Consumption for me & you

How has consumption changed and affected us?

The way we have seen consumption change over the years is partly got to do with the advancement of technology. Technology has grown over the years from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0. With Web 2.0 social media has become a big part of our lives. Everything we see, hear and do mostly comes from the internet. Technology has changed the way we perceived consumption, I for one used to believe that consumption was just having the basic needs of food, water, shelter and clothes. However, in present times consumption is not just about meeting one’s needs but perfuses one’s social relations, opinions and images (Gabriel & Lang, 2006).

Cultural industry also plays a part in the way we view consumption. This is because culture gradually changes over time and this affects the industry as it tries to mitigate the old and familiar with the newer qualities and fuses into a similar culture identity but just more advance (Adorno, 1989). Nowadays, cultural commodities are being controlled by the government. One does not look at the history of culture instead such interest comes from different people’s ideas and opinions that have formed people’s perception of each other cultural identity. This is because whatever the future sees, is not originated from history it is what is being seen and dominated in today’s world and this continues to change and evolve when everything around us globally or locally also changes when government changes or when a country fuses more with other country learning and exchanging views and opinions this also could be a sign of cultural hybridity. For me personally, I believed we have changed what we see culture industry as. This is because: take a look at an example where K-pop has been recognized not only locally or globally. Westerners have fused themselves with Korean idols to boost their economy and Korean dramas on the other hand have fused their production with westerners. This then causes one to think that cultures can be fused together and perhaps everyone is living in a similar yet different world. An example I would give is Korean drams focuses heavily a lot on slow melodramatic romance whereas western show are quick and fast but when you fuse them together it could be a drama where there is still slow romance but a lot more romantic exposure scenes which were very unheard of in Asian countries to be exposing one’s skin a lot. This can then can be concluded in my opinion that what we see is what shapes our culture industry today that everything is a mix and that we are learning from each other culture and this is a part of consumption nowadays.

For me day to day personally, the role of consumption has changed my views on certain things in life. As I get older, I realised that most of my wants occasionally turn into my needs. I believe the reason why this happens is because of social media. We often see a lot of advertisements on social media. Some are even being endorsed by popular celebrities. This causes us to think that whatever these celebrities are using, it has got the best product that is on the market. I personally love going out to shop, whether I actually walk out of the mall with a purchase or two is another thing. It is true that shopping brings satisfaction and if you end up walking out with a purchase it gives you some sort of accomplishment, we today perceived shopping as a mode of survival (Timothy, 2005).

Consumption has brought out the different groups of consumers when it comes to shopping, I have personally noticed that as well. There are some shoppers who are just out to build interpersonal relationships, some who shop because they want to be recognized as a higher social class, some shop as they need a certain thing and some shop to keep up with certain trends nowadays (Timothy, 2005). Studying this subject has caused me to view the different ways I consume things. I for one shop either because I need a certain product or because social media told me so. I love impulse buying or when I enter a shopping mall and the shop looks pretty and interesting on the outside, without hesitation I will convince myself to walk into the shop and purchase something. This was very different from the old times where people used to shop for daily needs.

Another way consumption has changed in terms of shopping is since everything can be easily found online, there is no need to step out or queue like crazy in malls. With a click of a button, the order will already be on its way to you. Advertisements play a crucial role, I for one am guilty of impulsively buying products based on advertisements or certain celebrities' endorsements.

Consumption has also changed the way I view people at times, be it whether I am receiving or exchanging gifts. According to Clarke, he quotes “Gifts establish asymmetrical relations of power, authority and prestige. For this very reason, the logic of the gift can span the full spectrum of social relationships: from individuals to nations” (Clarke, 2003). In my opinion, I really resonate with this statement because I am guilty of judging the gifts I received at times. My subconscious mind tends to look at the giver when given a bad gift and on the other hand, when I am the giver I tend to always try to be the best to show a certain status I have. But from the readings and learning what consumption is and how it affects us daily, I have got better and tend to look at gifts as an act of building relationships. I am receiving a certain gift from this person because they treasure the friendship we have and as a giver myself I will tend to give based on what I know the receiver would like or would have sentimental value too. It is therefore a fact that consumers intentionally or unintentionally, consciously or unconsciously relate to objects in a way that depicts their character or identity.

