Entry 3: The Emergence of Consumerism

"The goal was to be able to change frequently, so that people who had bought on set of plates or vases would have to come back against lest their possessions be out of date"

This quotation reminded me of our class discussion about computers. The fact that computers only last for about three years shows how producers are gearing their products towards consumers. Every three years consumers upgrade their computers to a newer, better, more powerful model in order to replace the model that was newer, better, and more powerful three years ago. This is planned obsolescence at its best. Now this trick has evolved into every industry; spanning from foods to cars, clothes to technology. In addition, this consumerism has spurred an entirely new industry as is shown by the quotation "local salesmen could advertise [at monthly fashion shows]" This shows how consumerism is the foundation of related and interlinked industries such as advertising and production.

"Indeed, what one group of historians has called the consumer revolution was based on the realization by shopkeepers and consumer goods producers that wants and needs were infinitely' stretchable, not confined to what was required to live up to conventional standards or to subsist."

I find that what the average person's ability to decipher between a want and a need has diminished as a result of advertising and technology. Now more than ever, advertisers play on our inherent drive to react against the loss of freedom in order to "help people buy what they do not need." For example, clothing store sales are often advertised as 'one day only' and tv infomercials give extra savings and a free gift to the 'first ten callers.' The new language of advertisements not only increases our "symptom" to consume, but also encourages us to do so at a far more rapid pace than before. Additionally, modern technology has made our wants and needs more stretchable by making it more convenient to over-consume. Now we can purchase everything we could possibly need online from the comfort of our own home. Because of the increased sense of availability of such a vast number of products, I feel that our wants have become the same as our needs.

"This new attention to comfort was part of redefining items that had once seemed luxuries into necessities..."

It amazes me that, while life was considerably different 300 years ago, this still holds true. While I know that most of the things I feel I require for everyday life are not actually necessities, they are things that bring me comfort or make life easier. I know the internet is not necessary to live, but it is the fastest and easiest way to gather information. If there is ever an emergency, the first place I would look for information or news is online. The internet can be accessed from so many places, so it is not only convenient, but also comfortable. Now I can buy Christmas presents or do research on a project for school all without leaving the comfort of my own home. No, it is not necessary, but life would be considerably harder without it.

"Acquiring goods was becoming part of individuals' identity, their measurement of what a satisfactory life involved."

I thought this statement was interesting because it describes the growing shallowness of human society. I feel like this quote definitely holds true today and shows how far back consumerism goes. So many people these days have become so materialistic, especially in a wealthy country like the U.S. I think it's unfortunate that consumerism has affected people so much to the point where this statement holds a good amount of truth and that physical items have become more important to them than what really matters in life. People in today's world always seem so unsatisfied with the great things that already exist and strive to create something newer and better. I think people would be happier if they strived to reach mental and emotional greatness rather than worrying about what material goods they own.

The quotation that I found particularly interesting was on page 21. Sterns says that "A passion for watches spread widely in the eighteenth century, particularly for men. Historians used to note the rapid spread of clocks and watches as a sign that people were becoming increasingly conscious of clock time, and this is to some extent accurate. But many people initially bought watches in order to look up-to-date, to be the first in their group to have one. Only later would they learn actually to tell time and use the item."

This is interesting to me because I feel that this happens today as well. People in society use unnecessary items (even when they have no actual use) just to look cool or to keep up with everyone else. It is fascinating to me that even in 1711 when the world was not as "developed" as it is today there was still a focus on what material items people had and this need for items that were not necessary. It makes sense how we got to where we are today with phones that have internet access and can basically do anything we want them to. This focus on non-essential items has changed the way people live and it seems that it can only continue to get worse.

Here, obviously, huge claims, backed by invocations of science, suggested the full advertising imagination. In case the message was lost, that the bed would produce higher-quality children, the biblical message “Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish earth” was imprinted, in “burnished gold, on the head of the bed.”

This is the paragraph right after the London Morning Post advertisement from 1783. I found this advertisement interesting because although from a visual perspective this advertisement might not look anything like the advertisements of today, the thought process in the production of this add is completely the same as the process behind the adds of today. Just as in this add from 1783, in the adds of today there are several subliminal messages to gear the consumer to purchase the product. It’s interesting and to a certain extent scary that the producers of these adds can manipulate the minds of consumers without their recognition.

“Here, obviously, huge claims, backed by invocations of science, suggested the full power of the advertising imagination. In case the message was lost, that the bed would produce higher quality children, the biblical message ‘Be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth’ was imprinted, in ‘burnished’ gold, on the head of the bed.”

