The Blind Eye of Consumerism and Consumption
Have you ever wondered why people depend their happiness on goods and nothing else? How did these objects shape their lifestyles and perceptions? Consumerism is still a relevant topic in today's society. Before researching the topic, I already knew that it increases debt, people tend to follow the new trends and it can lead to economic conflicts. There are other factors that contribute to this topic, which can be psychological factors, lifestyle and personality.
My goal is to discover what attracts people the most when it comes to products and what makes them want to fit in with the new trends so desperately. Whether it ranges to appearance, quality or even something that keeps them entertained and distracted. I wanted to find out how big of a toll it is on the mental aspect. These aspects interested me the most because of how each generation developed and changed over time. Consumerism has always been an issue and has been a significant factor in society.
I became interested in this topic because I have multiple friends who are all about the latest trends and they only purchase certain products to fit in. They claim that it makes them feel great about themselves and how the appearance and quality of the product is what lures them into buying it. For example, recently the iPhone 12 came out and everyone wants to obtain it because of the new features and functions and it made me more curious to do research on this topic.
Growing up, I have always been interested in the new trends such as the latest iPhone, beauty products, shoes and even food places. Many people are quick to purchase the newest products because of appearance, quality and sometimes because it is the latest updated product. People depend their happiness on these products. Sometimes it makes people feel more superior than others because they can afford these products and constantly upgrade to something better than the previous object. Another factor is that it fits their lifestyle. It portrays “living standards” and that is to always improve. These products can also be a reflection of their personality and reveal their behavior.
During this research process, I began to google search my topic and I viewed some reports that were recently related. I then proceeded to check out credible sites that can contribute to my topic. I asked most of my friends and family for their own personal opinion to gain more understanding on why they chose to purchase certain products. I remembered that Miramar and Mesa college has a database website to help students find reliable and credible sources. It is to assist students with writing papers that require primary sources. At first, the sources I found were too vague and general. Even though the results were not much help, it allowed me to generate a more intricate idea. I read between six to eight different sources. The websites that I first looked into were Wikipedia and websites that contained .edu and .org. I looked into them to gain a brief explanation and to keep my thinking process going on how to go about the rest of the research. When I looked into those sites, it was repetitive on a general definition of consumerism. Afterwards, I was able to find two credible sources that contributed towards my research questions. I felt it was a challenge to find primary sources to back up my research questions because the topic is very broad. After this research, I hope to gain knowledge on how consumerism affects the economy, psychological aspect and lifestyles.
In the first primary source, (“Consumerism and its discontents”) it discussed how material things are neither good nor bad. There is always a reason why people lean towards a more consumerism aspect and why some do not. It elaborates on how through different generations, each group of people grew up more dependent or influenced than the previous generation. It states, “Compared with their grandparents, today’s young adults have grown up with much more affluence, slightly less happiness and much greater risk of depression and assorted social pathology.” This reveals the lifestyle of the younger generation. They became more dependent on technology or any physical object to make them happy. In comparison to the older generation, they spent more time with one another instead of being behind a screen all day. Reading up on the article revealed an answer towards my second research question on how it affects people’s lifestyles. It states, “...materialists can be almost as contented if they’ve got the money and their acquisitive lifestyle doesn’t conflict with more soul-satisfying pursuits.” It portrays how if people are able to afford it, it would not matter, just as long as it makes them happy, they will aim for it right away.
On the second primary source, (“Rethinking consumerism for the sake of young people’s mental health”) It discusses how much consumerism damages mental health. It states, “Buying stuff to meet our needs of course plays an important role in people’s lives, but well being studies illustrate that materialistic tendencies are linked to decreased life satisfaction, happiness, vitality and social cooperation, and increases in depression, anxiety, racism and antisocial behavior.” This section reveals that psychologically, it is a temporary coverage to help our needs and serves as a distraction. However, it causes conflicts mentally due to constantly being attached. Instead of being out with friends and family and going outdoors, people would rather stay in and not socialize. It also states, “...People who rely less on physical materials for happiness are generally happier.” This portion elaborates on how we do not need to be materialistic in order to be happy. The less we rely on objects, the more involved we would be in the community instead of focusing on a certain object.
Throughout this research, I learned that the whole process of consumerism is to target the audience to grab something desirable and that will appeal to them in any sort of way. It encourages purchasing items whether it is worth it or not. In society, everything is predominantly advertised, discounted, new launches and giveaways. These factors initiate the audience to purchase anything that looks beneficial or great to them. Also, depending on the community, people tend to buy certain products to fit in well with others. It is all about improvement in every aspect of consumerism.
I learned that consumerism has multiple aspects that contribute both negatively and positively. I still believe that consumerism affects society in a positive and negative way in different personal perceptions. Everyone has their own perceptions and want to live their life in their own unique, improved way. It impacts society in a negative way due to using the environment and taking its natural resources. It causes people to become less attentive to certain events. Although consumerism helps with economic growth, it can ruin people psychologically.
Works Cited
DeANGELIS, TORI. “Consumerism and Its Discontents.” Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association, June 2004, www.apa.org/monitor/jun04/discontents.
https://www.greenfunders.org/2018/05/24/rethinking-consumerism-for-the-sake-of-young-peoples-mental-health-and-the-planet/
I agree with @Ahmed Abdirahman, asking people you know to give you their insight was a great idea. (This could be a really interesting element in the unessay portion too!) Consumerism is such an enormously important topic, both historically and in the sense of society and culture (and economics of course). I wonder how the recent economic constraints placed on so many Americans due to COVID-19 will affect larger trends in consumerism. And, if you found any parallels between today's consumerism and the key points of consumerism in the past--do the articles you found historicize the issue at all? We have examined consumerism in the 1920s and 1950s in detail--it would be interesting to know how far we've come...if we've come far...
Your topic choice is probably a very important one. It relates to events in the past and the upcoming holiday shopping season. Asking people you know was a great tactic, I tried to do the same without as much success. I really like how you connected the mental health of youth and the need to buy things. I think most of us will hit a point where we have to learn self control and deal with spending too much on things we don't need.