Sociology Essay Example: Consumerism in Society

Mahatma Gandhi once said: "There is enough on earth for everybody's need, but not for everyone's greed." Though this is the case, economists, on the other hand, tell us that there are scarce resources and unlimited human wants to create the need to ration goods by prices and markets. Many people behave in an acquisitive manner, but still, questions are raised on what cause this. Data released by National Geographic indicate that approximately 1.7 billion people worldwide belong to the consumer class. What this means is that they eat processed food, desire to have bigger cars and houses and also buy goods above and over the necessities. This urge brings about the issue of consumerism which entails consumption of goods at a higher rate. Consuming fulfill the needs, we require, but any additional ways for satisfaction is a post-consumer society (Binkley & Littler, 2014). Humans have shown the need to variety in life, need to control and the need to control work and personal environment. In this case, the question that comes out of this ideology is on how to change we can change consumerism.

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The society is being manipulated by natural resource depletion which is as a result of consumerists attitude towards the resources. Poverty is also created because of consumerism. Consuming any products does not bring happiness and fulfillment it is the act of greed. Human happiness cannot be weighed with things we buy but rather on how we treat people. There is need to discover the values of frugality and conservation which has served humans well since the beginning. According to Binkley and Littler (2014), there is a need for a convincing power of the morality of the case in the interest of all people having rights to a minimum of security, food, and health. To create change, the society needs to create a demand for consumers to be forced to allow each person define their limited needs but not a choice between consumption and no consumption. To change consumerism, some strategies need to be considered to influence this change consumerism.

In consumer strategy, buy nothing should not be an option for people, this is because of an extended global market to societies that for centuries has been relying on non-money economies. The rural to urban migration has robbed many people the ability to feed themselves. For instance in Brazil, many people have moved to the cities and with the lack of food, forcing others to scavenge among the rubbish. There is also the idea of sharing things of high resource impact for instance cars, deep freezers among others. It is foolish for one to claim that he/she cannot survive without a car or a fridge. Just has it happened during the Second World War, the idea of a radical extension of home and allocation growing should be considered. It is also mandatory to introduce the aspect of ethical consumption (Humphery, 2013). In todays society, Trans and multi-national corporations have become more powerful than national governments. This means that many products produced by this organizations are not tested to ascertain their functions. The converse of this would be positive buying, where products are purchased because of their ethical soundness.

Economically, anything that decreases the industrial ability to produce and market goods reduce the possibility of consumer manipulation. Even though this is the case, the consumer economy depends on the absence of democratic control of the economy which is the case of a customer ability to say what can be done. People who have no say over that is produced cannot be expected to take responsibility for their consumption. People tend to accuse others when problems occur. In general, forms of organization based on product diversity, worker control, regional interest and local production would separate the world market and lessen the open doors for item institutionalization that consumerism requests (In Hulme, 2014). The development of customer centers could be one a player in the contrasting monetary option to consumerism. For instance, Norfolk in Itteringham Village when people lost their shop's ad post offices, they came together to run this businesses operatively. With this, they cut down travels to nearing villages by asserting local interest and mutual ties. The new network of shops being established is only entitled to sell products that pass strict ethical and environmental criteria. People also need to look at the wisdom of trickledown economics and free trade. According to Black (2010), he argues for less external trade showing how free trade serves only a narrow range of people. This call for building up environmental criteria into trade regulation where rich countries help the developing countries to develop sustainably. This will eventually create more job opportunities for people in this countries.

Currently, the culture in the advertising field is filled a lot of fraud on products that have not even been tested. Humphery (2013) suggests that It is mandatory to create a culture jamming which is a practice of assailing the customer culture with broken messages which undermine the estimations of a 'you are what you purchase' attitude. This will be a total transformation of the advertising industry where the people are given full control of the products holding many organizations marketing strategies up for scrutiny setting up new strategical plans for them. Because consumer culture instructs consumers to consider items to be a piece of a lifestyle, organizations can extraordinarily profit by open effort battles. Partner your item with a philanthropy or cause can raise open mindfulness, help you assemble organizations and increment incomes. The yearning to stay aware of one's economic companions, the conviction that acquiring another device or other bit of merchandise will enhance personal satisfaction and the accentuation on looking for recreation are all parts of consumer culture.

Change consumerism ought to be achieved only if there is the willingness to effect change. The significant, and basic, indicate about the choices consumerism is that individuals must pick them in a soul of intentional straightforwardness. People must reclaim duty regarding what they do to the earth and its poorer nationals. The option is to have change forced in a fierce and dictator route by an administration playing as the main holders. What truly underlies prolific pandemics, is a solid conviction that change is conceivable; that individuals can drastically change their conduct or convictions despite the correct sort of driving force. Tipping Points are a confirmation of the potential for change and the effect of canny activity. The world as we as of now know it might appear like a relentless place. However, it is most certainly not. With the scarcest push; just in the correct place; it can be tipped. Positively, the primary concern we need to change is individuals' conduct on utilization. Using what we've learned in brain research, methodologies can be actualized to advance a more positive change.

References

Binkley, S., & Littler, J. (2014). Cultural Studies and Anti-Consumerism. Hoboken: Taylor and

Francis.

Black, L. (2010). Excess: Anti-consumerism in the West [book review]. London: Times Higher

Education.

Humphery, K. (2013). Excess: Anti-consumerism in the West. Oxford: Wiley.

In Hulme, A. (2014). The changing landscape of China's consumerism.

Stearns, P. N. (2015). Consumerism in world history: The global transformation of desire.

London: Routledge.