Consumerism and the Community College Student - Essay Example

 Consumerism and the Community College Student On the first day of class, first-time college student Chris unloaded colored-coded folders, pens and bookcovers from a brand new schoolbag in style keeping with the present fashion. Her stylishly casual jeans and trendy quotation-bearing T-shirt made her feel completely in control because she was one of the “right” people. A glance at the other students in the room told Chris that there were only three other students in the class who were as much the “right” crowd as she was, but no one was more “right.” Of the remaining 15 students in the room, 10 appeared as if they might reach “right” status at some point in the future, with a little more money, a little more luck and a lot more social skills, but the final five were hopeless cases wearing decades-old fashions and carrying tattered old schoolbags in yesterday’s cuts. Chris determined this information through the use of a highly-honed ability to observe and mentally evaluate the sum total of the articles and clothing possessed by the people around her. Through this assessment (which includes not only the material price of each item, but it’s acceptability within the “now” trends) Chris was able to determine whether each classmate was of the “right” crowd or, if not, to what degree they were lacking. Like many people within a consumer society such as America, Chris was basing her identity, and therefore the identities of those around her, on a purely material basis. Based on the stuff they own in 2005, community college students’ cultural backgrounds cause them to live “constructed lives.” Students such as Chris use materialistic cues such as style of dress, individual possessions and the ability to keep up with the ever-changing market trends to help them identify others sharing a similar desire to obtain something called the “right” life. “We want our lives to match our vision of the good life, itself largely a product of the media. We want to have the right clothes, the right car, the right house, the right job, the right spouse, the right children, even the right toothpaste” (Gabler). Because certain items have come to symbolize individual levels attained in the search for the “perfect” life, college students strive to attain the material goods rather than focus on developing an identity independent of worldly possessions. This means of establishing an identity by comparing your possessions with the possessions of others whom you perceive to be living the “right” life and then working to attain those items you lack is what is referred to as a “constructed life.” Exposed to images on television and in the theaters portraying glamorous, decadent lifestyles with little or no effort from the time they were small, college students have learned from their cultural backgrounds to expect high quality goods and services and the time to enjoy them. “Our friends on Friends lived — in spite of poor to middling incomes — in fabulous New York apartments,” Kulman says. “The piling on of such images gives us a sense that we need more and we need it sooner. Longing for the sensation of wealth, college students put pizza on the credit cards they are offered the first week of freshman year.” Despite evidence to the contrary, college students continue to buy into the marketing claims that specific individual goods will help them define themselves to others and will elevate their own social status. Child psychologist Allen Kanner, PhD, says “marketers … encourage teens to use materialistic values to define who they are and aren’t. In doing that, marketers distort the organic process of developing an identity by hooking self-value to brands” (Kersting). Although they may identify themselves by the goods they own, the perceived status remains only superficially based as they grow into adults who “carry heavy debts and risk bankruptcy to buy expensive cars and houses as a way to ‘prove’ their success and improve their social status” (Brinkerhoff). This is the them of author Neal Gabler’s book “Life the Movie.” According to Gabler, “a good many Americans seem to be searching for ways to make their lives more closely approximate the fantasies purveyed by movies and television shows.” In addition, he feels the reason most Americans turn to this is because they are suffering from the recently coined “information overload.” “The problem isn’t that the Pleasantvillians [referring to people in the movie ‘Pleasantville’ who existed in the black and white 1950s sitcom world] have too little reality; as an increasing number of Americans see it, the problem is that we have too much.” Gabler’s theory surmises that by creating the movie they want their lives to be through the purchase of the material trappings shown by the media, students believe they will attain the movie-styled success of their dreams, without consideration that life is what happens when the cameras are off. To achieve these “constructed lives,” it is important for college students to do whatever is necessary to maintain the outside illusion that they are as much the “right” crowd as they can possibly be. Credit cards offered to them upon reaching college status plus media blitzes claiming they cannot learn without the latest dorm room accessories in today’s fashion colors cause many to overspend their earnings quickly in an attempt to be as “right” as the other students they are likely to meet. “’Objects are now carrying the status weight that blood and religion and pigment used to carry.’ Which is to say that Americans not only ‘buy up’ but wear their wealth on their sleeve — or chest … labels no longer hid discreetly inside the collar. Today, Tommy Hilfiger’s prized name can take up most of the shirt” (Kulman). That students strive to have the latest items on the market can be seen in the spending habits of families just before students leave for college dorms. “Deirdre Schwiring and her mother spent $1,400 on everything from ramie curtains to a futon to a flat-screen TV for the junior’s 6-ft. by 14-ft. dorm room at the University of Miami, all because last year’s color scheme — pink and blue — needed to be updated for this season’s trendier palette of greens” (Kiviat). The practice isn’t unique to girls, either. According to Kiviat, Kyle Bixenmann, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Denver, required dishes, pots, pans, a 25-inch TV and a gaming system before going to the school, but upon seeing the possessions of another student, he decided he also had to have the same kind of specialized desk chair. Although sending students off to college with a car full of dormitory decorating