Consumption has also changed the way we view and eat food. The way we form ourselves is primarily through trying out different food from different parts of the world, consumption is what sets and dominates our whole life (Isabelle de Solier, 2013). People are often judged at times by the food they eat, what restaurant they go to and this all points back to depicting one social’s class through consumption. I personally for one grown-up watching food review shows from famous chefs. Celebrity chefs like Jamie Oliver or Gordan Ramsay have played a big part in what restaurants I would like to visit or what I should avoid. However to some, eating new food is not just for the sake of enjoyment. People eat at times to form client connections to be included into deeper connections. This is often seen where people are usually buying others a fancy meal just to create opportunities for business. This shows us a sense of elite and intellect. One can also say that the consumption of food is another sense of how we view different cultures. Different countries offer different varieties of foods even the style of cooking can be different. Traveling around the world or having many multiculturally diverse foods surrounding us helps us to learn about cultural diversity. To put it simply, food helps us learn that consumption is no longer just eating and surviving, it's more about building interpersonal relationships around different diverse people.

However, there is another side of consumption we do not see. Technology helps consumption grow, over the decades, while global consumption is growing, technological advances are also becoming more developed. With everyone also having access to the Internet nowadays, consumption actually contributes to greenhouse gases, electricity, and fuels (Nansai et al., 2007). The amount used of such is incredibly high and could possibly be a threat to the world. So how are we moving forward as such, many researchers, therefore, started looking at ways to protect Mother earth by looking into rechargeable batteries or newer technologies so that such toxicity is being far less produced. This then allows us to move towards a sustainable level of consumption. We can enjoy what we want but know the consequences it will come after or find environmentally ways to continue consuming what we love.

With technology surrounding us, we look into promoting ethical consumption. Yes people like us always want to stay updated, and being on the internet via smartphone or laptops is the easiest and most efficient way. Through the internet, many information’s are there making information spread fairly easy. But are we abusing our power when we are on the Internet? Can we use the Internet to also help people understand ethical consumptions (Cochoy et al., 2017)?

Based on my experience, I do not think consumers are making an effort to have ethical consumption at this point in time. We are constantly on the hunt for something new something exciting to talk about, it is as if we want to have drama in our lives. People are so quick to judge and be critical on the Internet but when something happens to them, they put their heads in their shells and shun away from people. Being on the internet there is bound to be a lot of cyberbullying. You might ask how would I know because I was also a victim once. People choose to make it their problem when they have no clue the real truth and just either jump to the gun or follow the pressure of other consumers. This is a problem of the lack of relevant information which then causes the failure of ethical consumption.

In conclusion, how has learning this subject change the way I view consumption. I see things in a different light now. I am less judgemental over things and I too am trying my best to practice ethical consumption. Even for the world, one should change their behavior. Marketers can advertise more on ethical consumption and this can help not only current consumers but potential consumers even when technologies become more advanced, everyone’s goals should align and that is to have a more environmentally world and what we see on the internet nowadays should not defined you as a person. For only you, yourself know your true character and identity.

References:

Cochoy, F., Hagberg, J., McIntyre, M. P., & Sörum, N. (2017). Digitalizing Consumption: How Devices Shape Consumer Culture. Taylor & Francis Group. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/curtin/detail.action?docID=4865732

Adorno, T. (1989) https://ap01.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/view/delivery/61CUR_INST/12181858730001951

Gabriel, Y., & Lang, T. (2006). Introduction: The Faces of the Consumer. In The Unmanageable Consumer (2nd ed., pp. 1–6). SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446213049

Clarke, D. (2003 https://ap01.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/view/delivery/61CUR_INST/12181858710001951

Isabelle de Solier. (2013). Food and the Self: Consumption, Production and Material Culture. Bloomsbury Publishing. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/curtin/detail.action?docID=1394891

Nansai, K., Kagawa, S., Suh, S., Inaba, R., & Moriguchi, Y. (2007). Simple Indicator To Identify the Environmental Soundness of Growth of Consumption and Technology: “Eco-velocity of Consumption.” Environmental Science & Technology, 41(4), 1465–1472. https://doi.org/10.1021/es0615876

Recreational shopping, leisure, and labour. (n.d.). Retrieved January 1, 2022, from https://ap01.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/view/delivery/61CUR_INST/12181858150001951