Consumerism Essay Example For Students

Consumerism Essay Todays society seems as though it is being taken over by Consumerism Essay. The term consumerism is defined as the tendency of people to identify strongly with products they consume, particularly of name brands and status-enhancing appeal. With the marketing world growing larger by day it seems more and more people are attracted to the advertised products and feel the need to have them in order to keep in style with the rest of society. The term conspicuous consumption applies to those people who show off their products in order to show their wealth. These people who show off their expensive clothing, jewelry, or cars are trying to make an impression on people. In our era, Fresh Fields, a supermarket that has sells organic and more natural products, has prospered because of consumers interests in buying food that is not contaminated by pesticides, chemicals, and other non-natural ingredients. Interestingly enough, a news report last week on TV indicated that organic produce, which is more expensive than regular produce, may actually be more dangerous to consume because it is fertilized with manure that contains E. Coli bacteria. There may be a consumer backlash against organic products if they are shown to pose a danger to the consumer. Complex technology, has also been a key marketplace feature of the fourth era of the consumer movement. Through the Internet, it is possible to buy even the most obscure goods and services, often at prices which are significantly less expensive than at a retail establishment. However, the Internet also presents serious risks to the consumer. The Clinton administration recently announced that it is proposing legislation that will address the illegal sale of drugs via the Internet. It is now possible to purchase prescription drugs though Internet companies, by placing the orders online. However, this practice is not sufficiently regulated, and consumers may be getting medicines that would ordinarily require close supervision by a personal physician, without having adequate medical supervision when they buy through the Internet. It is very easy to do an Internet search for Internet drug companies, some of which are located overseas (especially in Asia, Mexico and Europe), and find companies which sell Viagra, Xenical, Propecia, etc. through online orders without a medical examination. Advanced technology has had a great impact on the fourth era of the consumer movement. For example, genetic engineering has made it possible to buy produce that is bigger and lasts longer than non-engineered produce. Questions of safety have been raised with respect to this practice, and some consumer groups have voiced concerns. Advanced technology has also made a business of fertility problems, making fertility treatments a possibility, and the selling of human eggs has become a booming business. All this poses new challenges and ethical dilemmas to the consumers of today. Credit has become another key feature of the fourth era of the consumer movement. Direct marketing is widely used to target individuals who may be eligible for credit, and these individuals are aggressively pursued. Credit abuses exist, including giving credit to students who are not in a financial position to acquire such debt. In addition, companies exist that claim to be able to fix credit problems for a fee, and in fact, they do nothing that consumers cannot do themselves, by writing the credit bureaus, for example. Claims that a company or agency can miraculously clean up bad credit are simply false. The use of credit as a way to purchase goods and services has greatly altered the world in which we live, and has changed the way that consumers operate in the business world. 1B. Charlie Parker at Storyville Essay They are destroying their own country by logging national forests, releasing toxins into the air, and drilling wildlife refuges for oil. Their blatant exploitation of developing countries is also horrific. Many of these countries cant make environmental laws because they need the business and the corporation would take business to a more lenient country if they forbade the destruction of the environment. Most Americans dont think about what the consequences are as a result of their full backing of these corporations. The fact is that most Americans dont think about consequences much at all when it comes to their rampant consumerism. This leads to the question of why Americans (and many Europeans) love to spend .