Improvement in the Concept of Consumers Society - Lab Report Example

Name : xxxxxx Tutor : xxxxxxx Title : Consumer Society Institution : xxxxxxx @2016 1.0 PART ONE 1.1 Essay Plan 1.0 PART ONE 2 1.2 Essay Plan 2 2.0 PART TWO 3 2.1 Abstract 3 2.2 Introduction 4 2.3 Consumption 5 2.3.1 Nature of consumption 6 2.4 Consumer society 7 2.5 Inequality in consumer society 9 2.5.1 The seduced consumer society 9 2.5.2 The repressed in consumer society 10 2.6 Forms of inequalities in consumer society 10 2.6.1 Social 11 2.6.2 Physical 11 2.7 Conclusion 12 3.0 PART THREE 13 3.1 Self-reflection 13 Bibliography 14 1.2 Essay Plan Title Description Abstract Contains an overview of what the report contains, its contents and structure. Introduction Definition of terms, brief history of consumer society as well as its evolution. Body In-depth description of consumption, consumer society, the inequalities in consumer society as well as forms of the inequalities. Conclusion A brief summary of the essay contents as well as authors view on the concept Bibliography A reference list of all the materials used to accomplish the essay. 2.0 PART TWO 2.1 Abstract This essay covers an in-depth exploration of the concept of consumers’ society. It deliberates on the deep understanding of the consumer society with regards to its various forms of inequalities and their history. The essay also gives the reader a clear understanding of some of the concepts, background as well as history and evolution of the consumer society. The concept of consumption as well all the dynamics within it are also discussed in detail. The forms of inequalities are covered in the essay with their accompanying impacts on the consumer behavior and perceptions. The essay also gives a brief self-reflection based on the previous assignment with a clear overview on how some of the recommendations from the tutor’s feedback on the assignment were effectively put into consideration while accomplishing this essay. Two of the important areas of improvements highlighted from the feedback were effectively used in accomplishing this essay. The essay finally gives a conclusive view of the consumer society and its advancements both in nature of occurrence as well as in evolution. The conclusion wraps up the entire essay and gives a brief summary on the author’s view of the consumer society with regards to the readings. All the literature in this essay are based on the reading material provided as well as reference to the street of choice in the previous assignment. 2.2 Introduction In the early years like the 18th century, the society existed in the industrial society setups rather than the consumer society setups. United Kingdom for example shifted from the industrial society to consumer society in the early 19th century. The industrial society had more focus on the nature of products produced rather than the products consumed. The capitalist during the industrial society were hence able to buy valuables and life a luxurious lifestyles unlike the low class individuals who provided the labor force to the capitalists in their manufacturing firms. The capitalists together with a few other well paid professionals like lawyers and doctors were the few individuals in the industrial society where the few who were regarded as consumers by then. The transition from the industrial society to the consumer society was initiated by the urge within the society to view consumption as an available product for the wider society rather than for the few. The increased few of consumption as an integral part of social circles is the key reason for the enhanced development of the consumer society from the past years (Veblen 1899). The consumer society is the one in which the commodity consumed by a consumer commensurate to revealing the consumers sense of themselves. The nature of goods consumer finds taste and attraction in depends on various factors such as their wealth as well as their capabilities with regards to his or her social rank in the society. Therefore, in order to understand and explore the concept of consumer society as well as the forms of inequalities, it will be important to understand related concepts like consumption as well as the dynamics within the consumer society. 2.3 Consumption Consumption is basically how people spend their money on and how the consumers make their choices on their consumption. The drive to consume particular type of products is argued by most social scientist as purely a lifestyle call and largely depends on the interpretation of an individual to their own selves. Therefore, based on the level of wealth an individual has or the rank on the social cycle, their nature of consumption varies. Therefore, within a social fabric, some individual may not be able to consume some commodities as a result of constrains such as economic capability as well as social constrains. Therefore in order to understand the consumer society as well as the nature of the contemporary society, we can analyze and observe the nature of commodities that people buy and how they use them. Consumption in most countries for example UK is largely dependent on monetary ability of individuals (Bauman 1988). In any contemporary society, people with surplus income have more consumer freedom than those with limited income. Consumer freedom in this case refers to the ability of the individuals to purchase more expensive and more satisfying commodities and services within the society. 