2. 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?
3. “The cultural dominance, in modern
capitalist societies, of an orientation to
the marketing and consumption of
goods
and services”
(Collins Dictionary
of Sociology)
4. 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
5. A “consumer society” - MASS Consumption
High Modernity
Middle classes – from about 1860s
Increasing wealth more money to
spend on consumer goods
Working classes
Increasing wealth
Higher aspirations
-in USA from 1920s
-in Western Europe from 1945
6. 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
7. 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
8. 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
9. The appearance of the “sovereign
consumer”
A new kind of individual
With 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
10. 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
11. 5) Development of consumer places:
Arcades
- From about 1870s
- Passageways with small, exclusive shops
- Covered, lighted, heated, patrolled
The shopping mall –
USA, 1950s onwards
12. 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
13. Late Modernity
Later 20th century
Move 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
14. Early modernity: beginnings of consumerism
High Modernity: mass consumption / consumerism
Late Modernity: flexible production; away from mass
consumption; multiple consumption-based lifestyles
15.
16. 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
17. Advertising agencies
Attempting to fix meanings
Attempting to guide
consumer’s thinking
Mostly sub-conscious
Encouraged to keep consuming
18. Negative views assume:
- Individuals wholly open to manipulation
- Individuals unthinking and uncritical
- Advertising strategies
always work
19. Critical and reflective consumers
Use consumption for their own purposes
Difficult to control
21. 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
22. Activities of trans-national corporations
(TNCs) e.g. Coca-Cola, Nike,
McDonalds, etc.
“Coca-colonization”
(Ulf Hannerz)
