In the technological (and free) world of today in we are all apart of a consumerist society. It is an age where we are privileged with the freedom of speech. It is an age in which we bask in the ongoing technological and political achievements of the last century. Yet, are we really as free as we think we are?.
Consumerism has almost always thought of in terms of the consumption of goods and services which have been purchased by money. But the meaning of the word itself, consumerism, has grown and evolved to something more.
Every consumer starts out somewhere simple. Hunger and our need for food sets our mind to searching for food; finding a basket of apples. But soon just satisfying our hunger just isn't enough; we start to become bored with what we have, we begin to search for more alternatives to our few needs.
As people become more and more obsessed and infatuated with the things they see and the things shown to them on television, what they see becomes what they want. And if they are exposed to more and more or what they want, what they want becomes what they need. This brings us to our bleak realisation, that consumer culture rules our lives; we become slaves to our mundane.
The contemporary Australian poet, Bruce Dawe, explores and exposes this strangle hold Consumerism has over "consumers". This essay's content's not only includes detailed summaries of two of Dawe's poems; Enter Without So Much As Knocking and Televistas but an additional cartoon by Michael Leunig.
Dawe's Enter Without So Much As Knocking depicts a grim, bleak, and sad reality of the everyday man; contemporary society is false and superficial. From the day he was born till the day he died his entire being had been smothered by the what this world in Australia, 1962 has to offer. The baby is born and brought into a world filled with the sounds and noises of consumerism; being welcomed by the empty smile of "Bobby Dazzler", which is nothing more crude manifestation of the world's true beauty.
Our wants then take over our innate needs. ... Much of modern society has been collectively ruled by the individual's personal id. Morality has been slowly fading away from our culture, and has been replaced by impulsive desires. ... How did our culture come to be the way it is today? ... Today, a problem is faced as much of people's lives are spent trying to acquire more things. ...
This is because, in our society radio are considered a cheap product rather than the TV. ... Being an individualistic culture, people give priority to the task; whereby, in collectivism cultures priority is given to relationship with people. ... Advertisement has its strength to manipulate the everyday consumer driven lives. Whereby, it change our lifestyle. ... In our daily life routine, most teenagers are now more socialize. ...
Because our understanding of marketing is culture bound we must acquire knowledge of diverse cultural environments in order to achieve successful international marketing. ... I think that each person at some stage at his or her lives wonders what culture is all about. ... People, who have different meanings, promise rules and norms. ... People who share a culture typically follow the same rules and form a social society. ... (7) Consumer behavior. ...
Within this widespread trend though, exist a sub-level of drinking, which has appeared in our lower income African American, Hispanic, even Caucasian cultures, harming our communities. ... Malt liquor has been seen in plenty of "black in the hood type" movies, but the movies are representing the realities of life our culture goes through. ... Many of those websites mock black American culture typically using Ebonics (in an over exaggerated "ghetto" tone) as a comical way to exhibit their *Cash Rules Everything Around Me consciously positive views of malt liquor. ... Malt liquor beverages ...
"Culture Industries. ... The exchange value is what it is worth in the market while use value is the use to the consumer. ... Just like the ruling classes of the 19th century when they used the factories and mass production to rule wage labor the media barons of the 21st century use mass media to create false consciousness. ... The creation of false needs is so when we are getting on with our lives we thing we are in control of our own lives in which we have the choice of what we buy where we go and how we live our lives. ... False needs are satisfied by consumerism while the masses like...
Federal, state, and local bodies can set rules or restrictions on the conduct of businesses. ... Marketing products is easier because consumers are willing to buy. ... Sociocultural Factors The sociocultural environment embodies everything which is social and cultural within a nation or society, Some notable examples would include the influence of learning, memory, emotion and perception, motivation, lifestyle and attitude and consumer culture. ... More people place more importance on balancing their work lives with the rest of their lives, and fewer people are willing to sacrifice thei...
Different cultures connect and communicate through their similar values such as the right to life, the freedom of choice and the right to live a life to its fullest potential. ... Therefore to be concerned about the rights of other people is to affirm our value and moral worth as human beings. ... Another role the consumer has is that of promoting policy. ... Manufacturing responsibly with concern to the immediate culture and surroundings can also bring about economic growth for a country. ... As young consumers and future leaders...
These labels help to create the spirit of abstraction and there is nothing more evident of the spirit of abstraction then the technology that encompasses our daily lives. ... These technologies also factures us, for there is no guidelines for behavior, thus no rules to reaffirm the self, a pheno! ... From this growing culture of consumerism and individualism we have tended to abandoned the concept of empathy and have opted for mindless self-indulgence. ... With consumerism and the growing impersonality of modern society we have shifted from relationships with other human beings to an artifac...