2.3.1 Nature of consumption Consumption can generally be categorized into two large categories namely; Luxuries and essentials. Most consumer habits are aligned to this two types of consumption although their level of distribution in each of the nature of consumption as well as the amount of money they put in each consumption type varies depending on their financial abilities. Typically, a common household can spend their money in various other needs within the two large categories stated above. For instance, in UK, a normal household expenditure will include essentials such as Housing, fuel, transport, clothing and footwear, health, education as well as food. Luxurious expenditures for such households also include recreation and culture, Alcoholic drinks and tobacco, jewelry collection among others. It is important to note that, the distribution of money the middle class individuals on the above expenses greatly varies with the one that high class individuals put. According to Storper (2000), there exists great dynamics in consumer habits for both the wealthy and the middle class people within the society. Some commodities that were once considered as arsenal and novelty to the few wealthy individuals turn out to be a necessity for every individual as decades go by. The best example is the use of mobile phones. In later years between 1980 and 1990, owning a cell phone was seen as a prestigious component common to the wealthy few. However, this has changed in almost all parts of the world with a mobile device being considered as a necessity. It is rare to find an 18 year old kid in UK and even the rest of the world who does not own a mobile device. Many more devices such as Television screens, VCRs access to internet is no longer considered as commodities for the rich but rather a necessity for everyone. In this case, the both the poor and the rich own these commodities in equal measures. There are a number of reason why people prefer spending their money on some nature of commodities and not others. The exact interpretation on the drive towards their choices in not something within the capacity of human kind to determine with exact accuracy. However, by observation of nature of consumption for the rich, the middle class as well as the low class people in the society gives us a trend that we can help us understand this phenomenon. 2.4 Consumer society Consumer society is basically born from the concept of consumption and resulted from the evolution of the industrial society with time as stated earlier on this essay. Having understood the concept of consumption and its dynamics, it is now easier to understand the concept of consumer society together with its characteristics (Storper 2000). Consumer society can typically be defined as a society whose culture is characterized by consumption. Most societies in the world can be characterized as a consumer society based on the concept of this definition. Therefore in a consumer society, the individuals find comfort and fulfilment purchasing commodities such as clothing, jewelry among others as a way of finding satisfaction. Therefore, in the consumer society, luxury is no longer limited to the reach but rather to all the members. Although the expenses on these commodities vary for the rich and the poor, luxury as a necessity is explored by all in the society. The rich in consumer society purchase expensive commodities such as expensive cars, clothing and jewelry not just for consumption but as a declaration of their status in the society. An expensive car sends a message to the society of the new status an individual has gained apart from the comfort that the car can offer to the individual. Therefore, some commodities within consumer societies are used to create a social distinction between the financial abilities and social ranks based on financial abilities within the society. Therefore in most contemporary societies, it is easy to know the social status of an individual by the nature of property in terms of housing, cars, clothing, and jewelry among others. Rich people like big houses, with distinct furniture such as Italian furniture, fancy and expensive clothing such as Italian suits as well as expensive cars such as the German Porch among others. This has been a point of distinction for the various social ranks in the society. According to Veblen (1899) in his first book on consumer society, the consumer society purchased commodities for a particular reason. The main reason is always a signal transmission to the rest of the society on their newly acquired state of wealth. Therefore, commodities in the consumer society is always associated with the social rank one has in a society. 2.5 Inequality in consumer society Various scientist have researched on the various inequalities or forms of inequalities in the consumer society. Bauman as described in the text divided consumers in the consumer society into two large groups: The seduced and the repressed. Within this two categories exist various inequalities. Thus according to Bauman (1988), despite the fact that our societies have completely transited from the industrial society to the consumer society, the consumer societies is still marred with inequalities. 2.5.1 The seduced consumer society The seduced consumer society according to Bauman (1988) are those members in the society who have a higher degree of freedom in consuming luxurious goodies in their lives. Their higher degree of freedom in consumption is attributed to their better remuneration, or existence of surplus or disposal income in large quantities. Such people in the society can afford to buy expensive cars, own big houses, go on expensive vacation and own all sorts of prestigious commodities. The seduced are not limited only to the wealthy but also includes any member in the society that is subscribed to the ideals of consumer society and have interests in some commodities within such society. The seduced in the consumer society is argued to be an equivalent of the capitals when viewed from the perspective of industrial society. Therefore, despite of the advantage of access to goods and services advantage by the seduced in the consumer society, they also obtain a sense of self-expression and sense of belong to a particular social group or rank within the society. Therefore, people can belong to a similar social class or ranking based on their similarity in the goods and services they subscribe to and such goods and services can be used to identify themselves (Veblen 1990). The seduced can therefore be adequately be described as those that actively participate in the consumer society. The seduced are also not limited to the wealthy or with great financial advantage but may also include those respected members within the society or those with consumable products to sell to the consumers. 