Throughout the last decate, the immoderate consumerism has become an integral part of our everyday routine. It is comprehensible that lifestyles magazines try to affect the consumer’s opinion for the service of world corporate interests. In my opinion that kind of advertising creates materialism and causes people to place too much importance on material goods. The fact that people are prepared to work long hours, shows that advertising persuades people to go to great lengths to keep the same standard of living as those they see around them.
To begin with, nowadays people buy things in order to fulfill a personal enjoyment and not because they really need them. For example a category of consumers result to making impulse buys because a product was eye-catching. This behavior comes up from the fact that the companies impose on us when a product is out of date and when we have to upgrade it. Moreover, glossy magazines make products enticing in order to create the illusion to consumers of becoming bargain hunters. In other words they change a white elephant into a must have product.
What is more, one of the major factors that influence our consuming behavior is the fact that people always try to keep up with the Jonses. Society is structured in such a way through our consuming behavior we fix our social level concerning others around us. Thus a form of competition is being created. For instance, if my neighbour acquires a brand new car, I should also purchase a new one, perhaps a better one, in order to show that I am not inferior but an equal member of the society in which we both live. It seems to me that, this logic has impact on young persons who do not want to differ from their friends and feel members of the same group.
In addition to this, a consumer’s choice is influenced by the media as we are bombarded by advertisements. Product placements can cause people to be dissatisfied with what already have and make them want more. Being...