Entry 3: "The Emergence of Consumerism"

"many people bought watches in order to look up to date, to be the first in their group to have one. Only later would they learn to tell time an use the item." (21)

People dont always buy things for their superior functionality, but so that they are up to date. Consumers want the shiny new thing so that they can look modern and sticking with the times. Today, we could not immagine going through the day without knowing what time it is. Except for some special circumstances when on vacation. But this just shows how fashion can have a heavy influence on what today are basic needs. Many people still bought watches for the functionality, and these were people of high standing in the business world. With high status and prestigious jobs. They had to know what time it was so that they could make their business appointments. THen, when watches became widely available and cheap enough for the common consumer to buy, people bought them to increase their status and to look classy. Learning how to use the product and what it could do for them was just a secondary perk of having a stylish accessory. This could be related to iPods in its early years. There wasn't necessarily any more reason to buy it than a new CD player or another high capacity option. It definitely wasn't the best product out there, but Apple made it cool, and that is what sold it. Soon everybody had one and so everyone else needed one.

“The need for stylish or novel items might easily overcome restraint” (23).

Sterns' quote, to me, is simple yet profound. I have both observed and personally lived through the social human’s apparent need for superfluous items. I am extremely guilty of purchasing things just because they sounded (or looked) appealing in an advertisement or on someone else. And I truly believe that most of us are guilty of this. Unfortunately, this common indulgence we practice while superficially rewarding us also brings out the worst in some people. I have seen people fight (usually verbally) over the very last “new and improved” or “top” product on the store shelf that just came out. Christmastime is a nightmare. And theft? All too often have I seen it. Not only do we fight over these silly materialistic possessions (that will soon become obsolete anyway), we also spend too much money on them. Sterns also states that even in the past, the consumer would go into debt to stay up with the latest fashions. Why are so many of us Americans plagued with debt even now? Could it be that we give into luxuries that we actually misconceive as necessities? Our restraint, as both self-control and monetary limitations, cease to exist in this consumerist society that started a long time ago.

“Use of advertisements proliferated. They filled the weekly newspapers now available in the cities. They contributed to posters and trade cards that were widely distributed”

Just as they proliferated in the dawn of consumerism, I have noticed that advertisements are incessantly creeping into new places and popping up in unique forms. Ads for material goods and services seem to be more and more pervasive in my life. When YouTube began there were no ads, but now I encounter video ads that I have to play before I can watch the video that I selected. Additionally, the music website Pandora has added audio ads between every few songs, and it’s often the same message that is played repetitively. Even smart phone apps are designed with ads in mind as they may pop on-screen just seconds after an app is launched. I am curious to see just how insidious this trend will become in the coming years. Media technologies are continually being developed and I have a feeling that advertising will keep pushing the personal boundaries, increasing in quantity and permeating new-found mediums.

"The goal was to be able to change frequently, so that people who had bought one set of plates or vases would have to come back again lest their possessions be out of date" (20)

This quote interested me because it shows just what drives consumerism: competition between materialistic desires. And it also shows just how profitable this human weakness has been for consumerism. If the desire to have the biggest, brightest, newest inventions wasn't present, companies would have little to sell and profit off of. There would also be much less waste.

“Public opinion on the power of Packwood’s superior Razor Strop agree that it is worth its weight in gold, and acknowledge their face to be cleaner in the evening…” (20).
The use of popular opinion is an advertizing technique that is still vastly used by companies today. One of the strongest driving forces of consumerism is the overall popularity of a product among a population of people. The bandwagon effect is what causes many people to be attracted to certain products. They want to be a part of the latest trend and do not want to feel out-of-date within their circle of friends. The bandwagon effect implies that consumers will buy a product just because many other people have it, and therefore they will find it reliable. This advertising technique has now transcended realm of goods to politics where it affects the way people vote, and to sports teams where it affects who people cheer for during the big game.

"Relatively humble shopkeepers invented special gimmicks."(19)
It sounds like at the time, gimmicks were unusual, or at least specific to certain eccentric salespeople. Nowadays though, we are surrounded by marketing stratagems wherever we go, whether it is in the streets or in our homes, regardless the country. A painted white pony ridden by a shopkeeper probably attracted a lot of attention and thus clientele in the 18th century. That is because it must have looked so ridiculous and illogical that people were curious to know the source of the madness.
It seems that today, however, consumerism has taken such proportions that we have lost the ability to notice the absurdity of some gimmicks. (I have yet to understand the relationship between hamburgers and a clown named Ronald.) But they seem to be pretty efficient despite their ludicrousness. What is sad is that people are treated like idiots. What is sadder is that we fall for it.

"Acquiring goods was becoming a part of individuals' identity, their measurement of what a satisfactory life involved." (Page 23)

This quote explains a lot about consumerism in its early stages. It was not necessarily the force of the advertisers and product sellers that got people to become consumers. Consumerism was merely sparked by a few people at the top, and the consumers did the rest of the work. Once the mechanisms for consumerism were set in place, it was perpetuated by the consumers themselves. They were always looking for the next big thing, always comparing themselves to their peers, and trying to stay up to date with the latest products. They were made to see what a "better" life was supposed to be like and then just went on to chase it. I think advertising (although weaker than peer influence) plays a much larger role now then it did when consumerism was first getting started. This allows consumerism to run much more quickly, as things become outdated faster than ever.

