Consumer Society Issues - Essay Example

Consumer Society A consumer society is a terminology applied in reference to the western society. It implies a crop that is aimed at consumption of goods and services rather than their production. The society is usually well organized with a number of the twentieth century sociological aspects. Thus, this society has been associated with the emergence of a mass popular cultures, growing privatization and demise of the social class. Therefore, a consumer society can also be perceived as one which is specialized in the consumption of material goods as a vital feature of its balance and value. Moreover, it is a society that is consecrated with consumption of goods regardless of the costs and categories. Goods preferred by this society range from goods that are essential for proper health to those that bring about environmental sustainability (Baudrillad, 2). However, this society is the most vulnerable to the changing renewal of technology. Due to the dynamic nature of the market conditions, wants and preferences oblige the society members to dump their old equipment and embrace new developments. This move is aimed at attainment of a desired measure of comfort recognized by the world today. The business world is composed of two groups of people. Firstly, the group of buyers that constitutes the consumers. Consumers are the ones who formulate a consumer society that is mandated to protect them from exploitation by sellers. The second group is that of sellers. This group is constituted by a large variety of individuals ranging from companies that produce the goods to the wholesalers who act as intermediates then to the retailers – responsible for the final deliver of goods to the consumers (Baudrillad, 5). In the business world the two groups involved are susceptible to exploitation. Consumers can be exploited by sellers in various ways which include: unfair pricing of goods and services, hooding of goods and services, provision of poor quality goods at exaggerated prices and unrealistic weights and measures. On the other hand, sellers are also susceptible to exploitation by the buyer through oppression of their rights by consumer societies. Therefore, for harmony in business, the societies which are meant to protect the two groups and working contradictorily should be established. Consumer society encourages consumption of goods and services and the economic health of the society which is dependent on the population’s spending habits. In contrast to other societies such as the feudal or peasant-based societies, consumer societies require membership of a population that has some level of disposable income since the societies’ economic structure is based on the purchases and not decree or monarchical decisions. Thus, consumer society is contradicted by seller societies in terms of their individual responsibilities. Seller societies protect sellers while consumer societies protect consumers against exploitation. However, the comparison between the two societies is based on the fact that they are both involved in business; the societies protect their individual members from exploitation and this is the main similarity between the two societies (Baudrillad, 5). Moreover, consumer societies have their origin dated back in the colonization period. Consumption has been implicated as the America’s true national pastime. It dates back to the earliest European explorer trading with Native Americans to the current error of online shopping. This consumerism society has driven America to the current living standard by ensuring fair business transactions. The society strived to ensure that prices of goods and services are fairly determined and the weight and measure scales used are accurate, thus ensuring the information on weight and measures is not falsified. Consumerism being an ideology that encourages purchase of goods and services it aroused criticism in the works of Veblen (Schor & Holt, 23). He examined the middle class population that emerged in the twentieth century. This examination became fruitful in the twentieth century through the application of the process of globalization. Hence, the consumer society got perceived as a consumer activist or consumer protection society which seek to protect consumers by ensuring that advertisements possess portray the real image of the product and it does not involve falsehood, product guarantee and improvement of the health standards of goods and services (Schor & Holt, 106) Consumerism is a dynamic concept that was applicable in the anthropological and biological phenomena of humans’ excessive purchase of goods and services. This characteristic makes the society recognizable in the ancient Egypt, Babylon and ancient Rome societies. The concept refers to the ancient exchange of goods and services and it also involved in the transformation of Europe both socially and economically in the 16th, 17th and 18th century. Its emergence dates back to the 17th century, it however intensified in the 18th century. The changes in consumer ideas on luxury comfort and fashion is claimed to have been propelled by the growing population of the middle-class population. Thus, this concept of consumerism was first employed in London where the gentry and successful merchants acquired residences and came up with the culture of luxury and consumption that spread across the European socio-economic divides. The extension of marketplaces and shopping centers was associated with the spread of this concept. Consumer societies are prone to critic despite the fact that they are working to guarantee a comfortable life for the consumers. This society tries to identify consumers to a certain product brand and perceive status-symbolism appeal for example, purchase of a luxury car. Individuals who criticize the consumer society do so on the basis of substitution of the relationship between people with the relationship with product brands that gives them luxury and comfort, his therefore destroys coexistence between people since they adore their items more than fellow human beings. The critics of consumer society stipulated that these societies bring about environmental pollution, global warming and increased use of resources that may result in depletion. Thus, trying to reduce environmental pollution without reducing consumer societies is basically chasing shadows since it can be compared to combatting drug trafficking without reducing the population that is addicted to that drug (Schor & Holt, 55). According to the oxford dictionary, a consumer society can be defined as a society in which the buying and selling of goods is the most important social and economic activity. Basically, emphasis is put on the point of promotion of purchases of goods and services. In conclusion, consumer societies work for the benefit of both sellers and consumers. This society protects the consumers against exploitative business people alongside recommending certain brands to its members. Work Cited Baudrillad, Jean. The Consumer Society: Myths and Structures. Sage. 1998. Print Schor, Juliet., & Holt, Douglas H. The Consumer Society Reader. New Press. 2000. Print. Read More