Consumer Society Is A Divided Society
Write an essay that outlines the view that a consumer society is a divided society.
Consuming plays a very important part in making and re-making our society. Over the years, we have learnt how to express our personalities and image through consuming. It provides us with a sense of belonging, as well as being able to create jobs, and means of living. We live in a society that depends a lot on consumer spending, in order to maintain a stable and economic environment. Nowadays, many people are able to spend money beyond necessities, and consume more luxurious products. However, we must remember that not everyone can consume equally- one person's necessity may be another person's luxury. There are two very important concepts that will be used throughout this essay : status and power. Through these concepts, I will outline the ways in which a consumer society is a divided society.
The success of a consumer society depends on the amount of disposable income within it. The amount of money we make plays a big part in what we can buy,what we wear and how we can express ourselves through consuming. The American sociologist, Thorstein Veblen (1899) produced a theory that outlines the view that those people of the nineteenth century who could participate fully in consumer society, or had recently aquired wealth, would …show more content…
display their expensive items around their home in order to gain character and a higher status. He believed they would have used this method in order that their friends or visitors would physically see the extent of their social belonging and security through what they could afford.
In relation to this, Zygmunt Bauman (1988) furthered this theory by suggesting that we no longer live in an industrial society, but a consumer society. Just like the industrial society prior, the more recent consumer society is unequal. He discussed that society could be roughly split into two main groups: the "Seduced" and the "Repressed".
Those who can consume freely, and in varying degrees, for example the rich, the young and the able bodied, can expres themselves and feel secure and included within society are known as the "Seduced". Status is very important in establishing a postition in society. Nowadays we are not limited to describing our position solely through the job that we do, but also by the objects we possess. The seduced are not only those who have plenty, and can buy freely, but also those who are seen as important, not only by other consumers, but also by those who have something to sell (Making Social Lives, p27). Nowadays, we can also express ourselves and demonstrate our personality through the items we choose to buy and display within our homes, or the clothes that we choose to wear.
On the other hand, the repressed are those who are seen as having little social value, both by other consumers and the lucrative market. They do not have equal access to the consumer society like those who are seduced. Generally this group includes the unemployed, migrants, disabled, certain races and typically those who are unable to participate completely in consumer society. They are not seen as having an important part in society,not useful regarding those who have something to sell, and do not have the funds to spend beyond necessities. As a result, this group of people are excluded from consumer society.
However certain traits from each group can also cross over. For example, a young person who is unemployed with little money may be accepted more in consumer society because he has a large group of friends, or has trendy clothes. This relates to how Kevin Hetherington (2009) tells us that "consumer society seems to favour an in-crowd, who have particular lifestyles, bodies and abilities to consume in the right way" (Making social lives, p5). Similarly, someone who has a secure job, and has money, although cannot read the trends within a consumer society, could be more excluded and therefore become one of the "Repressed". Although Baumans theory isn't accurate, we can use it to clearly see that a consumer society is greatly affected and divided by status.
The second concept which outines the divides in consumer society is "Power". This is "a complex term used to denote influence, control or domination" (Making Social Lives, p58). The major supermarkets have developed more and more power over consumer society. They are causing the failure of many local and family run businesses, and as a result their sudden growth has become considerably contoversial. Market power, which is described as the ability to influence market conditions, and buyer power, the relative bargaining power between firms and their suppliers, both allow the supermarkets to dictate how they act in whatever way they choose as their rivals do not have the power to object. Although many people feel strongly about supporting the smaller local businesses, sometimes they have to enter the large supermarket chains to find certain things not provided by smaller shops.
Two areas on opposite sides of Glasgow, Partick and Linwood, provide a classic example of a consumer society divide. The members of STOP (Stop Tesco Owning Partick) have set up this campaign in support of their local shops and businesses, for example butchers, newsagents and family-owned florists. They oppose Tesco laying their foundations, as according to STOP it is putting the very livliness of the Partick neighbourhood at stake. They have taken part in many protests, including one in which they loaded the area on which Tesco was to be built with flower seeds, in the hope they would grow and bloom before development commenced.
On the other hand, less than 10 miles away, the local, run-down town of Linwood was previously the centre of the car industry in Scotland, and since the administration of Peugeot the town has been plagued with endless unemployment.
However, it has now received a proposal for a Tesco superstore and in contrast to Partick, this proposal has been greeted with excitement and support. The residents believe that their small town can be shaped and improved by the superstore, resulting in long term jobs for the unemployed and "act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the area by attracting new shops, bars and restaurants to the plaza" (Making Social Lives,
p63).
Thus, through what we have outlined within this essay, it is evident that consumer society is indeed, divided. This has been shown through the examination of Thorstein Veblen's theory of conspicuous consumption, and how the wealthy show their status through dispay of their expensive items. This is assisted by Zygmunt Bauman's correlating view points on the "Seduced" and the "Repressed" and Kevin Hetherington's theory of the "in"-crowd. Although there will always be a small minority that does not necessarily conform to a particular side, for the most part the divide is predominantly evidential. This shows that indeed, not everyone has the means or ability to consume equally.
