Every year in North America, there are a couple of occasions when we can find huge discounts on almost everything. Black Friday sales in the US or Boxing Day sales in Canada are well known. Another major opportunity is the Amazon Prime Day sales, which occur from time to time. Even weeks before the event, we are bombarded by advertisements from Amazon and shopping guides from all types of media.
I look around me and count what I possess now. Just check the gadgets that use home Wi-Fi. I have a laptop, a desktop PC, a tablet, an e-book reader, and, oh, a smart speaker. And a cellphone, of course. Do I need all of them? Maybe not. But if one of them breaks, I am sure I will buy a new one.
Consumption is the key factor of a capitalistic economy. There was once an argument that supply can create its own demand, but we are producing a lot more than our normal cycle requires. This is based on how capitalism works at a fundamental level. Capitalism is basically a flow of capital (money and products), and the flow should not be interrupted. Also, to make a profit, we need to grow continuously. That is why marketing is so important. In capitalism, it is not enough to produce just as much as people need. It is crucial to create new needs so that we can produce and consume more. The basic policy to overcome depression is to boost consumption and regain consumer confidence. That is the world we live in.
Many scholars have expressed critical views regarding the relationship between consumption and capitalism. For example, the Frankfurt School (e.g., Theodor Adorno and Herbert Marcuse) argued that consumer capitalism creates a “culture” that pacifies people with material comforts and endless distractions. More modern criticisms focus on the environmental unsustainability of infinite material growth and endless consumption.
The arguments sound great but hollow, at the same time. The act of consumption does not come just from my needs and desires. I buy things because I feel like I need or/and want them, but I do not even know where my needs or desires come from. I think I choose something based on my preference, but where do my preferences come from?
We certainly live in a time that encourages consumption. But consumption comes with responsibility—not only on a financial or personal level, but also on a social and environmental one. I can buy many things thanks to how capitalism maximizes its production power, but it is also time to think about what I can give something back to the areas that we have sacrificed.
Scriptorium 