This kind of advertising, appealing to religion, must have been extremely effective in the 17th century. I find it interesting how the mattress producer used an essential aspect of everyday life, religion, to sell his product. Producing children was something most people believed would help them reach salvation, because it was God’s will, according to the Bible. Salvation was absolutely a necessity to all Christians during this time, and the mattress advertisement linked the mattress to producing better children, and thus doing more to please God. By combining a part of society that was so deeply entrenched with this new product, the advertiser created an unbreakable link between his product and religion, making people much more inclined to buy the mattress.

We can see a similar idea in modern advertisements that use our entrenched social values to draw people to the product. An example of this would be online dating services such as Eharmony.com or Match.com. Marriage and family is still extremely important in our modern era of consumerism, and these dating services advertise to exploit the insecurities of single people who are approaching the age where they “should” be in a serious relationship. For many people, it is necessary to be in a relationship and have a family, whether it is for personal fulfillment or a belief that they are supposed to do this. Clearly, an online dating service is not a necessity, but the advertisements for such services suggest their products’ results are indeed quite necessary to attain happiness and fulfillment.

"A passion for watches spread widely...but many people initially bought watches in order to look up-to-date, to be the first in their group to have one. Only later would they learn actually to tell time and use the item."

I like this quote because it fits the nature of consumerism today. For example today there is constantly new gadgets and gizmos that flood the sheleves of electronic stores like a Best Buy that we have never heard of. However, we still buy the product even though we have don't have grasp of what it does or how to use it properly. This displays the nature of consumerism since we buy not because of need, but rather, because of our own desire to have the latest and greatest that technology has to offer regardless of whether it makes our lives easier.

"People began to dislike getting wet, something that seemingly had never greatly bothered them before"

I picked this quote because it describes mindset of the consumerist. People begin to have the line between necessity and desire blurred, to the point where they don't even think before buying things anymore. Temptations are everywhere for them to buy the next best thing, most of which is not necessary. In this example, the author talks about umbrellas becoming fashionable; however, many present day inventions like the air conditioner fit the description perfectly. Before people went to class or stores without ac and never complained, but now many people cannot live without air conditioning constantly running. It's not a surprise that this consumerism contributes to the destruction of the planet, through global warming.

"On the other side of the law, people began to name consumer items lovingly in their wills, hoping to pass down a cherished piece of furniture or dress as an emblem of affection. Material objects, here, focused and symbolized emotion."

Consumer items, since the energence of consumerism, became a way to articulate a person's affection for another. I found myself connecting this quote back to Suzuki's article, "The True Cost of Gadgets" and the shopping frenzy that occurs during Christmas time every year. Because consumer goods are an investment financially and emotionally, the items that are purchased somewhat suffice as a symbol of love. According to Suzuki, technology has removed us from a more community-oriented lifestyle to a more detached lifestyle. With the surge of new technologies and its isolating effects, perhaps we use the holidays as an opportunity to give these gifts to those that mean something to us so that we can attempt to reestablish and validate our connections with the people around us.

"Here, obviously, huge claims, backed by invocations of science, suggested the full power of the advertising imagination."

I chose this quotation because it brings to light what seems to be the biggest problem with advertising, there is no invoking entity that regulates the notion of "good". Today science is the seems to be the governing authority for what should be considered good. Yet the grand claims told by advertisers are in no way backed by science. This is important because it ties with the authors underlying theme, that we buy what we don't need. But advertisements don't tell us what we need scientifically, they only tell us what we want to hear in our imaginations. This means two things for negative aspects of consumerism, either people need to be educated that the claims are imaginary, or the claims really do need to be invoked by science.

"the whole sex is now dwarfed and shrunk into a race of beauties that seems quite another species"

This quotation struck me to be my favorite of the reading because I strongly agree with the critic Addison who wrote the quote. I believe that conspicuous consumption of people is making us all change our appearance so much that some people can not be recognized if all the makeup and all the fancy clothes were changed. Most women walking around in public do not look the way they do when they wake up in the morning. So much change goes on with a woman during the time between her waking up and her leaving the house. Also not only people put on makeup and fancy clothing to disguise their imperfections more and more people are getting plastic surgery to change their appearance. I have a feeling that in a few years plastic surgery will become as common as putting on makeup in the morning. Our society is becoming more and more superficial with time passing. As the article presents how quickly different commodities of consumption going out of style and are replaced with newer ones that are more stylish.

