Does Consumer Society Give Us Choice

How does consumer society give us choice?

In this introduction to appositely answer the question on whether consumer society gives us choice, i will be firstly be discussing what consumerism is within the context of cultured capitilist society. Within this essay I will disclose a counter-arguement which will assist me within the context that surround this discussion. To do this i will be examining the following beneficial texts from 'Making Social Lives.' The following relevance within this source that is integral for the support of this arguement is the sociologist Thorstein Vebenand how he suggests conspicious consumption effects society. Also Warren Susman indicates we consume for self image. The text that bears references against choices
Every...(person) was to become a performing self' (page 43 matierial lives) Susman suggests from this quote that in order to socially fit in we have to be false; for example dress in a way that other people do to be accepted. Many people possess clothes but continue to shop for the way they look just to keep updated in the fashion industry. He provides an insight of how times have changed over the years and that people have increasingly judged people just by what they wear. Contrary to this, people have been refused services because they did not wear the correct clothing. Thorstein Veblen adverts that we consume to make ourselves look better through antique items and the goods we have on show; for example, a new prada bag might make a woman seem higher class just because of how much one costs. By observing that this woman has this pricey handbag does not determine whether she has a good personality, but she would be classed seduced by someone that does not know her through wealth. However Veblen does not suggest that you need wealth to conspiciously consume because it is purely trying to impress other people. 'The reason why people do this is not simply because they want to show off but because they want to fit in, impress their friends and be accepted into social networks where they feel they ought to belong.' (page 33 making social
Including, market power, buying power and divided views on the amount of power superstores actually obtain. Partrick, which is centered next to Glasgow city centre.In partrick there is a run down shopping plaza called Linwood and Tesco wants to transform the building to another big retail store. There are many people in Partrick that seem pleased with the proposed prospect. Other people in this community are against the idea because of what it could do to their local community and they are considering the loyalty of the services provided in their hometown. No matter what happens in this example it will be a zero-sum game. This is because logically not everyone can win. A positive sum game would be if all or majority of the public in Partrick was to counterbalance the transformation of Linwood.Tesco will get their way because of how a superstore can have so much market power; they put an extreme amount of pressure for planning permission because of the profits and benefits they provide. Therefore if the proposed prospect of transforming Linwood into Tesco was to happen, the people who are against are basically non-existent in society. Joanna Blythman (2005) has put across that larger stores are to blame for corner shops and smaller buisnesses terminating.She states 'there were ten bakers; now there are two left. There were eight or nine butchers; now there is one. Of