INTRODUCTION

When going over different aspects of history, the buying and selling of goods were usually done out of necessity. A farmer would sell his spare crops for money that they could use to buy better farm equipment, which in turn could yield more spare crops for additional profit. However, around the mid-18th century, a rise in a new historical phenomenon began to occur -  consumerism. No longer limited to the rich and upper class, the desire to spend money on luxury goods rose amongst the middle class. This rise in consumerism led to a new phenomenon aptly known as “consumer culture.”

Going off of that, it is important to understand how consumerism and consumer culture became a historical phenomenon. The impact it had has shaped both political and social ideologies globally. Nations like the United States of America heavily emphasize consumer culture and all the effects that come with it. Like other cultural concepts, there are others that reject the notion of consumer culture, instead opting for a moderate or radical alternative. To understand this further, let’s take a look at the activity below.

ACTIVITY

Let’s start by taking a brief look at consumer culture. (link)

Now let’s look at some of the socio-cultural developments that came from consumerism

Now that we have gone through this activity, let’s answer the following questions in the comment section:

1) Can an argument be made about consumerism being a historical phenomenon?

2) How has consumerism contributed to different aspects of world history?

3) What aspects of consumerism do you think were mainly rejected by other countries?