Consumer Culture in Modern Life

Consumer Culture in Modern Life
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Consumer Culture in Modern Life
Improvement towards better human existence apparent in the rising level of civilization and modernization has brought along unprecedented features that humankind rarely did anticipate. The previous century was predicated on much industrialization and thus, strategies to improve production output. As the level of production grew, industrialists had to orchestrate plans to enhance the level of consumption. The modern-day consumerist culture is no longer a surprising concept to any interested stakeholder. Consumerist culture is one that revolves around promoting, encouraging, or enforcing to buyers a particular lifestyle and strategy while in most circumstances, it tends to disapprove all cultural options (Bauman 2013, p. 53). A 'society of consumers' follows the predefined doctrines of consumer culture with minimal deviations in regards to choice and thus, insinuates a condition of membership. Consequently, consumer culture compels the desire to ascertain whether it is a positive or negative element in the current community. The family is the most important institution and considering that a consumerist culture adversely affects it implies that it is bound to ruin other facets of social existence and thus, it is detrimental to everyone usurped in it.
As mentioned earlier, the past century contained males and females who were producers and soldiers and purveyors of services respectively. They were not only obedient to command but also conformed to the rule. Their acceptance of respective ascribed positions was indisputable. Even though they were subject to a monotonous routine, they endured perpetual drudgery and were ready to postpone their gratification amidst a rigorous work ethic (Miles 1998, p. 17). These individuals were accustomed to working to their optimal best regardless of the work is meaningful or meaningless. In the end, the primary objective was training and drilling of these principal behavioral patterns among them. They would learn and internalize the craft backed by formidable principles. The body was a significant component in this case and on the other hand, the spirit had to be contained. In essence, consumerism is part of behavioral marketing psychology and it involves an intricate balance between the two. The goal of this society was to manage their bodies to guarantee their members had enough to meet their necessities and more so, survive in life. In contrast, consumerist culture has developed another aspect of existence orchestrated the development of another existence.
This lifestyle has established the growth of ‘new poor’ consumers, which is apparent in their incongruent capital. This line of thought is the conceptualization of a new term that abides in the fact is closely linked to particular concepts of relative poverty. However, this category excludes the “‘real poor’ who suffer from absolute poverty and have no access to necessities such as education and health care” (Chen & Nelson 2017, p. 3). The new poor are the people that can be prescribed as either “lifestyle poor” or “outcome poor.” These are people with “lower economic capital and higher noneconomic capital” (Chen & Nelson 2017, p. 1). Moreover, they lack the ordinary logic of upward mobility, which they can use to advance their living standards. Besides this deprived aspect, persons in this category become subservient to the lifestyle that robs them of a healthy social, mental, and economic living. They have a different approach to the market as their participation in consumerist society arises from the fact that they have few urgent survival issues. However, the primal effect in the negligence directed towards various aspects of the individuals’ lives demands heightened concern over this issue. This assertion arises because it results in actual lower standards of living.
They have a different approach to the market as their participation in consumerist society arises from the fact that they have few urgent survival issues. However, the primal effect in the negligence directed towards various aspects of the individuals' lives demands heightened concern over this issue. This assertion arises because it results in actual lower standards of living. Poverty, in this case, should not be understood to mean the ordinary case of people who live on less than two dollars a day. Instead, it predicates on the low-income earning consumers and more importantly, their well-being in consumer culture. In these societies, such people experience poverty because consumerism has a strong ideological hold (Hamilton et al. 2014, p. 1834). It is the paradox of poverty that has become more relatable with the recent global economic downturn.
Even worse is the fact that this lifestyle is wired into the young generation since their early childhood and with the concept ingrained in them, the continue upholding it to their entire lives. The society trains and coerces them to adopt this style where they...