Consumerism
Notes
Claim
To keep the economic machine rolling, we need to have both aspects - production and consumption. Capitalism "takes care" of the production side, while consumerism takes care of the consumption side. If one leg falls, they both fall.
Explanation
Consumerism means that we focus on the lack in our lives, and how new things could potentially fill that gap. However, this is not a one-time solution. If we were to make a single purchase and be satisfied for life, the economy would crumble. It requires constant consumption. That's why consumerism leads to the psychological phenomena:
- Constant hunger for more - What we have is never enough, we can never be satisfied with what we have, and the only way to solve our problems is to have more things Deferring happiness to future goals creates present suffering. Since new inventions keep on coming and products wear and tear over time, we constantly have to replace them Happiness is contentment. We become machines of Desire perpetuates endless wanting over satisfaction.
- Happiness is having - We no longer determine what makes us happy. The economy bombards us with messages that happiness is a matter of possession, and no other forms are acceptable. We fall pry to Shallow copies mistake partial representations for complete truth of happiness.
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Overview
🔼Topic:: Consumption and Commodification 🔼Topic:: Avoidance and Defense Mechanisms ↩️Origin:: 🔗Link::