Consumer culture can be broadly defined as a culture where social status, values, and activities are centered on the consumption of goods and services. In other words, in consumer culture, a large part of what we do, what we value and how we are defined focuses on our consumption of stuff, therefore the term material culture. ( Lury C.) Consumerism dominates human cultures. The term has various meanings mainly referring to consumers purchasing practices Its negative meaning refers to the system of consumer capitalism which has emerged since the mid-twentieth century. It is considered as excessive materialism that destroys Earth’s ecosystems by using up resources at a high rate and contributing to global warning. Consumer practices are cultural
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We shall examine the case of Green or hybrid cars. They run quieter and cleaner than conventional cars providing exceptional gas mileage. Conventional automobiles are powered by an internal combustion engine running on gasoline or diesel fuel. Battery electric vehicles are powered by rechargeable battery packs, but typically have less acceleration performance and limited mileage between charge-ups. Hybrid cars essentially use both an electric motor and a gasoline engine. The electric motor draws its power from a large battery pack that is recharged by the gas engine and by energy retrieved from the brakes. Since Ferdinand Porsche designed the "Mixte" in 1901, hybrids have not been widely commercially available until the late 1990s, when the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight were introduced. The Prius is the most popular model, surpassing one million worldwide cumulative sales in May 2008, and is the most fuel efficient car sold. From the consumer perspective, Hybrids can provide large savings in fuel costs without the range limitations of electric power vehicles. However, there continues to be a wide range of concerns related to the batteries of hybrid-electric vehicles, and the potential inconvenience of recharging. Today, the concept of a hybrid car has entered in the mainstream. Consumers are buying increasing numbers of environmentally friendly cars even though they cost more then twice the amount of a comparable conventional car, with Toyota’s Prius being the market leader, despite well-publicised quality and safety problems. Its sales and marketing made it mainstream! (Mick
We shall examine the case of Green or hybrid cars. They run quieter and cleaner than conventional cars providing exceptional gas mileage. Conventional automobiles are powered by an internal combustion engine running on gasoline or diesel fuel. Battery electric vehicles are powered by rechargeable battery packs, but typically have less acceleration performance and limited mileage between charge-ups. Hybrid cars essentially use both an electric motor and a gasoline engine. The electric motor draws its power from a large battery pack that is recharged by the gas engine and by energy retrieved from the brakes. Since Ferdinand Porsche designed the "Mixte" in 1901, hybrids have not been widely commercially available until the late 1990s, when the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight were introduced. The Prius is the most popular model, surpassing one million worldwide cumulative sales in May 2008, and is the most fuel efficient car sold. From the consumer perspective, Hybrids can provide large savings in fuel costs without the range limitations of electric power vehicles. However, there continues to be a wide range of concerns related to the batteries of hybrid-electric vehicles, and the potential inconvenience of recharging. Today, the concept of a hybrid car has entered in the mainstream. Consumers are buying increasing numbers of environmentally friendly cars even though they cost more then twice the amount of a comparable conventional car, with Toyota’s Prius being the market leader, despite well-publicised quality and safety problems. Its sales and marketing made it mainstream! (Mick