Consuming plays a very important part in making and re-making our society. Over the years, we have learnt how to express our personalities and image through consuming. It provides us with a sense of belonging, as well as being able to create jobs, and means of living. We live in a society that depends a lot on consumer spending, in order to maintain a stable and economic environment. Nowadays, many people are able to spend money beyond necessities, and consume more luxurious products. However, we must remember that not everyone can consume equally- one person's necessity may be another person's luxury. There are two very important concepts that will be used throughout this essay : status and power. Through these concepts, I will outline the ways in which a consumer society is a divided society.
The success of a consumer society depends on the amount of disposable income within it. The amount of money we make plays a big part in what we can buy,what we wear and how we can express ourselves through consuming. The American sociologist, Thorstein Veblen (1899) produced a theory that outlines the view that those people of the nineteenth century who could participate fully in consumer society, or had recently aquired wealth, would …show more content…
display their expensive items around their home in order to gain character and a higher status. He believed they would have used this method in order that their friends or visitors would physically see the extent of their social belonging and security through what they could afford.
In relation to this, Zygmunt Bauman (1988) furthered this theory by suggesting that we no longer live in an industrial society, but a consumer society. Just like the industrial society prior, the more recent consumer society is unequal. He discussed that society could be roughly split into two main groups: the "Seduced" and the "Repressed".
Those who can consume freely, and in varying degrees, for example the rich, the young and the able bodied, can expres themselves and feel secure and included within society are known as the "Seduced". Status is very important in establishing a postition in society. Nowadays we are not limited to describing our position solely through the job that we do, but also by the objects we possess. The seduced are not only those who have plenty, and can buy freely, but also those who are seen as important, not only by other consumers, but also by those who have something to sell (Making Social Lives, p27). Nowadays, we can also express ourselves and demonstrate our personality through the items we choose to buy and display within our homes, or the clothes that we choose to wear.
On the other hand, the repressed are those who are seen as having little social value, both by other consumers and the lucrative market. They do not have equal access to the consumer society like those who are seduced. Generally this group includes the unemployed, migrants, disabled, certain races and typically those who are unable to participate completely in consumer society. They are not seen as having an important part in society,not useful regarding those who have something to sell, and do not have the funds to spend beyond necessities. As a result, this group of people are excluded from consumer society.
However certain traits from each group can also cross over. For example, a young person who is unemployed with little money may be accepted more in consumer society because he has a large group of friends, or has trendy clothes. This relates to how Kevin Hetherington (2009) tells us that "consumer society seems to favour an in-crowd, who have particular lifestyles, bodies and abilities to consume in the right way" (Making social lives, p5). Similarly, someone who has a secure job, and has money, although cannot read the trends within a consumer society, could be more excluded and therefore become one of the "Repressed". Although Baumans theory isn't accurate, we can use it to clearly see that a consumer society is greatly affected and divided by status.
The second concept which outines the divides in consumer society is "Power". This is "a complex term used to denote influence, control or domination" (Making Social Lives, p58). The major supermarkets have developed more and more power over consumer society. They are causing the failure of many local and family run businesses, and as a result their sudden growth has become considerably contoversial. Market power, which is described as the ability to influence market conditions, and buyer power, the relative bargaining power between firms and their suppliers, both allow the supermarkets to dictate how they act in whatever way they choose as their rivals do not have the power to object. Although many people feel strongly about supporting the smaller local businesses, sometimes they have to enter the large supermarket chains to find certain things not provided by smaller shops.
Two areas on opposite sides of Glasgow, Partick and Linwood, provide a classic example of a consumer society divide. The members of STOP (Stop Tesco Owning Partick) have set up this campaign in support of their local shops and businesses, for example butchers, newsagents and family-owned florists. They oppose Tesco laying their foundations, as according to STOP it is putting the very livliness of the Partick neighbourhood at stake. They have taken part in many protests, including one in which they loaded the area on which Tesco was to be built with flower seeds, in the hope they would grow and bloom before development commenced.
On the other hand, less than 10 miles away, the local, run-down town of Linwood was previously the centre of the car industry in Scotland, and since the administration of Peugeot the town has been plagued with endless unemployment.
However, it has now received a proposal for a Tesco superstore and in contrast to Partick, this proposal has been greeted with excitement and support. The residents believe that their small town can be shaped and improved by the superstore, resulting in long term jobs for the unemployed and "act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the area by attracting new shops, bars and restaurants to the plaza" (Making Social Lives,
p63).
Thus, through what we have outlined within this essay, it is evident that consumer society is indeed, divided. This has been shown through the examination of Thorstein Veblen's theory of conspicuous consumption, and how the wealthy show their status through dispay of their expensive items. This is assisted by Zygmunt Bauman's correlating view points on the "Seduced" and the "Repressed" and Kevin Hetherington's theory of the "in"-crowd. Although there will always be a small minority that does not necessarily conform to a particular side, for the most part the divide is predominantly evidential. This shows that indeed, not everyone has the means or ability to consume equally.