The City of London and Consumerism - Essay Example

?How is the of London Written by Consumerism Introduction Consumerism refers to the purchase of goods and services in order to attain satisfaction out of it (Cronin, 2010). People who fall into this category are referred to as shopaholic at times. It is a very important factor in our day to day life as we are confronted with innumerous products that offer us more choices (Beer, 2000). Due to the aim of the paper: discuss how the London city is written by consumerism, it is important to highlight how people today think, behave and act differently than they used to do fifty years back concerning consumption. The way in which the city is written by consumerism makes people more independent and self sufficient due to the nature of consumerism: purchase of goods and services, which increase income and standards of living. Consumerism has created a mass market by bringing millions of products and changing the perspective of people in relation to how the city is written (Warde, 1996). This paper seeks to discuss how the city is written by consumerism. In addition, the paper will present argument on consumerism in fashion in industry in London. “If there is one agreement between theorists of modernity and those of post modernity, it is about the centrality of consumption to modern capitalism and contemporary culture. To thinkers as different as Werner Sombart, Emile Durkheim and Veblen Thorstein at the turn of the twentieth century, consumption was a decisive force behind modern capitalism, its dynamism and social structure” (Trentmann 2004, p.373) According to Richards (1990), consumerism has undoubtedly defined the existence and modernity of today’s metropolitan cities. London, being a focal point of Europe, has been a home to people from all around the globe. While commenting on consumerism as a phenomenon, Stearns (2001) regards a consumerist society in which many people formulate their goals in life partly through acquiring goods that they clearly do not need for subsistence or for traditional display (Stearns 2001, p.9). According to Mullins, Natalier, Smith & Smeaton (1999), the theoretical propositions, of how a city is written by consumerism, in relation to the concept of consumerism are largely classified as pessimistic views and liberal views. The pessimist point of view considers consumerism as a byproduct of capitalism whereas the optimistic view states that consumerism allows people to improve their objective and subjective well being, with opportunities being available to enhance leisure freedom and to facilitate the pursuit of happiness in writing the city (Mullins, Natalier and Smith 1999, p.44). In its literal meanings, Warde (1996) implies that the diversity of patterns involved in consumerism is expressed more openly than before and relating this open expression to London, one can say that the city has dwelled on this notion quite substantially. The ever increasing consumerism in London has come in many facets beginning from history to the current times, and the most prominent among them was the historical exhibition. The Great Exhibition in 1851, which expressed consumerism in every way possible through displaying the intent of consumerism, which was to promote the living standards of people in the city by increasing income through the buying and selling in the exhibition. As Peter Corrigan (1997) describes, the London’s culture on consumerism can be traced back historically during the period of Elizabeth I (Jayne 2006, Beer, 2007), however, consumerism has greatly changed from history and is particularly different in the way people consume products. The fact of the matter is that London’s metropolitan face was emphasized through the display of its potential and advancement (Auerbach and Hoffenberg 2008). However in the past, it has grown due to industrial revolution, and therefore resulted in the different practices such as impulse buying (Eade 2000). The aristocrats among the people living in the city of London updated their consumerism concerns through regulating their spending levels in order to stay ahead of the social classes. Fashion industry is one of the industries holding big market shares in London and the industry is known for high returns in terms of consumerism (Cronin 2010). Fashion industry is considered an important concept for aristocracy which made London a center for elite spending of commodities (Jayne 2006). This changed the face of London due to the numerous sales made from the industry that accounted for the increase in individual incomes. Therefore the trend did not just stir up the concept of demand and supply of consumer goods, but also increase different types of shops, different advertisement techniques such as the use of mass media which plays an important part in general marketing and promotion in the fashion industry, and leisure preferences of urban people in the city. This development of urban life in London has therefore given birth to consumerism (Jayne 2006). The city of London is a home of many people and its fashion industry also contributes as a major source of income. Consumerism in London city is widespread in fashion industry due to nature of products available which are preferred by many young people living in the city (Thorstein 2011). The entire city of London will be unhappy without the fashion industry as every young person loves fashion to some extent. This increases consumerism considerably among the population (Thorstein 2011). According to Nowell (2004), many cities have the tendency to develop specific buildings and trends that relate to shopping, the shopping malls or to fashion, and London is no exception. This is as a result of having cities getting more connected to movement in regards to fashion and the exhibition of consumerism that is witnessed in the city. People tend to spend more on fashion and hence enhance consumerism (Nowell 2004). In a city like London, the consumer culture, the political and socio economic system and contemporary infrastructure are merged in a way that has never been experienced before (Jayne 2006). The particular culture and the economic system of London City led to the growth of restaurants, shops, cafes, banks, sports institutions and a different range of dwellers that represented diverse ethnic groups. Shopping and consumerism contributes to the movement of people all over the world due to the search of items. Majority of people prefer shopping things that are made out of their country of residence (Cronin, 2010), as a result people move to London to buy fashion items leading to people from diverse communities mingling in the market. Therefore, it is due to the particular spending oriented trend and economic activities that increased the development of the current city space (Jayne 2006, Cronin 2010). The relevance of fashion in London grew rapidly through consumerism: many people and many nations migrated to London to buy various fashion commodities leading to the growth of the fashion market. Although not to all people living in London, the purchases and increase in the growth of the fashion market led to the income availability, hence raised the standards of