2.5.2 The repressed in consumer society The repressed in the consumer society are those individuals who have no access to the goods and services offered by the consumer society. There are considered as non-subscribers to the ideals of consumer society due to their financial constrains attributed to unemployment, those with low income like in the case of those in casual employments as well as the marginalized such as immigrants (Bauman 1988). Such people have limited chances in subscribing to the ideals of the consumer society and are always excluded from others with regards to social ranks and circles. 2.6 Forms of inequalities in consumer society The consumer society is characterized by forms of inequalities where some of the people in such a society benefit while others are excluded. The beneficiaries in the consumer society are largely the seduced while the excluded are referred to as the repressed as discussed earlier in the essay. The various forms of inequalities include; 2.6.1 Social People in the consumer society establish their social circles and rankings based on the goods and services they are subscribed to. The wealthy in the consumer society are attracted to owning big houses with expensive furniture and furnishing, expensive cars, expensive clothing as well as jewelry. Therefore, the financially constrained individuals who cannot afford these nature of commodities are socially excluded from social circles of the wealthy (Bauman 1988). With current trend in technology, the youths establish their social networks through digital platforms such as the internet. Therefore, a youth without access to electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets and computers will be socially excluded from the big fraternity within the internet based social networks. 2.6.2 Physical The disabled in the consumer society may not be able to access some goods and services within the society due to their limited mobility. Therefore such services will only be appreciated, enjoyed and subscribed by the physically sound individuals (Veblen 1990). For instance, assuming there exists a 3D movie theatre at the third floor of a building with access through a flight of staircases. A physically disabled individual on a wheelchair will definitely find great difficulty accessing the movie theatre and will thus be excluded from the service. Physical inequalities in the consumer society is therefore not limited to financial inability but rather the physical inability. In some cases, some individuals within the society may have the financial capabilities to access some goods and services but will be limited by their disability (Bauman 1988). 2.7 Conclusion Consumption is a defining parameter of a consumer society in the present day. Most countries such as UK among others have completely shifted from industrial society to consumer society. The social ranking of an individual within a society therefore is largely dependent on the degree to which someone can subscribe to the ideals of the consumer society. Based on the consumer abilities, the consumer society can therefore be described as either seduced or repressed where the wealthy gets a taste of all the goodies provided within the consumer society while poor remain marginalized. Therefore, consumption is a key feature in determining the social ranking or status of an individual. 3.0 PART THREE 3.1 Self-reflection Emphasis on the feedback from the previous assignment was put into consideration while accomplishing this assignment. Some of the key improvements highlighted by the tutor from the previous assignment included adequate and appropriate integration of themes and concepts from the unit materials, adequate knowledge of the unit materials as well as appropriate referencing both in text citations as well as reference list. Therefore, based on the improvements highlighted, this assignment was accomplished based on the concept of the unit’s materials. Some of the terminologies and concepts such as the seduced and repressed within the consumer society were derived from the unit materials and texts provided. The essay is also based on adequate understanding of consumer society as covered by the unit’s materials as well as the lectures from the tutor. Adequate understanding of concepts like consumption as well as consumer society, its history as well as evolution was provided and covered in the unit materials. Therefore, the whole essay is based on understanding and knowledge of the unit. Some difficulties in effective and appropriate use of Harvard referencing style was also highlighted by the tutor as an area that required improvement. Therefore, a better understanding of the use of OU Harvard referencing style was sought by referring to the OU Harvard Referencing guide. Both in text as well as the referencing list in this essay was therefore done in accordance to the referencing guide`s provisions and recommendations. Bibliography VEBLEN, T. (1899). The theory of the leisure class. Champaign, Ill, Project Gutenberg. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=1035700. Goodwin, N.R., Ackerman, F. and Kiron, D. eds., 2013. The consumer society (Vol. 2). Island Press. McKendrick, N., Brewer, J. and Plumb, J.H., 1985. The birth of a consumer society (p. 100). Bloomington: Indiana university press. BAUMAN, Z. (1988). Freedom. Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press. Storper, M., 2000. Lived effects of the contemporary economy: globalization, inequality, and consumer society. Public Culture, 12(2), pp.375-409. Read More

