Conspicuous Consumption

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Conspicuous Consumption
Written by Aldous Huxley in the year 1931 and later published in the year 1932, the novel Brave New World, contains some very insightful themes relating to the world as seen back in the 30s and what it has turned to today. In the novel Huxley anticipates the changes that will be expected in the realms of technology, education, engineering, genetics, consumerism, values of the society, morality among others. Although the book is set in London, he wrote it while in Italy, where he was living at the time.
One of the main themes discussed in the novel is that of conspicuous consumption, otherwise known as consumerism. By definition, consumerism is the socioeconomic order of a society to buy and consume goods and services at an ever increasing rate (Miles 15). It all started with the birth of the globalization idea as a media culture. The culture of consumption is engraved in the lifestyles of the people from birth. The people are misled that for one to be happy they have to attend to the needs, which are simply exaggerated by the media. For one to be successful, you have to meet this never ending crave to derive happiness from the material things (Davis and Bauman 56).
The Transition and Depression
Today, we have completed the transition process and are the Brave New World, illustrated in the novel, written at the beginning of the consumerism trend. When the novel was written the consumers were getting ushered into the politically orchestrated consumerism habits. During the depression in the 1930s people did not spend as much, as they remained indoors most of the time. They chose to stay indoors listening to the radio rather than to be out entertaining themselves. The economy fell with the weight of the war and poor consumption. It was during the Second World War the government hatched the plan to encourage people to shop more in support of the economy. It is this trend that Huxley wrote about in his novel, where the government uses the media to create insatiable needs in the people and justifies the course (History of Consumerism Since 1865).
Childhood Conditioning
From an early age the children are tuned to oil the system, by the material they are exposed to by marketers. The kids are used to influence the decision the family makes when buying breakfast, casual meals, clothing, software or even entertainment. This has seen companies spend over 20 billion more in adverts as they target the kids. At that tender age, the government uses the media and the education systems to show the children how they need new toys and clothes. Using top researchers in the field, and child development experts and analysts, companies study the natural behaviors of children, so as to understand what makes them tick. Impressions such as using more powerful computers, driving new faster cars and flying new planes are created in their minds, in preparation for the next stage in life. Majority of the advertisers have turned to the internet rather than the television in the families living rooms. They are now using the internet which is less regulated, sponsor school events, posters on the school busses, incentives coupled in contests (e.g. Pizza reading contests) or offering to supply school learning material, all in the bid to increase company visibility to the children. The adverts always illustrate that ‘old is bad and new is the best’. This idea is elaborated by the passage in the novel that talks about, beauty being attractive, but then again the system does not want the people o love the old things such as art, but the new things that encourage more consumption (Huxley 240).
Art can last for a very long time, and if the people like the old art, they are likely to be drawn to old things which will discourage them from buying new shinny products with the promises of ‘happiness’. In one of the passages the novel state how the people cannot consume as much if they sit down and read books. This is done to make the children hate the books, where they are discouraged by the use of loud music blares. The idea is to discourage the children from reading the books and opening their perception of the corrupt system.
When people buy the new goods, after sometime newe...