Media: The Engine Behind America’s Consumer Obsession

At a base level, America is a consumerist society, enveloped in a culture of buying and selling. Which would of course mean that our consumer issue stems from the societal structure, right? Well, no, as the use of media is the real reason for our gross overconsumption. Without media, and corporations’ use of media, consumerism in America would not have gotten as out of control as it is today.

Society as we know it today is surrounded in consumerist culture, and we see this throughout everyday life. The teen girls who once cherished Stanley cups have now moved onto Owala cups, and the middle aged moms who went from rural countryside decor to minimalist grayscale decor. At every turn, the people of America are catered too, their every possibly materialized need right in their reach. However, an article titled “Modern Consumerist Culture, Its Drawbacks and Benefits” argues that “consumerism by itself is a part of the general process of social control and cultural hegemony in modern society.” So as such the blatant consumerist culture within American society is natural, to a point, at least in a modern context. 

Though, when did America become so obsessed with consumerism? The article “Modern Consumerist Culture, Its Drawbacks and Benefits” states that American consumerism “started after the Second World War and developed with the industrial revolution.” As such, the article affirms, that as people migrated “to cities, people began to lose contact with their cultural roots: ethnic tradition, family ties, and spiritual foundations.” Thus, subjecting people in the cities to the meaningless pursuit of creating material needs, and buying material needs, rather than pursuing a community enriched in ethnic tradition, familial ties, and spiritual foundations. Which, according to the article, leads to “an emptiness in one’s self.” A perfect emptiness for the consumption of goods to fill.

America, being a consumerist society, has key identifiers which link self worth to the consumption of goods. An article titled “CONSUMPTION, CONSUMER CULTURE AND CONSUMER SOCIETY” goes on to list a few identifiers, including that “to consume is the surest perceived route to personal happiness, social status and national success”, “you are what you own and the more you own, the happier you will be”, and that “in a consumer society, people use spending and materialism as a way to build a new ego or become a new person by buying products which support their self-image.” All three identifiers are abhorrently perceivable within today’s society, thus further going to prove that America is a consumerist society. There is a culture around our consumerist society, something that is perpetuated throughout generations, and has been perpetuated long before online media was around. Ever heard of the saying “Keeping up with the Joneses”? It is a saying that goes to say that people are constantly trying to keep up with the material items they think make them better than others. The new car. The new clothes. The new fencing. Whatever. Our perceived value has consistently, at least since the industrial revolution, correlated with our material possessions, and with or without the media American society would continue to function that way.

I’d argue that the use of media is the root cause of worsening consumerism, even if by nature America is a consumerist society. In the modern age, there is not a moment when someone is separated from their phone, and as the article “THE SOCIAL MEDIA’S EFFECT ON STUDENT CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOR” states, “Social media is no longer about lifestyle but has become a necessity that cannot be separated from everyday life.” We don’t have to “leave the house or go shopping”, instead we can just “order food, it doesn’t take long for the food to come to our house”, as the article stated. Media use in our society is too embedded in our lives to be anything but the reason for our overconsumption of material items, and as the article states “the convenience of these conveniences makes us more consumptive” in general.

As per the article, “Consumerism: its impact on the health of adolescents”, the “Corporations are well aware of the powerful influence that media have on … people.” Such big corporations market strategically, using deals and psychological techniques, to lure people into their brands and to buy, buy, and keep buying. Going back to the article “THE SOCIAL MEDIA’S EFFECT ON STUDENT CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOR”, the authors state a great way in which people are manipulated by corporations through media, they state “Customers are often asked to ‘like’ a company on Facebook, to ‘follow’ a company on Twitter, or to ‘connect’ via LinkedIn.” Actions which in turn facilitate “customers become more connected to the company, more knowledgeable about product choices, and more strong in buyer and seller relationship.” Thus allowing trust in the companies they splurge their money at, thus leading the buyers to more likely spend at their stores and to spend more while in the store. 

Ever since the introduction of media into everyday society, corporations have been digging their claws into the platforms to find ways to pull more and more buyers into their doors, and the media is their most prized tool. “Young people between the ages 8 and 18 years spend 6 hours and 43 minutes each day using media”, says the article “Consumerism: its impact on the health of adolescents.” Corporations know this, and as such “American teens are now exposed to an estimated 3,000 advertising messages each day, which accumulate to 10 million advertisements by the time they are 18 years old.” In what other way would the perpetuation of consumerism reach such a scale other than media? Sure, America by itself is steeped in a consumerist culture, but with the rise of media, specifically media, the growth of over consumption has amounted to an unthinkable scale. Such a problem that could possibly not have existed if media was not so easily accessible. 

While America has long been a consumerist society, it is the influence of the media that has magnified and accelerated the scale of consumerism to unprecedented levels. Through constant exposure to advertisements, curated social media content, and strategic marketing tactics, the media has cultivated a culture of instant gratification, materialism, and identity construction through consumption. As media platforms have become deeply embedded in daily life, they have shaped consumer behaviors, reinforced brand loyalty, and perpetuated a cycle of overconsumption that would not have reached its current intensity without media’s influence. Ultimately, while consumerism may have originated from deeper societal changes, it is the media, through its ability to manipulate desires and normalize excessive consumption, that has transformed it into the overwhelming force it is today. As we continue to navigate this media-saturated world, it is crucial to recognize the power of media in shaping our values and behaviors, and to consider how we might shift our relationship with consumption in a way that prioritizes sustainability and well-being over unchecked material accumulation.

References

Bryn, A., S, & Michael, R. (2001). Consumerism: its impact on the health of adolescents. Adolescent Medicine, 12(3), 389-. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/docview/215205605?parentSessionId=8XLlS7hDR5UjGr1dxrFR0B9Vqy1Dk42wZYfsiUcNnbI%3D&pq-origsite=primo&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals

Firat, A., Kutucuoglu, K. Y., Saltik, I. A., & Tunçel, Ö. (2013). CONSUMPTION, CONSUMER CULTURE AND CONSUMER SOCIETY. Retrieved November 26, 2024, from Proquest.com website: https://www.proquest.com/docview/1369719259?accountid=13605&parentSessionId=yEsMIk1iQoITf9nFVozTVVu9m%2BCpqnHng8y1USnoDzA%3D&pq-origsite=primo&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals

Fitrianna, H. (2022). The Social Media’s Effect on Student Consumption Behavior. Jurnal Bisnis Dan Kajian Strategi Manajemen, 6(1). Retrieved from http://jurnal.utu.ac.id/jbkan/article/view/5364/2854

Perera, H. S. C., & Gunawardana, T. S. L. W. (2014, February 26). Modern Consumerist Culture, Its Drawbacks and Benefits. Retrieved November 26, 2024, from Citeseerx website: https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=839c6d34195e6b2c254a77893a5310c615ce0c5e