Argumentative Essay
The concept of consumption has existed for as long as society has. People have always felt the need to use up things, clothes, food, and other items. However, if previously, consumption used to develop out of necessity, new trends are quite different, putting emphasis on the attempt to gain attention, respect, or even admiration. The amount of goods purchased and exploited has reached an unprecedented level. Statistics are especially alarming in the USA, which ranks highest in the majority of consumption sections despite housing less than 5% of the world’s population (“Use It and Lose It”). The major reason why Americans thoughtlessly buy things in large quantities is the attempt to satisfy their social needs, which is, in fact, hardly ever achieved through obtaining ownership of more new things.
The most notable trend in Americans’ consumption behavior is purchasing things to show one’s status. According to Roberts, people rely on “visual cues” to make others aware of their social situation (151). At the same time, the amount and quality of others’ possessions allows individuals to make conclusions about their status. No matter how hard up people are, they start buying more things as soon as they overcome unfortunate financial circumstances (Roberts 152). As Shames notes, the American trinity has always been “frontier; opportunity; more” (113). By obtaining more, Americans feel themselves more proud and important. This fact particularly concerns younger consumers who prefer buying luxury goods on their parents’ money and can spend about $300 per purchase (Giovanni et al. 22). While the consumption rate in the country is already high, the growth of the luxury market is even more disturbing. Over the past years, this segment has increased by 32% (Giovanni et al. 22). Meanwhile, the justification of such percentage has not been provided yet.
Personally, I do not consider myself a blind consumer who strives to display her status via possessions. My cell phone and laptop are not very expensive, and I bought them for convenience rather than to boast some popular trademark. My clothes and accessories come from inexpensive shops, and I do not tent to run after labels. However, I do have one possession that I cherish much and for which I paid good money: my camera. I enjoy taking pictures, and the choice of the camera was a great question for me. At the point of selecting it, I became involved in the Nikon versus Canon debate just like many girls are concerned about the Prada versus Gucci dispute. However, apart from the camera, I do not have any overly expensive belongings for buying which I might feel ashamed. I need my camera for spiritual satisfaction rather than boasting or making others feel miserable.
People have come up with various excuses for their waste of money and natural resources. One of the most common ideas associated with buying things is that they can make people happier. Hence, they purchase attractive clothes, bright appliances, and comfortable items in the belief that these will raise the level of satisfaction. However, as McKevitt remarks, it is the manufacturers’ greatest lever in the process of increasing their profits (157). It is convenient for producers of goods to keep the potential consumers “in a permanent state of dissatisfaction” (McKevitt 157). The advantage for sellers is that the feeling of unhappiness would make individuals eager to pay for something that will make them more content.
However, such satisfaction is illusory, so it is not viable to justify excessive consumption by the desire to become happier. When an individual meets his or her basic needs, there is no additional feeling of happiness accompanying the purchase (Roberts 151). Therefore, consumers are constantly trapped in the so-called “treadmill of consumption”: people get adjusted to new things too quickly, and they need more new items very soon after the acquisition (Roberts 152). The problem with this treadmill is that very few individuals are ready to step aside from it and stop making the same mistakes every other time. The majority of Americans have made it their habit to walk on such treadmill all the time and never stop to think about the consequences. Meanwhile, the country rates lowest in sustainable behavior out of seventeen participants surveyed (“Use It and Lose It”). These data indicate that the level of consumerism is too high, and it is crucial to come up with solutions to decreasing the number of wrong choices that are harmful to the environment.
Americans consume quite disproportionally compared to the rest of the world due to several factors. Firstly, they consider the opportunity to have more as the highest level of independence and dignity. Secondly, they aim at displaying their status via luxury possessions. Finally, Americans strive to become happier by buying more things. Unfortunately, walking on the treadmill of consumption does not make anyone more content or successful. Thus, it is necessary to decrease the consumerism rate in the USA to make the country more eco-friendly and encourage people to be more sustainability-oriented.
Works Cited
Giovanni, Sarah, et al. “Luxury Fashion Consumption and Generation Y consumers.” Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, vol. 19, no. 1, 2015, pp. 22-40.
McKevitt, Steve. “Everything Now.” Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers, 9th ed., edited by Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2018, pp. 156-162.
Roberts, James A. “The Treadmill of Consumption.” Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers, 9th ed., edited by Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2018, pp. 151-155.
Shames, Laurence. “The More Factor.” Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers, 9th ed., edited by Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2018, pp. 112-117.
“Use It and Lose It: The Outsize Effect of U.S. Consumption on the Environment.”Scientific American, n.d., Web.