The consumer society requires consumerism.
A consumer society is one that develops when there is a very wide range of products and services, making it possible for a large number of people to buy goods and contract all types of services . The concept is associated with a certain state or stage of capitalism .
Before moving forward, it is important to analyze the terms that are part of the expression. Society , which comes from the Latin sociĕtas , refers to a group of subjects who live in the same space respecting certain rules. Consumption , meanwhile, is the act and result of consuming: spending, using or extinguishing.
In the specific field of the economy , consumption is the last phase of the production process . It occurs when the consumer accesses the good or service to satisfy a need or desire .
Characteristics of the consumer society
It can be said that the basis of a consumer society is the existence of mass production that makes mass consumption possible. Beyond this specific issue (there must be a certain supply of goods and services so that the population has the option of accessing said items), the idea is linked to a type of consumer behavior and a certain socioeconomic organization that is typical of the capitalist system.
Mass production assumes the existence of an offer of equal condition. The logic of capitalism indicates that, for this supply to find buyers and thus producers make profits, demand must be stimulated.
This is how consumerism arises, which appears when people tend to acquire and accumulate goods that are not necessary or essential . Simply put, companies produce things that citizens do not need, but still want to buy (consume) due to the influence of sociological, emotional and other factors.
It can be stated, therefore, that the consumer society requires consumerism . It is not enough for the production model to satisfy basic needs, but it has to offer additional goods and services on a massive scale.
In the consumer society there is a wide range of products and services.
Arguments for and against
The existence of a consumer society is valued in different ways according to the analyst. There are thinkers who highlight the advantages of achieving this state, while other intellectuals outline criticisms from ethics .
Among those who list benefits of the consumer society, they highlight that it is the result of a high level of development , expressed through the growth of the gross domestic product ( GDP ). They also mention that the consumer society contributes to the diversification of supply, reaching a growing number of citizens and therefore contributing to social equality .
There are more, however, arguments against the consumer society. The most common refers to the contradiction between the possibility of producing goods and services to cover the basic needs of all people and the consumption that a part of society focuses on superfluous items. Unnecessary objects are produced and purchased, while there are human beings who cannot meet their basic needs.
Another con that is attributed to the consumer society is the damage to the environment . Excess production and consumption is linked to an increase in waste generation and pollution, affecting the planet as a whole.