A consumer society is created through extensive advertising and media influence, rather than from people’s natural ideas about what they need. Readers might assume that I’m referring to Arab countries when I say “consumer societies” but the truth is that this phenomenon began in the developed world soon after World War II. During that time, consumerism appeared when individuals of industrial communities started to identify strongly with products or services they used and when the individuals purchased goods or consumed materials in excess of their basic needs.
Consumerism is a huge problem that is associated at present with globalization. It encourages the mysterious irrational motives of consuming different goods and products. People eat junk food and drink soft drinks even though the food and drink damage their health. They buy mobile phones for young children and teens even though there is no need for them. Why do they do this? Because of senseless consumerism.
Advertisements and media outlets have an impact on the individual’s purchasing of products that dedicate a big share of revenues to advertising. Nowadays, due to globalization and the enormous advertising outlets, taking advantage of isolation is a common technique in both the Western and Eastern worlds. People who are vegetarians, for instance, or who prefer healthy diets instead of junk food become isolated in their own worlds and ideologies. Others who approve and eagerly embrace every new fad are applauded for their modernity and their appearance of superiority.
Emulated attitudes and irrational consumerism evoke harsh criticism from different streams of intellectual thinkers and business analysts. The criticisms boil down to the fact that senseless consumerism defame and harm human relations with nature. Individuals are connected to their natural environment and substituting innate wants and needs with artificial ones will never bring any good to the world.