Consumerism: A norm or a trend?

Consumerism, according to Investopedia, “is the idea that increasing consumption of goods and services
purchased in the market is always a desirable goal and that a person's wellbeing and happiness depends
fundamentally on obtaining consumer goods and material possessions”.

In my own understanding, the word consumerism means of a process wherein we, the consumers, tend
to purchase goods and services in our society in order to continue the existing cycle between the flow of
commodities and services in one’s society. If we tend to destroy this cycle, in other terms, overbuying
and fluctuating goods, therefore, our economic stability would be in an imbalance state. Consumerism,
based on the article by Juliet Schor, mentioned that it makes the people do more, work more, earn
more, and in the end, spend more. Since we earn more through working overtime, we spend more
goods and services, even though to be honest and exact, we don’t really need it. We just tend to buy or
purchase it because it is our wants in life. In the end, since our salary increase and we spend more, we
tend to feel that we are not contented or happy about it and then our supposedly increased salary
wouldn’t be enough anymore. This, in turn, would lead to abnormalities, future problems, and
imbalances in the world of economics, in our society, and even ourselves.

There are factors that can propagate or increase consumerism and these are mainly present in ourselves
and in our environment. According to EDUCBA, there are 4 factors that can influence one’s consumerism
behavior and these are cultural factors, social factors, personal factors, and psychological factors. There
are scenarios of these mentioned in the article of about what provokes consumers to purchase goods
and services. It’s because of their culture, their personal needs, their friends and environment, and to
what they think is necessary to buy and to spend their money on.

In my own experience, the things or products that I usually buy that I didn’t even really need in my
everyday life is the excessive purchase and shopping of clothes. Maybe I was influenced by my friends or
that I want myself to be “in” with the society and to the existing trend. Buying excessive clothes is a
hobby for me and that I can just consider it as my wants in life. It isn’t really what I need. My economics
teacher once told me to prioritize my needs over my wants, and that, I think is what I must do in my life.

In today’s era, we cannot avoid consumerism. It’s because it is a part of globalization. It is our new
culture, norm or trend. We need to follow or adapt to these in order to survive and to not be left
behind. But, we can be responsible consumers. As what I’ve said a while ago, prioritize your needs over
your wants. Learn how to save and to budget. Be wise.