"Comfort did not always prevail. Most furniture was valued more for gentility than comfort, and chairs, particularly, were stiff and unyielding."

Although the issue that this passage bring up does not seem extraordinarily threatening to humanity, I feel that exchange value of various commodities being often determined regardless of their utility or the labor value put into the creation of the commodities is an extremely interesting phenomena. A greater understanding of economics and sociology would definitely help in unpacking the complexity of this issue. However, here, I will only briefly explain my own pondering on this subject. On a basic level, I feel that utility and labor input should be the main points of interest when determining the value of a commodity. However, anyone who has ever shopped for clothes has realized that this is far from being the actual case. Two items could have almost identical in utility and amounts of labor put in them, and yet one could be substantially more expensive simply due to it being produced by some hip manufacturer. Seeing the different values at which such commodities are exchanged, I am interested in finding out what specific property of the shirt gives it more value over the other. As of now, I can only give the beginnings of my speculations that the brunt of the extra value in a brand name piece of clothing will not be found in the commodity but rather in societies irrational dispersement of values to various commodities.

"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." (25)

People are driven by a desire to consume what is new and keep up to date on the new technological advancements. It is important for people in society today to have what is "in","cool" and new and to agree with the majority's perspective on what the best products in the market to own are. It is interesting to read about where consumerism originated and that people even long ago had the same instincts to be great consumers and to be as materialistic as we are today.

"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 quote was interesting to me because it is what drives consumerism. We are always after the newest things. We have become obsessed with the idea once a new and improved piece of technology or trend comes out people line up to get it. These days after a few months what we have becomes outdated and some new phone, computer, etc comes out with more capabilities. Take the iPhone for example. In the past couple years they have released 4 versions of the same phone, and they are about to release the 5th version. People continue to come back and purchase the latest and greatest model. While the technology does in fact improve between each model, it makes me wonder how much they truly differ and how long they have had the “new” technology before they decide to release it.

“Tulips were another novelty purchase […] New varieties developed – another consumerist symptom […] People began to refer to an ‘epidemical madness’ to consume the latest fashions; they talked of ‘universal’ contagions and ‘infections’ […]” (18-21)
I picked this “quote” – or more like a compilation of quotes – because of the semantic field of disease evoked: “symptom”(18), “contagions”(21), “infections”(21). I find it very interesting that this terminology is used because it evokes the idea that we are powerless against consumerism as we are powerless against disease; that just like disease, consumerism spreads and evolves - forming new “varieties”(18)).

And even further, just like the arms battle between research for new medication and evolution of disease (through resistance), are we in an arms battle (as consumers) with the fashion/consummation-promoting companies? Sterns mentions certain critiques from the 18th century at a time when consumerism was not developed as it is today. But, he makes no mention of any critiques today.

Have we lost the arms battle? Have we now become the perpetrators of consumerism by creating and agreeing to the never-ending fashion whims?

“ ‘The Wants of the Mind are Infinite, Man naturally Aspires, and as his Mind is elevated, his Senses grow more refined, and more capable of Delight’ … A growing interest in umbrellas provides a fascinating example of the consumerist standards … People began to dislike getting wet, something that seemingly had never greatly bothered them before” (19)

I like how this quote ties the beginning of consumerism to the Age of Enlightenment, suggesting that people somehow figured out to use their own intelligence and take interest in new things other than god, but then got tricked into buying hats. I think the refining part is self applied (but also noticed by the complaining upper classes), part of a personal initiative to both step upwards further out of the fields and keep level with the rest (watches). Shopkeepers and manufacturers simply had to introduce new options for the infinite “Wants of the Mind” to absorb and adapt too. And also the same thing with rain completely happened to me, the place I come from is cloudy or rains ~250 days a year. When it’s all the time, you just stomp around pretty damp with a sweatshirt and wet socks or something and it isn’t much of a bother, but now if I hear that splatter on pavement I’m staying in bed until 11:30 and I have 3 coats.

"Surely people had been bored before consumerism, but in English, at least, they had no word to describe their condition. Now they did." (24-25)

I think this passage summarizes consumerism well. Before "boredom" existed, there was always that feeling of disinterest that everyone understood. However, elevating the "problem" of this feeling and a resulting solution to this boredom has allowed for the market of all goods to flourish. Why sit at home doing nothing when you could be watching an extra-large, flat screen television? Better yet, why not watch your favorite movies on a new 3-D television on a nice, cushy, expensive couch? Whereas buying, trading, and selling originated out of necessity, consumerism has developed from ideas of boredom with "out-dated" merchandise.

"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"

Even from the beginning of consumerism, we find that producers are always trying to sell you their "new" product, and because we are told to always have the newest stuff, we buy buy buy. Just a simple change in an item can constitute a rational to buy it since it's different and unique from what you have, even though in most circumstances the items one buys will have no use again in the near future because again a new product will be introduced.

