Essay on United States Consumerism

How Does Consumerism Impact American Lives?

Consumerism is a “movement concerned with the creation of awareness among consumers regarding their rights and protection of their interests” (Lee and Park 3). Consumers are fully aware that consumerism is any connection that overreachs the idea in modern society, people would like to fulfill their “wants” to be happier, to feel better, and be to more successful. Consumerism’s ideology is realized in a consumer’s urgency to purchase goods in greater amounts, even if still purchased goods are not needed. The culture of Americans has created a major impact on cultures worldwide. Consumerism utilizes factors that impact American lives which help us to define ourselves as individuals and as a society,

The concept of having, purchasing, and gaining more had always been a thing of Americans. The more opportunities, land, and resources have been “an essential part of our history and character” (Shames 80). According to Shames, the reason why individuals use consumerism as they define themselves links to a historical culture in which it has been over a prolonged period. “Frontier; opportunity; more. This has been the American trinity from the very start. The frontier was the backdrop and raw material for the streak of economic booms” (Shames 82). Historically, the American frontier culture presents a historical background, in which frontier, opportunity, and more were always available. In a particular case, it refers to consumable and quantifiable resources such as land and other commodities. Individuals over some time define themselves by the ability to gain access to levels of resources that help define their personalities. The American culture or tradition of an individual defining herself or himself by the ability to take advantage of the frontier's everlasting abundance of natural resources has to do more with a set of beliefs rather than the realities of society.

In our daily lives, each one of us as individuals is surrounded by hundreds of commercial messages. Consumerism is helped by the manufacturers who show their efforts to sell the products by encouraging people, and consumers to buy more and more. An example, is the Apple company, when a new Apple product is being launched, every certain period an American replaces a mobile device. Let’s say every two years or less in months, a person in the United States replaces it not because the iPhone is old but for the simple reason, it is simply “oldish”. Another example is Apple’s Air Pods, being launched, which convinces the consumer to update to the new version. First came out the wired earphones, second Air Pods with charging case, third Air Pods with wireless charging case, and the Air Pods Pro. The result of this consumerism is that the more “wants” people buy the goods, they appreciate heir possessions. What happens next or where does all the “oldish” and invaluable possessions go?

Advertising is a component of the marketing system in the business of products. A factor of consumerism, advertising, portrays products as “necessary” goods that are required to keep the individual identity secure. Some may not be represented as “wants”, which creates a need for luxury products. TV and internet advertisement persuades customers that wearing a full set of Kylie Cosmetics Makeup, Versace perfume, a Tommy Hilfiger blouse, and a Michael Kors purse bag defines their character and personality but it does not demonstrate what they possess, their traits. The modernity obsession with celebrities in the news, newspapers, and magazines publishes stories and interesting facts about famous people looking at them as an example to follow. Being inspired leads to consuming the same products they use- luxury goods, designer clothing, a type of car, exotic animals to private jets.

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Others may say it is normal, no wrong moral to buy or sell goods and services, by promoting the articles. The form of consumerism is extreme, meaning it dominates the world with several wrong characteristics. Some people may find that television, internet, and newspaper advertisements of a product are manipulative. Consumerism and advertisements try to manipulate people into adopting a specific lifestyle of how people should live rather than deciding for themselves. The creation of false desires, needs, and wants among people by using manipulations. The advertiser’s main purpose is to create “needs” to make an audience want their product. Others may also say that consumerism affects the worldviews and character of a person. The overspending time and energy on viewing the next product or service to consume then people have less time and feel unenthusiastic to learn about the world. Affecting character by consumer culture may lead to excessive self-interest in people. This means people may have less time for or have no interest in other individuals and just focus on their self-interest.

The consumerism culture has allowed people to be closer to each other. Consumerism allows people to be part of society by allowing allowed to latest fashion trends and other aspects that are no longer taken down or ignored because of religion, ethnicity, and social status. The consumer culture, allows every single individual to feel being part of society, not taking the importance of a person‘s characteristics. People of different races, different occupations, social statuses, and different levels of education, allow us to be closer together, as a society. Due to the decrease of social stereotypes, and restrictions over the past centuries. Before the poor were excluded and the rich in their circle, now are included in all senses.

Physical environments are used for a specific purpose in which consumers use consumption as a form of helping character being defined. “In prowling the mall they embed themselves in a lexicon American culture”( Norton 88). Women often go to the central commercial more than men. Women shopping at the mall create their definition of femininity. “The construction of identity and the enjoyment of friendship outside the presence of men was thus effected through a practice that constructed women as consumers…” (Norton 88). The context of the shopping center is used to distinguish the female’s identity from the male. Females opt to have free time, and spend it in the company of other women, sisters, friends, daughters, or mothers. Women spend more time than money, when entering a store and observing an outfit that they like, try on, convinced later they bought it. The consumption at the shopping mall helps a female to construct her personality. Consumerism not only is used to define the concept of femininity but also individual definitions of an individual personality by the clothes they purchase or wear, the stores they shop at, and the type of food consumed.

Many different people go to the mall even though there is a majority of shoppers, it Is almost human nature to not protest, smoke, or fight at the shopping center. It almost makes the place sound nice to be at and spend time with others. The shopping center is a great way to supervise a consumer’s needs.

The consumerism in the United States of America contributes and impacts in a significant way in which individuals define themselves from being a part of society and individual perspective. Advertising is one of the factors of consumerism thatise responsible fora  number of people obsessed with the need or idea to buy items. Consumerism does not affect only our behavior by overspending time on consumerist activities. It also affects our thinking, attitudes, worldviews, and our aspirations. It would be unbelievable and something untrue that there would exist a world without consumerism.