Why Is Consumerism No Longer About Conformity

278 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: The effect of advertising

I agree with Frank that “consumerism is no longer about “conformity” but about “difference.” Advertising teaches us not in the ways of puritanical self-denial…. but in orgiastic, never-ending self-fulfillment” (qtd. in Frank 153). Using the countercultural idea in the 1950 as a strategy, marketing tricks consumers into thinking that the product they purchased will make them more unique and standout more than anyone else. Of course, it is just an illusion that not everyone would blindly believe in. However, one would find it hard to resist the tempting of getting a new car, or a new cell phone that just came out on the market. One of the reason would be the internet marketing. Have you ever notice that after you surfed a shopping website like

Show More
Related

  • An Analysis of the Article, Two Cheers for Consumerism by James Twitchell.

    603 Words  | 2 Pages

    The chosen article is Two Cheers for Consumerism by James Twitchell. In this article he talks about consumerism, commercialism, and materialism. He argues the stand point of consumers and the role they live by every day. In other hands the critics, Academy, gives the consumers and overview description to their consumers.

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Way We Never Were By Stephanie Coontz

    459 Words  | 1 Pages

    In chapter seven of The Way We Never Were, Stephanie Coontz focuses on consumerism and materialism. In this chapter, Coontz claims that the root causes of consumerism is affecting Americans in a contemporary society is the mindset of people having an addiction to having the latest and greatest in terms of any goods. Coontz argues that “consumerism and materialism affect working adults and non working ones, both sexes and all ages, people who endorse new roles for women and people who oppose them” (page 223). In our society people buy what they want rather than what they need.

    Read More

  • Summary: The Treadmill Of Consumption

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Business Culture Counterculture And The Rise Of Hip Consumerism In Thomas Frank's The Conquest Of Cool

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thomas Frank’s book entitled The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism takes a poignant look at the advertising world of the 1950’s and 1960’s, exploring how advertising played a role in shaping the next generation of consumers. Frank points out that he believes many misunderstand how important the key industries of fashion and advertising were to the shaping of our consumer culture, especially in getting Americans to rethink who they were. The industry of advertising was not conforming to the upcoming generation, instead the new consumer generation was conforming to the ideals of the advertising industry. Frank believes that the advertising and fashion industries were changing, but not to conform to the new generation, instead to shape a new generation of consumers.

    Read More

  • Consumerism and Faith

    994 Words  | 2 Pages

    Consumerism is the idea that influences people to purchase items in great amounts. Consumerism makes trying to live the life of a “perfect American” rather difficult. It interferes with society by replacing the normal necessities for life with the desire for things with not much concern for the true value of the desired object. Children are always easily influenced by what they watch on television. Swimme suggests in his work “How Do Kids Get So Caught Up in Consumerism” that although an advertiser’s objective is to make money, the younger generation is being manipulated when seeing these advertisements. Before getting a good understanding of a religion, a child will have seen and absorbed at least 30,000 advertisements. The amount of time teenagers spend in high school is lesser than the amount of advertisement that they have seen (155). The huge amount of advertisements exposed to the younger generation is becomi...

    Read More

  • Consumerism In 'Raj, Bohemian' By Hari Kunzulan

    1415 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many people who are driven by consumerism, and many people who wish they could get in touch with that type of world. Consumers are often encouraged to advertise more of the products that they are buying to get more people to buy more products. Hari Kunzru, author of “Raj, Bohemian,” creates a narrator who is obsessed with maintaining his individuality and free will in a world that is overcome with consumerism. Believes that the world takes away individuality when consumerism comes into play and how hard it is to maintain their true self. In her LA Times article “Teen Haulers Create a Fashion Force,” Andrea Chang writes about the phenomenon of teenage YouTube users who make videos that publicize their latest shopping binges.

