Consumerism

Consumerism can be defined in diverse ways. In sociology, one can view consumerism as a powerful ideology that revolves around values, perceptions, interpersonal relations and actions. As per the consumer culture, it can be understood that it motivates individuals to find pleasure and fulfilment from the seemingly never-ending consumption. In today’s world, consumer culture can be said to be serving a crucial part of capitalist society that leads to mass production and endless sales growth.

Sociologists explain consumerism in terms of the way of life wherein consumption can be so significant that it turns out to become central to an individual’s life. It can be described as a sort of social arrangement which results from continuous and repeated fulfilment of an individual’s wants and wishes.

Consumerism

Consumerism can be briefly explained as a belief that shows that the individual’s wellness and pleasure, up to a large extent, can be found to be dependent upon the level of personal consumption specifically regarding the materialistic things. The thoughts behind this idea revolve around the belief that somewhere somehow through consuming endless material goods one will be able to find happiness. Through continuous advertisements, society can turn into a hyper-consumerist society. Since advertisements do not just encourage the sale of their particular product but they also focus on the good life and attach the product with attaining a fulfilled life. 

The impact of consumerism

Consumerism is a significant concept of sociology that can impact the lives of individuals in a lot of ways. The way individuals make sense of their world, the extent to which individuals form relationships with one another and the kind of relationships that are being formed, and further the value individuals have of their own, all can be a part of the psychological impact that consumerism can have on us. 

It can be said that consumerism moulds the individual’s desire to have the various material things not for the purpose of using rather simply because of the impact the material good can have on them. It can be noted that instead of leading to a pleasurable experience for the consumers, consumerism can lead to a fear of missing out, that is a fear of not being able to fit in. Individuals can also go into large debts simply because of buying unnecessary material goods just for the sake of buying. 

Conclusion

From the above discussion, one can conclude that consumerism refers to the belief of consuming endless material goods and buying them for no good reason. Consumerism is an important concept of sociology that sheds light on society and helps individuals become more aware of their habits. The impact of consumerism has also been discussed. It can be said that consumerism can lead people to fall into large debts and it can also lead to a lack of belongingness if the individual is unable to keep up with the products. The various advertisements wherein the product is associated with having a good life can lead to an encouragement of consumerism. Thus, it can be concluded that it is essential to become aware of one’s habits and introspect so as to learn about how consumerism is impacting one’s own self.