Consumption has become a prime mover. Increasingly, it is the factor, the principle, held to determine definitions of value, the construction of identities, and even the shape of the global ecumene.

 –Jean & John Comaroff

Ever since the 1980s,  ‘teens’ emerged as a consumer category with its own distinctive, characterized, internationally marketable culture. More so than ever, ‘youth’ as a category gained unprecedented autonomy as a social category, especially as a separate class from the normative world of work and wage (Jean & John Comaroff). We also know that neoliberalism inherently favors some and not others. It can include and marginalize populations; it can produce more products yet decrease jobs; above all it can promise riches and perceived success to those that can master, but strip away the vitality of those that can’t. The construction of one’s identity, then, is commodified, and increasingly measured by the capacity to transact and consume (Jean & John Comaroff). Individual interest, self-improvement, and development of one’s social and literal capital, becomes a symptom of neoliberalism. The more people can shape and customize their lives, the more that can be sold and consumed by the individual.

Thus, the transfer of responsibility from the state to the individual is complete. Youth, in the postwar generation, assume the burden of increasing his/her own capacity. They are drawn into a world of luxury, promises, and hope but at the expense of one’s self-improvement. They are told that self worth can be enhanced materialistically, but only if they have what it takes. It is no longer the state’s responsibility to provide adequate healthcare or social programs for development, but up to the individual to provide for the self. 

Sources:

Comaroff, J., and J. L. Comaroff. "Millennial Capitalism: First Thoughts on a Second Coming." Public Culture 12.2 (2000): 291-343. Web.