Summary Of Consumerism By Benjamin Barber

In today’s media obsessed society, youth is greatly influenced by advertising. For example, Marketing to kids gets more savvy with technologies is how they ,“Online games like Webkinz show ads on the site draw youth to buy the product or just to look at it for ‘money’”. Because this tactic works, the ads are an excellent at make youth to talk about this and be annoyed. In Facts about Marketing to Children, it says, “Children pack 8.5 hours of media a day’, is what the Facts about Marketing to Children says.” Because children are on the media so much it is easy for marketers to advertise and get children to buy the product. “ Anne Lappe says that when her daughter grows up, and goes to a movie, the character might have a soda or fast food.”

Before understanding the relationship between capitalism and consumers, it is important to know each one individually. Capitalism basically means that a countries market is controlled by private owners instead of the government. A consumer is someone who purchases products and services provided by these private owners. It is very easy to see the relationship of giving and taking between consumers and corporations, without one the other cannot function properly. In the very distant past, there was no need for this type of relationship, if something was needed they made it or gathered it. Life was short and hard, so no one thought to make a surplus of an item and sell it to others for profit. It wasn’t really until the 1700’s during the industrial revolution where products could be mass produced that the free market came to be. The problem with capitalism’s relationship with consumers is that corporation’s control consumption, corporations breed consumers, and can target consumers around the world.

Whose fault is it? Every day children are sucked into marketing ads and techniques created by multi-million dollar companies. Is it right for companies to target children who cannot think for themselves? Or should parents and guardians be at fault for their child’s engagement with certain foods or product. Multi-million dollar companies have the power to change the world with their advertising of certain products, however, responsible parents also have the power to change their child’s life.

Many people believe that everything is black and white, especially when it comes to advertisements. What many don’t understand is that everything has an underlining meaning. Every advertisement has been thought out thoroughly to catch the attention of the consumers it is aiming towards. Advertisements aiming towards children has definitely been a topic that many people can’t seem to wrap their mind around. It’s been a topic that many have exposed because of the way marketers are willing to manipulate children in ways that only benefit their own. This whole issue began after the progression of marketing to children during the late 70s and early 80s with the advertisers’ intentions of making children lifelong consumers of products.

In Henry Veldboom’s article, “Our Wealth, Where is It Taking Us?”, Veldboom addresses the negative impact of capitalism on American society as well as its possible ramifications in the future. The paper begins by describing the relationship that the West associates with wealth and happiness. After drawing from this relationship Veldboom describes how the birth of post-industrial capitalism gave rise to consumerism. The text defines consumerism as a desire to acquire goods in order to fulfill a person's belief that each acquired good serves as a benefactor and a necessity. Moreover, Veldboom draws the conclusion that this type of reasoning perpetuates capitalism and gives businesses the ability to exploit people using marketing techniques

There is an undoubtedly enormous influence on the world by consumerism. Consumerism and capitalism shape the nation that we live in today. Everyone knows this because they see advertisements all day long on television, on the radio, on billboards and through hundreds of other mediums. Unfortunately, what the world is not exposed to is what goes on behind the marketing and the ultimate final sale. There is a dark side to capitalism created not only by shady merchants, but the worldwide multi-national companies as well. What both of these excerpts portray is the idea that there is more to the products we buy than we are told, or unfortunately, that we bother to ask about. Through the use of interviewing, traveling, and criticism, these

For many years, corporations have targeted adults, but as the years progressed their main focus and targeted audience have been children. Countless corporations often focus their products such as toys, clothes, and drugs to children in order to increase their own economic gain. In Juliet Schor’s article, “ Selling to children: The Marketing of Cool”, she mentions how products are accepted and interpreted by children in today’s society. However, in Eric Schlosser article, “ Kid Kustomers”, he emphasizes on the constant antagonizing strategies through ads and televisions shows to target kids. Although Juliet Schors and Eric Schlosser are both speaking about corporations marketing to children, their articles differ quite significantly. While they both speak about corporation and their marketing directed to children, Schor maintains her focus on how society perceived these products as cool or geeky, while Schlosser focuses his article on the negative way corporations have marketed their products to underage children.