"Finally, consumerism gains additional meaning throug the advent of the idea of boredom, another eighteenth-century innovation. Surely people had been bored before consumerism, but in English at least, they had no word to describe their condition. Now they did. In a society increasingly impressed by novelty and acquisition, it became easier to deplore a lock of interest and stimulation--to note, in sum, that one was bored."

I picked this quote because for me personally, boredom is where consumerism really is able to reel me in. We have this idea that we're always supposed to be doing something, we always have to be somehow stimulated or entertained. This is why my friends and I visit restaurants, go to the movies, have coffee, text eachother, etc--the list is virtually endless. Even when I am at home by myself and I have no work to do, I don't want to be sitting doing nothing. I end up watching tv, on the internet, talkng on the phone, or trying to find someone to do something with. When it comes down to it, I spend quite a bit of money in order to avoid boredom. I also found the part of the quote very interestng that though peole had surely been bored before the emergence of consumerism, a word for boredom in English did not emerge until consumerism emerged. I found it absolutley fascinating that even as early as the 18th century, not only was consumerism telling us that we were bored, but that is was a problem we needed to fix.

"The ripple effect of consumerism drew quick comment, for the styles of the higher classes could easily be imitated in cheaper models designed for wider sales."

I found this to be hilarious, but also still extremely applicable in todays consumer society. My girlfriend has an exact replica of the 200 dollar Ugg boots, but she bought them in China for 10. Everywhere you look there are ripoff brands which attempt to imitate the more expensive ones, and although it is often possible to tell upon closer inspection that it isn't the same quality, the off brands can still pass very well. It seems almost like a great equalizer in terms of fashion, because although the true designer brands cost more than I would pay for my own life, they can still be copied relatively well. I'd say this is an important factor to consider because although the rich can still dress richer than the poor, it's a sort of clothing equalizer.

"Novelists began to write frequently of boredom (for which consumerism might be a cure). Here is another indication of the profound changes in human perception that consumerism involved."

This quote was perhaps one that stood out the most from the reading. I like this quote because throughout the whole article the author is trying to point out just how consumerism has changed society, from the goods that transform people's identity to objects that represent emotions. With this quote, it shows that even human conditions and our use of time have been altered by consumerism and it's so true. For example, when I'm not in school I find myself bored at times and one of the first things that comes to my mind to cure this boredom is to go to a mall, shopping plaza, etc. Why do I have the urge to go buy more stuff when I could instead dedicate myself to something else? It just goes to show that our society today has an impression on me to acquire more even when I don't need to.

"The ripple effect of consumerism drew quick comment, for the styles of the higher classes could easily be imitated in cheaper models designed for wider sale."

I find this absolutely hilarious and still absolutely true in our modern consumer society. I know plenty of girls who own boots which look exactly like the $200 Ugg boots, but are instead a $15 knockoff. However, unless you take the time to inspect them, or you have a certain eye for such things, it would be difficult to see the difference. Now obviously, if someone has lots of money, then they can dress much more richly than someone who does not. This is because a quality piece of clothing is going to cost more money to make, therefor, if you can afford it, you can buy more quality clothing. However, like I said with the Ugg boots example, money can, to a certain extent, be faked, which I find important because it makes snap judgements about people based on just socio-economic status more difficult. In terms of real world application of this, these snap judgements can mean the difference between getting the job you're interviewing for or not.

"People began to refer to an 'epidemical madness' to consume the latest fashions; they talked of 'universal' contagions and 'infections'..." (pg 17)

In looking at the plague of consumerism as a sickness, i think we can really understand the essence of what the author is trying to drive through as his main point. He talks of how a transformation occurred in which some luxury goods started to be incorporated into the social norm as a necessary commodity. Humans have survived with food, shelter, water and clothing for many years before we decided that life without chocolate is unbearable. Can we actually still define ourselves as the same humans of the past if our sickness for consumerism has re-wired out brains? I guess the only commonality with which we share among our ancestors is that we still are greedy and lustful, of which consumerism seems to exemplify ten-fold in todays society.

"Novelists began to write frequently of boredom (for which consumerism might be a cure). Here is another indication of the profound changes in human perception that consumerism involved."

I like this quote because the author, Peter Sterns, illustrates how consumerism even changed how human conditions became perceived. The movement transformed people's identity, attached emotional meaning to objects and also altered our way of thinking by making society accustomed to novelty and the aspects of modernity. The increasing availability of goods that came about at this time changed people's aspirations and made our definitions of "needs" and "luxuries" evolve.

