American Society

            After numerous topic changes, indecisive moments and rushed library searches, I have decided on a topic which is both sociologically interesting and relevant to the current state of American society. I want to study the link (if there is any link at all) between consumerism and quality of life in America. As the richest nation in the world, the United States still has high numbers of people who are depressed, isolated, and lonely. My contention is that as rates of consumerism rise, the number of people content or happy with their quality of life declines. I would argue that people hide behind their material goods, trying to solve their problems by purchasing things, things they probably do not really need and things that will not make them happy. Consumerism, in my mind, breeds want, an insatiable and unending need for the newest, most exciting things. Advertising and marketing influence this. My research is dependant on the terms consumerism and quality of life and both are difficult to define. For this study, consumerism means most broadly, the purchasing of goods (ie. clothes, handbags, VCRs, stereos, houses). Quality of life will be assessed using a survey; a well designed one is cited in Julie Schor's book, The Overspent American. My tentative plan is to design a survey which asks questions about both quality of life and consumerist habits, and try to prove that there is a parallel between consumerism and quality of life. My population will probably be Union College students. Analyzing and critiquing the work of sociologists, social scientists, and historians before me, I will also review how consumerism has begun to shape the American way of life. Since World War II, there has been a growing consumer culture, which as many people point out, has caused a decrease in the quality of life in the United States. How has the consumer culture impacted social life in America? For example, Lasn, in his book, Culture Jammers, contends that consumerism has detached Americans from nature, their families, and ultimately themselves.