Ever heard of ‘consumerism’? What are your thoughts about it?
Let’s see if we are on the same page regarding what is consumerism! From Pattberg and Zelli (2015), consumerism broadly concerns consumption. However, consumerism is also often used to specifically refer to a culture of excessive consumption of goods without regard to the negative impacts on people and towards the planet.
Sounds scary? Well, many of us seem to be quite guilty of it given our pursuit of luxury goods, the latest gadgets and more!
But… How did this happen? Have societies worldwide been like this since time immoral? Definitely not! Let me tell you how as we travel back in time.
- Before the 1600s, the modern concept of consumerism is not to be found, at best, limited due to the focus on ‘cottage industry‘, and hence, the lack of capital for purchase.
- In the 1700s, consumerism took flight with the Industrial Revolution. Originating from England, the Industrial Revolution soon spread other countries in Europe, as well as North America.
Diagram: how Industrial Revolution can lead to increased consumption and further consumerism – an economic cycle [Source: Jocelyn]
- From then onwards, consumerism continued to grow and developed across the world into the 20th and the 21st century. It has become so intertwined with our lives that one cannot imagine how life was like in the past without the presence of a wide range of goods and services to consume.
For an animated view of the history and development of consumerism, check out this video:
References:
History of Consumerism. (n.d.). Retrieved September 03, 2020, from https://www.historycrunch.com/history-of-consumerism.html
P. H. Pattberg and Zelli, F. (2015). Consumerism. In Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Governance and Politics (pp. 9-15). Elgar Publishing.