong refers to as a positive-sum game (all parties benefit to some level and extent however divisions are still created)

We can conclude that from today's ever changing society, our consumption reflects and validates our personalities. Thus, furthermore shaping our lifestyles, identities and individual tastes to our peers, families and even strangers whom we pass in the street. We can also see that what a person does to earn a living is now seemingly unimportant. Today, we tend to conform to the image of wealth and social standing to identify with the lifestyle we have created for ourselves.