Consumerism is not flavour of the month

“ Is it right to equate personal happiness and prosperity with the purchase of consumer goods?”

Consumerism is certainly something which is often discussed in today’s world. Some people buy things to make themselves happier, some people purchase goods even without any reasons and sometimes get into debt. This essay will discuss several opinions and some of the things people could do to address this problem.

To begin with, people in our stressful world prefer to buy a lot of things in order to avoid anxiety and pressure and often end up buying unnecessary products after being lured by attractive advertisements. For instance, they purchase expensive clothes to draw away from daily routine or work, but the price of those things are often higher than their income. Consequently, people have a large number of useless things that they finally throw out. This can lead to pollution and as a result become harmful for our environment. Moreover, some individuals also have to run up a debt as they cannot afford to buy new goods.

Another reason, people think that they can impress acquaintances. They show off their luxurious commodities, take photos and upload them into the apps and it triggers people to buy fancy stuff that is beyond their limits. People do this without noticing all the amazing things in the world around them like nature, pleasurable activities, connecting to other people, or pursuing achievement.

Last but not least, in terms of social impact, consumerism would create societies that value commercial contributions over social ones. In such societies, people who spend more money would be considered to be more important than scientists, doctors, engineers or artists. As a result, despite some short-term economic success, undoubtedly, the well-being of the society will suffer in the long-term due to social issues such as the gap between the rich and the poor or lack of science, medical care or cultural development.

There are several things that people could do to solve the problem. Instead of adding more shopping malls or markets in the city, the government should focus on building more public parks and children playgrounds. Therefore, people would have more options for entertainment besides going to the shopping centers. Additionally, new health and training centers must be opened in order to involve new specialists. As a result, students will prefer great professions and potentially can save people’s lives. Moreover, the government can regulate taxes and credit limits with shopping centers and financial organizations in order to consider a proportion between spending and income. Therefore, a balanced socioeconomic development strategy would be of great importance.

All things considered, it can be concluded that a certain degree of government control is necessary. The government should regulate taxes and credit limits and also build new facilities like recreation parks, so that people will have more alternative places to visit beside shopping centers. The most important thing is to involve recent graduates to work within their specialty. I personally think that everyone must pay attention to the consequences of buying things that are not really necessary and may be dangerous for the environment.

“Are these things really better than the things I already have? Or am I just trained to be dissatisfied with what I have now?”
― Chuck Palahniuk