supplies isn’t a new concept, the process of sending a student off to college with a car or two full of brand new, completely in fashion and fully equipped supplies is a status symbol in itself. When Tommy Ehrenberg readied himself for his first dorm room, it was necessary to have his parents buy more stuff to fill the car more completely before he could set out. Whether that stuff was necessary or not was never the question, only that he have the same kinds of things that his friends would be taking up, or that he could fill in some blanks that his friends may not have brought but that a college student should have. The concept of what a successful college student should have is based almost completely on the examples set in the media blitz. Realizing the buying potential of the college-going crowd, stores across the nation have partitioned off entire sections devoted to the college dorm rooms. Media campaigns emphasize that not only is it necessary for college students to have every comfort of home within their own small space in order to take their learning seriously and still be able to relax, but they must have it in all the latest colors and styles. In addition, television characters and actors themselves are seen enjoying every luxury without ever actually being perceived as working. This unrealistic measuring stick makes it impossible for college students to achieve the goals they seek without bringing economic ruin to someone who cares. “We no longer measure ourselves against the Joneses next door but against people we know only from the media. … J Lo’s left hand is weighed down by an 8-carat diamond, which makes our own finger jewelry look puny” (Kulman). Because one group is non-existent and the other is not perceived as working when they’re entertaining others, the idea that one can relax and enjoy the best out of life all the time is ingrained in the image of how to live the “right” life. “Instead of deciding what kind of shoes to wear or what kind of kitchen appliance to buy by looking at what their classmates or neighbors own, Americans now seek out consumer goods like those used by their favorite television characters” (Brinkerhoff). Because they are creating their identities by what they own rather than determining what they wish to own based on their own internal needs and desires, many of these purchases don’t provide the sense of satisfaction that was expected. Rather than finding herself happily ensconced in her new domain, when Jennifer Martin arrived at her dorm room at Texas Women’s University and unpacked all of the things her parents and she had determined would be necessary, she discovered she had very little open space in which to enjoy these items. To keep her television viewable, she had to stack her schoolbooks on the shelf behind it, but that wasn’t convenient to her hectic freshman schedule. She lived in constant fear that she would accidentally push the television off the shelf in a hasty scramble to an early class, but she wouldn’t part with any of the other items located in the room because they were necessary to proving to her friends that she was part of the “right” crowd that could afford all the requirements of successful living. Because purchases are made on perceived correctness for the prescribed “perfect” life displayed in the movies, individual identities are subjugated to the common ideal and little thought is given to what is required to fit the likes and dislikes of the individual involved. When these products don’t serve to satisfy their cravings for fulfillment, students run out to purchase more items they’ve seen on television rather than searching their personalities for what is important to them. When a student begins to perceive this failing and starts falling out of the perceived ‘norm’, they are brought back into the fold with carefully contrived media blitzes targeted to their variant group. According to Kanner, “It’s the meta-message that you can solve all of life’s problems by purchasing the right products that’s having the most profound effect” (Kersting). When they are concerned, students simply pull out the credit cards and start spending in an effort to bring themselves back into balance with the world of the consumers. “To those who accept the idea of consumerism, these products are not seen as valuable in themselves, but rather as social signals that allow them to identify like-minded people through consumption and display of similar products” (Wikipedia). Ashley Smart, a sophomore at Westwood College in Denver, had reached the maximum limit on all three of her new credit cards, had tapped out her savings account from her summer jobs and had borrowed as much as her parents would allow, filling her room with every type of gadget and appliance she could find, all coordinated and current, yet she was completely unsatisfied with her college experience so far. Since she could no longer go out shopping, she spent her free time browsing store windows and displays and taking the time to notice those things that she really liked. After an entire semester of no spending, Ashley determined she wasn’t happy with her purchases because they didn’t really define what was important to her. She ended up switching her major the following year. Removing themselves from the consumerism of everyday gives students a chance to start evaluating their identities based more on internal factors such as ethics, talents and interests among other things, but the fact that others will continue to judge them by their possessions drives many students to continue fostering the consumer environment. Students like Chris determine who their friends will be and who will be excluded from group activities, including class lessons, based solely on outward impressions. Because no one wants to be kept away from attaining the “perfect” life and is under the impression that somehow the people surrounding them will have an impact on whether they succeed or not, students continue to overextend themselves to keep up with current market trends. Works Cited Brinkerhoff, David B., Suzanne T. Ortega and Rose Weitz. Essentials of Sociology. Belmont: Thomas Learning Co., 2005. Gabler, Neal. “Is ‘Life the Movie’ Better Than the Real Thing?”. LA Times. Nov. 8, 1998. Kerstings, Karen. “Driving Teen Egos — And Buying — Through Branding.” June, 2004. APA Online. Nov. 25, 2005. Kiviat, Barbara. “Dressing Up the Dorms: Flea-Market Finds Will No Longer Do.” Time Bonus Section October 2004: Connections. Oct. 4, 2004. v.164, i14, pA8. Kulman, Linda. “Our Consuming Interest.” U.S. News and World Report. June 28, 2004. v136, i23, p58. “Consumerism.” Nov. 23, 2005. Wikipedia. Nov. 25, 2005. Read More