Consumerism is the social value that encourages people to purchase as many things as they possibly can. And whilst buying is essential to the survival of businesses, individuals and society as a whole, consumerism encourages people to buy things that they do not actually need. Instead it teaches that quality is more important than quantity. Consumerism is largely a media-related idea with the billions of dollars that are spent each year trying to convince people that if they do not have this companies products then their lives will not be as good.

There have been both positive and negative effects of consumerism on lifestyle.

A positive impact that consumerism has on lifestyle is that it stimulates the economy. People constantly spending money in shops and online are pumping billions of dollars back into local and global business. And in this economic climate, stimulation of the economy is something that is desperately needed.

Another positive effect that it has had is that it has made the consumer more aware, they are aware of their rights, the companies rights and they are being made aware of exactly what they are buying. Clear, concise labels are now on almost all packaging with adequate nutritional information and health warnings.

A negative impact that consumerism has is that it makes anyone that cannot afford to buy the products that they are being bombarded with feel left out. This has a negative effect on people’s attitudes and often leads to people getting credit that they cannot afford to pay back. This means people are then dealing with debt which makes them feel even worse than they did before. It is a vicious cycle. This feeling of being left out and the inspired feelings of social snobbery that if you do not have these products then you are not as good as someone else, can also have more drastic consequences such as theft; people cannot afford to buy the items so they simply take them.

The consumer culture encourages the idea of disposable items, it tells everyone that if something breaks then you can simply replace it instead of mend it. This applies to so many things and in recent years it has led to the rise of “disposable fashion” with clothes costing a few dollars to buy, so little is expected of them that when they break, they are simply replaced with the same item. This has had far reaching consequences because many discount clothing companies have been found to be using illegal labour and exploiting their workforces.

Consumerism has both negative and positive effects on society, but its impact is undeniable.