Consumerism: Will buying and selling make us happier?

Mar 18, 2021

“Consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production.” – Adam Smith

The words " consume " or "buy, buy, buy," create a mix of feelings that can be both exciting and stressful. The English word consumption was originally derived from the Latin " consumere " and first appeared in French in the 12th century, then became popular in English, and later in other European languages. The word originally meant running out of food, candles, and other resources. A very similar word in Latin, consume , has a more complex meaning. For example, in Christ's last words on the cross: " Consummatum est" , which means "finished." So, the word Consumption is used to describe consumption, consumption and completion . And closely related to the word consumption is consumerism , a controversial ideology that people love and hate.

Consumerism is a way of looking at and understanding the economy and society. The consumption of goods and services by individual consumers helps drive the economic engine of a consumerist society because it creates jobs for workers and wealth for businesses. Although consumerism as an ideology can appear in several different types of economic systems, it is generally associated with capitalism. However, with the continuous improvement of China's economy in recent years and the influence of various Western ideologies on Chinese young people, the concept of consumerism has also begun to become popular among young people in China, especially young men and women in first-tier cities. The recently bustling Shanghai "celebrity group" is a good example.

Although people across civilizations and time periods have been buying and consuming goods, the concept of retrospective consumerism was really developed in Europe in the late 1600s. Then in the 1700s and 1800s, this notion intensified, making the consumption of products an indispensable "everyday task" for most people in society, and making consumerism a common and dominant social phenomenon. As mentioned above, consumerism is generally associated with the economic system of capitalism. Thus, consumerism emerged as an ideology alongside capitalism and spread across Europe, North America and the rest of the world as capitalism became the dominant economic system on the planet. In the early days of consumerism, two important historical events came into play: the Age of Imperialism and the Industrial Revolution .

era of imperialism

During the "Age of Exploration" between the 15th and 18th centuries, European explorers "discovered" many previously unknown lands, such as the Americas, Africa, Australia, and parts of Asia in the Far East. This exploration by the major European countries of the time eventually led to widespread colonialism in the newly explored areas. European countries (especially Great Britain, France, Spain and Portugal) established colonies in these areas, an era known as the Age of Imperialism.

This process provided European countries with a wealth of raw materials from around the world, and in a number of ways helped increase the rate at which consumerism expanded. First, raw materials feed industrial factories in Europe and are used to make countless consumer goods, which are then distributed around the world. The vast colonies then gave European countries access to huge markets around the world. For example, several European countries established sugar or tobacco plantations in many colonies. These sugar and tobacco plantations then produced sugar and tobacco (often with slaves from the Atlantic slave trade) shipped back to Europe, where the resources would be used to produce other products. These products were then sold in many colonies controlled by European countries as well as locally in Europe.

The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution also played an important role in the spread of consumerism. It started in England in the 1700s and soon spread to many other countries in Europe and North America. Essentially, industrialization took advantage of capitalist economic policies to give rise to many different factories and mines. Because of the liberal economic environment at the time, these factories were able to invent and produce products on a large scale. Before the start of the Industrial Revolution, goods were produced in a system of "cottage industries". That is, these goods are usually produced on a small scale in people's homes. The result of this approach is that commodities are often unitary in product nature and cannot be mass produced. The Industrial Revolution fundamentally changed this, instead placing factories in towns where goods could be mass-produced. The abundance of novelty and cheap goods means that people can buy a wider variety of goods for less. This leads to consumerism as it creates a system where people can reasonably buy a variety of goods . Likewise, the wealth accumulated by entrepreneurs during this period allowed them to afford more goods, while also further accelerating the "consumerization" of society at the time.

Before and during the Industrial Revolution, societies in Europe and North America were divided by huge income disparities. This means that some people, like entrepreneurs, are making big bucks, while others, like the working class, are struggling to make ends meet. As a result, many people in industrial societies are poor and barely able to afford basic living expenses. But, over time, socialist values that supported the working class emerged, and a strong middle -class people emerged. These middle classes can afford better housing, education and consumer goods. As a result, many historians see the emergence of a middle class in Europe and North America as an important contribution to increased consumerism. Because of their higher income, they can afford to buy more luxury goods and consume more goods.

modern development

Consumerism developed further in the 20th century. For example, some see the 1950s and 1960s as the "golden age" of consumerism. During this period, due to effective marketing campaigns , the prices of goods became much cheaper and certain products were able to sell at scale. Generally, marketing refers to the advertising that a company creates to sell a product to a broad audience. Marketing has always been a popular method of selling goods, but marketing in the 20th century was more complex. For example, many of these marketing campaigns foster the notion that consumption is a status thing and cause people to associate their social status with the level and quality of consumption. This caused an explosion in consumption rates at the time, and even in the 21st century, marketing remains an important consumerist tool.

Another important form of consumerism in recent years has been the outsourcing of capitalism . Typically, outsourcing refers to companies in Western countries such as the United States and Canada moving manufacturing operations to other developing countries such as Mexico and China. Companies do this to reduce the overall cost of developing products because workers in countries like China and Mexico will be paid much less than similar workers in the U.S. and Canada. Outsourcing as a concept became popular in North America and Europe throughout the 1980s and continues to this day.