"A passion for watches spread widely in the eighteenth century, particularly for men...But many people initially bought watches 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"(21).
In my opinion, this quote really exemplified the emergence of consumerism in the eighteenth century. Clocks were becoming more popular because of people using a unified time, but the fact that people bought it to be fashionable without actually knowing how to use the watch is evidence enough of how trends came to be in society. People today often but things solely for the reason of fitting in or being recognized for being "up-to-date," which is evident in almost all areas of consumerism today. In some ways, this is a key factor in consumerism, and it was really interesting to see its origins in objects as simple as the watch to look fashionable and the expansion of coffee, among many other material items.

"Sugar purchases did not constitute full consumerism, but they did suggest a new taste for indulgence in a food that was by no means necessary." (Pg 17)

How many pairs of shoes do you have? Chances are you have a lot more than you need. What made you get all those shoes in the first place? You already had one set each of perfectly good running shoes, dress shoes, and slippers. But something drove you to keep buying more and more. My focus in this quote goes towards the second part of it, and reading further into the chapter, one finds that this fact is restated very often. I am talking about the incredible ability of consumers to buy so much that they do not need. On one hand, through seeing all the many different marketing efforts, this is the ultimate challenge that all producers, manufacturers, and salesmen face: How can I get someone to buy this very unnecessary good? On the other hand, consumers are addicted to the act of purchasing things they do not need and will rarely use. What else can they do when society shifts, and more people are left with more time to do nothing. As it is also mentioned in the chapter, the growth of spare time for an individual resulting from the specification of jobs and duties needs to be made up for with other actions, or else people will get bored. Boredom became something that is absolutely detestable in the eyes of popular society. How better to fill that space than by filling one's closet?

"The French Revolution generated its own consumer items, in the form of new medals, new clothing fashions, and special hats" (25)

This quote was interesting to me because in this reading it talks about the emergence of consumerism in history and helps gives me a relative chronology of events. Consumerism is seen to be a universal aspect of every major society in the world. As new goods and items become more valuable and advance, for example, computers, obtaining this item is high goal. In today's society one must have a computer to do work and be "connected". As different and new ideas are created items that were once luxurious are now necessities one must have (Ex. Tea)

“Expansion of the colonial trade and profit spurred an escalation of consumer purchases toward the end of the seventeenth century” (pg. 18)
Our country has been transformed by consumerism. I taught this quote was interesting because it shows how the evolutions of things are rapidly changed. For example Sterns talks about the seventeenth century when “tea and coffee began to be fashionable” soon after Coffee houses became some of the most popular places in town. This then brought “interest in fancier serving sets, including coffee- and teapots”. Although we are in a weakening economy the consumers are becoming pickier shoppers. Improvements in living standards have people wanting to buy the latest products to keep up to date with this consumerist society.

“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.” (25)
It’s funny how with the rise of consumerism, which has brought all sorts of things to entertain and occupy people, people are then more bored than ever, or rather just more aware of their bored state. Perhaps it’s a result of having too much of a good thing. It seems that people become accustomed to constantly being surrounded by so many options and don’t even realize all the possibilities in front of them. So, they end up bored and thinking that there is nothing worthwhile to spend their time on. It can also be overwhelming to have such an incredible amount of choices to sort through, and people can end up not caring about any of it at all.

"We do not yet know how many people were involved in what levels of consumerism."

Today we use technology, such as Data Mining, to characterize consumerism and the people involved. Data mining is a branch of computer science that uses mathematics and computer programming to characterize data sets, such as grocery store purchases made by registered costumers. Using computer algorithms correlations and characterizations of purchases made are created which is extremely important to marketers. The benefit of these characterizations lie in the fact that we can now predict future purchases or manipulate certain variables to increase revenue. For example, a study done by Oracle on a specific grocery store showed that men who bought diapers on Thursdays also bought beer. With this knowledge they then made sure beer and diapers were sold at full price on Thursdays. In my opinion, this is the future of marketing.

"The goal was to be able to change frequently, so that people who had bought one set of plates or vases would have to come back again lest their possessions be out of date."- p17

This exemplifies the natural human desire. Everyone wants the best of something, for example every year a new iPhone comes out, and thousands of people upgrade to a "newer" model simply because the '3' is now a '4'. Their phones are not broken, but since the product is new, people "have to have it," as Sterns states. With media now ruling many of our lives, markets such as magazines and television are advertising what is 'in' and what we 'need' to buy for this season. People have lost sense of need versus want, and our lives are being ruled by greed we are unsatisfied if we do not have the best of the best. People need to realize their material possessions are not as important as they may think.

"Acquiring goods was becoming part of individuals' identity, their measurement of what a satisfactory life involved."(18)

I chose this quote because it is interesting to observe the fact that hardly anything we acquire as consumers is necessary. Stuff is only perceived as necessary because of its prevalence in our culture and our craze of having the current hottest items. As an anecdotal side note the other day my friend said she didn't care if other phones were coming out that might be better than the iPhone, she still wanted it because she was a self proclaimed "brand whore". It seems that this was true even back in the 1700's; people were getting things just because it was the thing to do.

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