We are living in a Consumptive Society.
Consumerism/Consumptive Society is both an economic and social ideology. We encourage consumption in a never-ending cycle. There is a need to purchase and consume goods that are in excess of a person’s basic needs (ex: food, clothing, house, etc). We always want “more” of everything we have in our pursuit of a “good life.” It is not enough that we have what we need. We want a better house, a better car, a more expensive purse, a more fashionable outfit.
And we not only want more of what we have, we want more than what our neighbors have. We make purchases in comparison to or inspired by someone else’s preferences. Ad campaigns that use our favorite celebrities or social media influencers make us go to the nearest mall to order the same item.
We not only want “more”, but we want the community we belong in to know that we have “more”. Social media fuels the fire that makes us want to buy more. That is the reason we post pictures of what we buy, how we look, where we are, what we eat, where we travel, what experiences we are able to do. We associate all these things to our social status. We want people to know what we could purchase, because what we purchase is a proof of our financial success. Sad, but this is the reality and this is the culture we are all in.
Our Consumptive Society didn’t happen overnight. It evolved throughout history. It started from the 16thcentury when luxury consumption was first introduced. Then came the interest in fashion as a determinant of social status in the 18th century. Then as we enter our current generation, there is a drive for capitalism. Business is about making profits and the way to make profits is to create demand that will make people want to buy more. When people buy more, a cycle of consumption happens and it fuels the wheels of economic growth.
A Consumptive Society drives more production, which results to more employment and more money to spend for consumption. If there is demand, there is reason to provide supply. Not only that, there is the need to improve on what we have which drives innovation of better products and experiences/services.
We, as marketers, help create this demand. We help communicate that to the potential buyer. We make the buyer want something more than what they have or need. We help make a WANT become a NEED.
For example: Buy the latest iPhone even if the one they own is still working. Why? Because the new iPhone has better features to take photos. Another example is trying to build a following on Instagram in every imaginable market niche for products and services, from travel to lipsticks. We want to follow an influencer. We want to be an influencer.
The internet, social media and the smartphone have taken us further in our Consumptive lifestyle. Even if companies stop traditional advertisement and promotions, the ‘machinery’ for user-generated content (UGC) is in place. This inspires awareness, knowledge, intent to purchase and making the decision to purchase. The power to stop or change our consumptive behaviour does not only rest in the hands of marketers. It would only happen if a collective choice to change takes place – for both the consumer and the businesses.
But we know the businesses would not want that. Profits are what drive the economy that provides us the standard of living we all have. But this takes a toll, not only on the environment but also on what we value in our lives.
We have to acknowledge that trade-off and consequence with our choices. Continuous production puts extensive pressure on our natural resources and raw materials. There is also the excessive use of energy and chemicals that are known to cause degradation to the environment.
Our individual and family values also change with this consumptive lifestyle. We focus on competition and materialism. Nothing is ever enough. We are always on the quest for what is better – better than what we used to have, better than what our neighbors have. We end up spending more than what we earn as shown by our increasing levels of debt. And we think the solution to this is to work more, earn more. But this means sacrificing time with our families and loved ones. And in the end, we end up living a life full of stress and depression.
Why?
Because we put a dollar ($) value on happiness, self-identity and self-worth.
We know we shouldn’t. But the question is: Can we help it? Can we stop it?
Djill Consulting 