Outsourcing is a very controversial act, some people in capitalist countries see it as a positive, while others see it as a negative. Those who view outsourcing in a positive light argue that doing so reduces the cost of goods and helps companies thrive in a competitive economy. Those who disagreed argue that outsourcing has contributed to the loss of manufacturing jobs across North America and Europe. And our country has seized such an opportunity, created a large number of employment opportunities, and introduced a lot of international capital into China. As a result, the economic market at home and abroad has been opened, and the Chinese economy has been able to develop rapidly.

In any case, outsourcing this way helps to enhance the expansion of consumerism on a global scale:

First, it keeps the cost of many goods low, making it possible to mass-produce and sell consumer goods.
Second, it caused many countries, such as China and Mexico, to develop their own consumerist societies, thereby further increasing the speed of consumerism on a global scale.

The downside of consumerism

It can be seen that consumerism originated in the Western capitalist world and has expanded very rapidly under the impetus of the wave of globalization. Today, with the rapid development of the economy and the Internet in the past few decades, the voices of people wanting or needing consumption have reached an unprecedented peak. Whether it’s phone calls, social media apps, websites, TV shows, movies, or mobile payments, all are encouraging consumption while also putting enormous pressure on today’s consumers. Over the past hundred years, we have come to believe that having more things equals happiness. Consumption defines our current social norm for success.

It must be admitted that the behavior of consumption has greatly stimulated the development of the market economy. The problem is, all the excess consumption in consumerism doesn't make us happier. In fact, this leaves us and our society more lost and deformed than ever. So we have to think about what harm consumerism might do:

high debt accumulation

Car loans, home loans, and credit card loans have increased dramatically. According to data from the central bank, the total loans of Chinese residents at the end of 2019 were 153.11 trillion yuan. More and more people are now rushing to buy fashion, technology, cars and real estate on credit. As a result, some real financial needs, such as retirement, personal investment, etc., have not been fully considered. Millions in debt will only make people feel anxious and stressed, overdrawn is mental and physical, while society expects productivity and creativity.

2. Mental health issues

"Buy, buy, buy" will make people feel insatiable hunger. Impulsive spending is the result of an addictive " retail therapy " that we can use to relieve negative emotions or distract us. But ironically, extreme consumerism only breeds more desire, anxiety and dissatisfaction. Because money and material things often fail to achieve the true meaning of life or belonging we seek.

3. Damage to the environment

Another serious consequence of consumerism is the continued destruction of the natural environment and ecosystems that are vital to our maintenance. When consumerism continues to spread and the production process continues to consume and waste resources, perhaps this is the beginning of an environmental catastrophe.

In this article, I spent a lot of space to introduce the history of the development of the ideology of "consumerism". The purpose is to see its essence from history and understand the relationship between consumerism and capitalism. In fact, more often than not we consume, but we are consumed.

Consumption is not a bad thing, please, it is impossible for us not to consume, and I will also buy some discounted daily necessities when Double Eleven arrives. But I try not to be "kidnapped" by consumerism. For example, I study various strategies for Double Eleven, and send Pinduoduo links to friends and relatives to ask for help. These methods do not really save us money, but will increase our extra consumption, stimulate our desire to buy, and waste our more precious attention and personal time.

When we consume, we can think about whether this kind of consumption is really needed, and it is our inner hope. If you think that buying a good looking lipstick can boost your confidence and keep you in a good mood throughout the day, I think that spending is justified. If the girls in the "celebrity group" hope to experience high-quality services with less money, or even experience the sense of superiority of the rich, I also think it is understandable. Although I don't agree, there is no need to criticize them. .

What I object to, and even hate, is the inability to discern temptation, and even use the goodwill of those around you to satisfy your own consumption desires. For example, I used the money my parents have worked hard to save all my life to spend my life, or I bought a bunch of useless "consumer goods" because of some propaganda of the business. Learning and thinking can help us establish correct value judgments.

We can choose to spend the time wasted on consumerism reading, thinking, spending time with family members, socializing with friends, or even watching TV shows and playing games for a day to relax. I don't want to give chicken soup and encourage everyone to improve themselves, just hope we can understand where our hard-earned money is going and see the purpose of the capitalists behind consumerism.

at last

I hope that when we grow old one day, we will find that we have spent our whole life time and labor in exchange for not only a bunch of houses, cars, and luxury collections full of houses, but more beauty with our loved ones and loved ones. In my memories, there are more people who cry and laugh with their classmates and friends all night singing and playing games. Maybe because of an idea, they start a business and eat instant noodles every day, but they fail in the end. They have the habit of reading for a lifetime, even if they have forgotten. Most of the content in the book still remembers the strength and emotion that those words once brought us.

Thinking about it carefully, what really touches us will not be how luxurious the house we bought is, and this kind of touch will not last for too long. What really touches us is all the experiences and experiences with our loved ones in this space. Joy and sorrow. There are too many things in life worthy of our efforts and struggles, and there are too many scenery waiting for us to explore and discover. No matter what the outcome, we have a lot of time to realize all our ideas, and we should not easily allow ourselves to be "kidnapped" by anyone in any way.

Maybe we have a secret list inside of us, full of names we are willing to be "kidnapped" for a lifetime. But hopefully these names will make us smile when we see them, instead of being replaced or taken over by names of capitalism and entrepreneurs.