‘Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley is a science-fiction book in which people live in a future society and a place called the World State. In this book, Aldous Huxley used the definition of consumerism to describe the behaviors of the citizens of the World State. Various behaviors and conducts of the people of the World State were related to the act of consumerism and pursuing happiness from them. Generally, by consuming anything such as soma, people and knowledge, citizens of the World State sought for happiness. However, those practices of consumerism also blinded the truth among the citizens of the World State.

Everyone in this world has a fondness for purchasing goods. Everyone especially enjoys receiving brand new, state-of-the-art goods, whether it’s clothing, a cool fidget spinner, the latest iPhone, gaming console, or bape jacket, etc. No matter what it is, if money isn’t a problem, a person will remain relatively happy and healthy; they can have whatever they want! This state of mind has an official term: consumerism. In the book by Aldous Huxley, known as Brave New World, consumerism is a very prominent theme. As they say in the book, “The more stitches, the less riches” (Huxley, 1934, pg 51, p 10). Consumerism may sound nice to a lot of people in the world, but it’s actually a lot more complicated than we think it is--in a negative way.

Tessa Braeuning Mrs.Gilbert Honors Brit Lit May 5, 2015 Brave New World Rough Draft In the novel, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, there is a new type of society that is a lot different from ours today. The people there aren’t naturally birthed by a man and a woman, they are created in a lab like a science experiment.

It is crucial to know why Americans are overspending in order to eliminate debt. One reason Americans are in debt is because of credit card usage. By the quick swipe of a plastic card, a person can easily spend a hefty sum of money without comprehending how much they are legitimately spending. The next reason debt is high is because Americans tend to buy superior products to boost their self-image. For example, people may purchase Birkenstocks because everyone is wearing them or a Mercedes Benz just to have a hot rod, and even dine at five-star restaurants just to make themselves feel important. Another reason for high spending is that people compare their lifestyles with the lifestyles of others. As human beings, we have a desire to belong.

Barber states that “kids and teen are now the epicenter of American consumer culture.” It is even being said that Marketers are targeting kids as young as 4 years old. It was stated that advertisements are marketed the most toward the youth. It is even see that marketers are even targeting other countries making them into global consumers, trying to figure out ways in which they can turn them in consumers, while trying to accommodate to the cultural differences of those countries, and marketers are successful in these strategies because kids generally all want the same things. They make all these kids feel confident and empowered as they have their parents buying them these things, or even buying these things themselves to turn them into consumers as they reach that market age. And that’s another thing, there’s a pattern of the marketer making the kids feel as of the need to grow up, and make the adults feel dumb down, and more child

I think it has become a habit for us, Americans to spend more than what we have. We tend to rely on credit cards to purchase things ahead of time, even though our financial situation might not allow it. Take my sister for example, she just entered college this year and from what I saw, she already in debt just based on her shopping alone. Unlike other countries, the credit card system in America is too attractive and hard to pass up, especially for the average Americans. Benefits like sigh-up cash bonuses, cash back and retail purchase protection will continue to bring in consumers and that consumer debt will remain prevalent in our society.

In the article, “Economic Value Check: How Much is Enough?” authored by Adriene Hill and David Weinberg, capitalism is described as a commercial bombardment of advertising that influencing people’s behavior to have an insatiable appetite more. The authors do not include some benefits of capitalism, such as economic freedom, efficiency in producing goods in high demand, and the fact that it creates a climate of innovation and economic expansion. The depiction of capitalism by the author is short sided and one dimensional rather than providing an in depth meaningful view of the positive and negative effects of capitalism.

Consumerism is damaging to our society, in our North American society consumerism is often portrayed to be a negative aspect of people’s lives. However, one can also argue positive effects that result from consumerism, or emphasize on the negative effects of consumerism and how it can be a constraining force in one’s own life. Consumerism is an idea of an economic policy that the market is shaped by the choice of the consumer and continues to emerge to shape the world’s mass markets. Some of the negative effects of consumerism that many critics may argue and that will be further emphasized on are the overexploitation of consumerism which has lead to economic poverty, and increase