The transition from the industrial society to the consumer society was initiated by the urge within the society to view consumption as an available product for the wider society rather than for the few. The increased few of consumption as an integral part of social circles is the key reason for the enhanced development of the consumer society from the past years (Veblen 1899). The consumer society is the one in which the commodity consumed by a consumer commensurate to revealing the consumers sense of themselves.

The nature of goods consumer finds taste and attraction in depends on various factors such as their wealth as well as their capabilities with regards to his or her social rank in the society. Therefore, in order to understand and explore the concept of consumer society as well as the forms of inequalities, it will be important to understand related concepts like consumption as well as the dynamics within the consumer society. 2.3 Consumption Consumption is basically how people spend their money on and how the consumers make their choices on their consumption.

The drive to consume particular type of products is argued by most social scientist as purely a lifestyle call and largely depends on the interpretation of an individual to their own selves. Therefore, based on the level of wealth an individual has or the rank on the social cycle, their nature of consumption varies. Therefore, within a social fabric, some individual may not be able to consume some commodities as a result of constrains such as economic capability as well as social constrains. Therefore in order to understand the consumer society as well as the nature of the contemporary society, we can analyze and observe the nature of commodities that people buy and how they use them.

Consumption in most countries for example UK is largely dependent on monetary ability of individuals (Bauman 1988). In any contemporary society, people with surplus income have more consumer freedom than those with limited income. Consumer freedom in this case refers to the ability of the individuals to purchase more expensive and more satisfying commodities and services within the society. 2.3.1 Nature of consumption Consumption can generally be categorized into two large categories namely; Luxuries and essentials.

Most consumer habits are aligned to this two types of consumption although their level of distribution in each of the nature of consumption as well as the amount of money they put in each consumption type varies depending on their financial abilities. Typically, a common household can spend their money in various other needs within the two large categories stated above. For instance, in UK, a normal household expenditure will include essentials such as Housing, fuel, transport, clothing and footwear, health, education as well as food.

Luxurious expenditures for such households also include recreation and culture, Alcoholic drinks and tobacco, jewelry collection among others. It is important to note that, the distribution of money the middle class individuals on the above expenses greatly varies with the one that high class individuals put. According to Storper (2000), there exists great dynamics in consumer habits for both the wealthy and the middle class people within the society. Some commodities that were once considered as arsenal and novelty to the few wealthy individuals turn out to be a necessity for every individual as decades go by.

The best example is the use of mobile phones. In later years between 1980 and 1990, owning a cell phone was seen as a prestigious component common to the wealthy few. However, this has changed in almost all parts of the world with a mobile device being considered as a necessity. It is rare to find an 18 year old kid in UK and even the rest of the world who does not own a mobile device. Many more devices such as Television screens, VCRs access to internet is no longer considered as commodities for the rich but rather a necessity for everyone.

Read More