    Read More

  • Consumerism in 1984 and Brave New World

    1496 Words  | 3 Pages

    The novels 1984 and Brave New World serve the purpose of both satirizing their respective time periods as well as warning us of the dangers of consumer behavior. Both George Orwell and Aldous Huxley depict unique societies in which everything has gone wrong. Oceania in 1984 and The World State in Brave New World both depict distinct worlds in which the citizens are oppressed by their respective governments. People are given limited freedom and limited choices, while the government spews out lies and fabricated stories to control their behavior.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Consumerism In Brave New World

    1890 Words  | 4 Pages

    ‘Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley is a science-fiction book in which people live in a futuristic society and a place called the World State. In ‘Brave New World’, Aldous Huxley used the idea of consumerism to describe the behaviors and lives of the citizens of the World State. The practice of consumerism by the people of the World State fulfilled their satisfactory and happiness. However, it also blinded purity and truth among its people. Different classes and different genders of people practiced different acts of consumerism such as consuming soma, technology and bodies. They sought happiness from them and eventually these acts became a social norm. However, these practices of consumerism also had side effects. It blinded truth such as

    Read More

  • 1980s American Culture

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    The massive amount of consumerism and materalistic ideology came from the decade of the 1980s and proved to be the time of wanting to have luxrious items throughout the daily routine of being an American citizen. The American culture of massive consumerism of the 1980s was influenced by the elements of the American Dream, the iconic pop stars and events, the deep recession troubling the lives of many, and the nationalistic pride that was shown through the actions of recreations and sports. Not only was the 1980s influenced by the culture of consumerism, but it impacted the future generations to only want to become a bigger and better version of the 1980s.

    Read More

  • The Great Depression

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    Consumerism means the protection or promotion of the interests of the consumer, well the interests for people in 1920`s ranged from material merchandise to a stock begin purchase. At this time with bonds begin purchase a Bull Market can be created and alongside with a Bull Market and as more investors “put their money into securities(stocks) in hope of making a quick profit on a speculative rise in stocks,…the exchange became a betting ring.”(Carmen) With people throwing their money into the Stock Market just to become rich fast, then pulling out of the market once they realize that the money they initially put in isn’t accumulating....

    Read More

  • Consumerism During The Progressive Era

    338 Words  | 1 Pages

    During the Progressive Era, America experienced a shift from the production of capital goods, such as railroad equipment or steel, to consumer goods. As a way of subliminally enforcing the belief that mass consumption was a freedom, many companies began to name their products with the word “liberty” or “…used an image of the Statue of Liberty” (Foner 686). This devious method of advertising made consumers associate products with freedom, which sparked the belief that consumerism was associated with their rights and freedoms as an American citizen. Because of this, there was also a shift in political activism, urging the United States to indulge in the world of consumerism. Much like voting, the ability to take part in mass consumerism was beginning

    Read More

  • Counter Culture And Consumerism

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Oxford Dictionary, counter culture is “a way of life and set of attitudes opposed to or at variance with the prevailing social norm“. It exist because of different attitudes on how to live a lifestyle. Some people are going with the mainstream society but others want to make a difference and they form a group to oppose it. Consumerism is one of the lifestyle that mostly counter cultural groups are opposed to, it

    Read More

  • Consumerism In Brave New World

    1195 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, the characters gain happiness through mass consumerism enforced by the government to create a stable society. Huxley displays his view of the toxic relationship between consumption and perceiving happiness, by showing the impact that government slogans, and strict government control over information, has on each citizen and society. The use and concentration of government slogans in the novel are a major indicator of the relationship between human consumption and perceived happiness. One of the most notorious quotes from Brave New World is the hypnopaedic phrase “ending is better than mending” which conditions citizens to throw away clothes and buy new ones in place of continuing to wear clothes they already

    Read More

  • Relation Between Advertising and Our Consumer Culture

    2541 Words  | 6 Pages

    Sassatelli, R. (2007). Consumer Culture: History, Theory and Politics, London: Sage, Page 30, Page 126, Page 132, Page 133

    Read More

  • The Consumer Society

    3597 Words  | 8 Pages

    The rise of the consumer culture is a phenomenon characteristic for the twentieth century. The impact of this cultural movement is disputable.

    Read More

More about Why Is Consumerism No Longer About Conformity

Open Document