living. The consumer involvement led to the introduction of different kinds of entertainment centers such as social halls, social amenities and buildings in order to bring the people of London together in the fashion industry (Jayne 2006). However, it is very important to mention that expenditure and the process of consumerism has not been the only factor in the critical growth of London, but also factors such as the living standards, individual incomes, and demand and supply of fashion commodities (Jayne 2006). London city itself shows modern nationhood in its progress due to the rapid growth of the fashion industry and the rate of spending (Bowlby 2002). The accessibility of things which represented new fashion and necessities of life, have always improved in the city of London which speeded up the consumer trends to spend more on goods and services which ignites the concept of consumerism (Jayne 2006). The trend of consumerism in any city has increased due to the rise in social prestige (Eade 2000). Similarly in London, the ability of people to show their wealth and success motivates them to adopt a particular trend of expenditure (Jayne 2006). High spending is greatly seen in the leisure class as well as the upper middle class, which are the sections of society in search of entertainment activities. Therefore, the relatively high spending among the middle and upper social classes is a factor of consumerism in the city of London (Fowler 1997). For example, people falling in middle and uppers social classes tend to have higher rates of expenditures compared to those in low social classes. This is witnessed in fashion market majorly because people in lower social classes seek to satisfy their basic needs including health care, while those falling in middle and upper social classes comfortably meet their auxiliary demands (Fowler 1997). The city of London is a metropolitan area where different ranges of ethnic and social groups are settled, which increases the trend of purchasing goods and services in greater amounts. The increased pace with which consumerism has developed in the city is due to the flow of money and internationalization of goods and commodities to satisfy the needs of those social and ethnic groups (Mumford, 1946). The other reason is the increase in social status of people living in London that tries to prove their wealth by spending more on things like leisure, and food. In order to stay ahead of the social classes or social stratum, people may want to update their levels of spending to show their prestige and value which promotes consumerism (Mumford, 1946). That is to say, consumerism has turned London into a focal point of Europe (Mumford, 1946) and the metropolitan life of the city has been largely shaped by the trends of expenditure among the Londoners. The city is also described in some ways that expose the pain of having to go through displacement in the set of the kinds of adverts used in selling the products of fashion and other items on consumerism (Mullins et al., 1999). An example is the idea that London as a city is not only concerned with aesthetics of the city, but is also interested in nostalgia that is portrayed from the point of view of the citizens who have an idea to pass across on what they think and the stand they hold about the city. In this part of the discussion, people will smile when they meet you and make it obvious that they really don’t care where you come from and that they would always provide you with the hospitality you need (Bauman, 2004). This comforts tourists and domestic adventurers who visit the city of London and hence consumerism is enhanced through their spending in the city. Although economic crisis has been an issue in London, consumerism attempts to improve the living standards of the people who participate in the buying and selling processes. These people are able to meet their daily demands and maintain a living. This increases the level of spending and ultimately enhancing consumerism, through the proceeds received from the products of the fashion industry. When people spend more and more money every day in the fashion industry, the economy of the city stabilizes (Annesley, 1998). With population rising more and more it is a very positive thing that more and more products are being launched in the fashion market. Consumerism in London has resulted into the creation of global employment. By providing jobs to some of the people in fashion industry, there will be stability within the city as people will have different views on how they view life as compared to when majority of the people lack jobs and see a dark future with no hope to make it across and to live comfortably. With the availability of jobs come more opportunities and the good side of life in the city and would therefore increase purchase of products (Annesley, 1998). Lewis Mumford holds the belief that men have a cooled lifetime that gives them lasting shape in such an artistic way to assist them in holding onto moments of importance that would vanish leaving no trail of possible renewal or the active participation in the market through buying and selling of the available products (Meier 2000). Lewis Mumford wrote that, “Cities are a product of time. They are the moulds in which Men’s lifetimes have cooled and congealed, giving lasting shape, by way of art, to moments that would otherwise vanish with the living and leave no means of renewal or wider participation behind” (Mumford, 1946, p4). This is linked to consumerism in that patterns of expenditure change with time and people’s lifetime. For example, young people tend to have more luxurious needs and spend much on fashion compared to the elderly whose main spending is channeled towards their health concerns. This tend to bring out their own explanations on how people feel the city influences the lives of those who live in it and how it can shape the future of the inhabitants who believe so much in the idea that their lives have to be intertwined with the destiny of the city from which they come (Mumford, 1946). That is to say, city through the fashion industry influences the lives of people who lived in it from young age. Such people in one way or the other tend to spend more in fashion when young that when in their later ages. Again, some people tend to like products made out of their countries and therefore expenditure is high on such products. This also determines whether the city inhabitants buy more products often or not, as people tend to buy more when they travel away from their city of residence. Conclusion In summary, consumerism has undoubtedly defined the existence and modernity of today’s metropolitan cities. London, being a fashion center of Europe, has been a home to people from all around the globe. The increased pace with which consumerism has developed in the city is due to the flow of money and internationalization of goods and commodities to satisfy the needs of those social and ethnic groups. London city is a metropolitan area where different ranges of ethnic and social groups are settled, which increases the trend of purchasing goods and services in greater amounts. 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