"In a society increasingly impressed by novelty and acquisition, it became easier to deplore a lack of interest and stimulation-to note, in sum, that one was bored".

I found this quote interesting because even today boredom and consumption are very strongly linked. It seems that every electronic invention is created to combat boredom in any situation. We have phones that get internet everywhere, Ipods to listen to at anytime, and portable game systems. The time during activities that used to be accompanied by thinking or people-watching, such as walking or riding the bus, is now filled with electronics use. Everyone is either on their phone or IPod. And I think our attention span is getting shorter with time. Most people can't handle boredom, hence the need to buy all these electronics.

“Consumer credit was widely extended, again to help people buy what they did not need.”
This quotation reminded me of one of the many big problems Americans have, credit card debt. We are giving the opportunity to have anything or everything we desired to have with just a single swipe. As many individuals obtain a credit card some know how to manage their shopping and paying back but in the other hand others do not and fall into debt.
Many stores now offered a 10% or 15% discount on your first purchase if you apply for their credit card, which is a form to get the person to open one thinking that they are getting a deal, in many cases is not. Having already a credit card for your favorite store it is more likely for you to go wild buying everything you want. At the end of the month your faced with this bill that you could not even pay back at full but at times the minimum which is not even enough.
More people are falling in debt because they go on buying things that they do not need but feel its a necessity to make a statement of who they are or what they are capable of buying not taking into consideration the risk of debt.

"Production and sales now consisted of a combination of trying to whip up enthusiasm for a new craze, with studying how tastes were spontaneously shifting."

For me, this quote defines the beginning of the development behind "trends" and "phasing out" of recently purchased items, which ultimately lead to the continuation and expansion of consumerism within society. This quote is important because it helps us better understand the psychology behind the human motivation for mass consumerism. This quote also connects to a bunch of different new ideologies that exist today, such as globalization. The idea of mass consumerism as a biproduct of "trends" has created a demand and market for global influence on the production scale, which in turn has affected and changed people and culture around the globe, for example the exploitation of cheap labor and poor working conditions overseas. This quote simply describes the sort of business tactic taking place at that time; the beginnings of the ideas behind mass consumerism.

"Consumerism gains additional meaning through the advent of boredom... Surely people had been bored before consumerism, but in English... they had no word to describe their condition... In a society increasingly impressed by... acquisition, it became easier to deplore a lack of interest and stimulation. Novelists began to write frequently of boredom (for which consumerism might be a cure)" (24-25).

Being bored is a common sickness in the world of today, a sickness which is often--at least seemingly--remedied by purchasing something. This quote stood out to me because people today never seem to have a spare moment to just sit and "be" and maybe all they need to do is take a step back from this insane consumeristic whirlwind and relax. Being bored implies a negative connotation, when really, having nothing to do could be quite a positive experience.

"The first was theft. The same raging compulsions that drove some people to thirst for the latest style drove others, unable to indulge their needs, to steal."

This quote was interesting to me because it exposes the kind of sickening mental state that can envelop a person obsessed with rampant consumerism. I generally think of the desire for lots of things that we don't need as a relatively new concept, fueled by the advent of credit cards and internet shopping, but it isn't so. I remember reading a while back about a man that was killed for his expensive sneakers. That is probably an extreme but nonetheless, the fact that it even occurred is a testament to the ludicrousness of extreme consumerism. As it turns out, even hundreds of years ago some would "strip people naked by violence or threat." It seems that as a society, our obsession with "wants" and more importantly, our confusing them with "needs," has been building for a good while. It feels a bit like the everyday person is being duped by monolithic companies to confuse things they desire with things they need. It is sad that people would resort to violence to attain something pretty insignificant that they have been almost brainwashed to believe that they need, whether it is now or in the 18th Century.

"The ripple effect of consumerism drew quick comment, for the styles of the higher classes could easily be imitated in cheaper models designed for wider sale."

This quote caught my attention mainly because it is so correct about society today, and he is only describing consumerism during its early days. I can't help but think about how high fashion/designer brands have, since the very beginning, created a myriad opportunities for other companies to manufacture different 'knock off' versions of the real deal. This allows consumerism to thrive and blossom. I think that this quote caught my eye because I have a passion for clothing and fashion. I think the author illustrated his point about consumerism in the 18th century very well, and what is even more interesting is the fact that today, consumerism in the fashion industry has grown exponentially.