Consumerism seems to us a wholly natural way of life

But it is not “natural” – it is a relatively recent social invention

Why did it appear?

What does it involve?

How is it changing now and in the future?

“The cultural dominance, in modern capitalist societies, of an orientation to the marketing and consumption of goods

and services”

(Collins Dictionary

of Sociology)

Consumerism IS new

- From about 1750

- In the most advanced capitalist

countries e.g. UK, Holland

Product of the rise of the

capitalist economy

Not just “leisure classes”

– middle classes, then working classes

EVERY individual is / can be a consumer

A “consumer society” - MASS Consumption

High Modernity

Middle classes – from about 1860sIncreasing wealth more money to spend on consumer goods

Working classesIncreasing wealthHigher aspirations-in USA from 1920s-in Western Europe from 1945

What did the development of MASS consumption involve?

1) Further development of the capitalist economy

- Development of production lines

- Mass production of consumer goods

- Mass-produced goods are cheap to make

Can be sold to a broad mass of people

Still make profits for the company

Commercialization of social spheres

Christmas celebrations- “Traditional” Christmas celebrations

invented c. 1860s

- Gift-giving becomes wholly bound up with consumer economy

- Some “traditional” Christmas symbols are invented by advertisers

Christmas “invaded” by consumerism?

Christmas invented by consumerism

3) Developing social importance of money

Georg Simmel (1900)

Money is not just a means of

buying things

It encourages a particular way of

seeing the world

-EVERYTHING has a monetary value

-EVERYTHING can be bought and sold

The appearance of the “sovereign consumer”

A new kind of individualWith a new way of thinking

•Someone who is wholly free to purchase what they please

•They can potentially purchase ANYTHING (as long as they have enough money)

•They gain their main pleasure in life from consuming

Free of all obligations or restrictions - except to keep on consuming constantly

4) Development of consumer credit

- Borrowing money to buy goods NOW

- Paying back LATER

- From 1920s (esp. in USA) financial institutions offer “cheap” loans and credit cards

- Beginning of department store credit facilities

5) Development of consumer places:

Arcades

- From about 1870s

- Passageways with small, exclusive shops

- Covered, lighted, heated, patrolled

The shopping mall –

USA, 1950s onwards

The department store

- From about 1870s

Covered, lighted, heated, patrolled

Goods on display – not hidden away

Spectacular window displays

Elaborate décor Encourage fantasies & aspirations

Particularly aimed at women

- Female is ‘naturally’ a consumer

Late ModernityLater 20th centuryMove away from purely mass production of goods

More sophisticated technology

-Flexible production-Rapid design and manufacturing of new goods

-Specialist goods for niche markets

Multiple types of consumer

Multiple lifestyles

Early modernity: beginnings of consumerism

High Modernity: mass consumption / consumerism

Late Modernity: flexible production; away from mass consumption; multiple consumption-based lifestyles

No consumer good has an intrinsic or ‘natural’ meaning

Meanings attached by advertising agencies

e.g. champagne = a celebration

e.g. cigarettes = ‘cool’

e.g. car = individual freedom

Advertising agencies

Attempting to fix meanings

Attempting to guide

consumer’s thinking

Mostly sub-conscious

Encouraged to keep consuming

Negative views assume:

- Individuals wholly open to manipulation

- Individuals unthinking and uncritical

- Advertising strategies

always work

Critical and reflective consumers

Use consumption for their own purposes

Difficult to control

Since 1970s:

The rise of global brands

Globalization of ‘non-things’

e.g. fast food, cars, watches, credit cards etc.

-Bland & relatively

free of content or meaning

- Easily understood everywhere

can be consumed anywhere

Activities of trans-national corporations (TNCs) e.g. Coca-Cola, Nike, McDonalds, etc.

“Coca-colonization” (Ulf Hannerz)