The Role And Effects Of Consumerism In Today's Society

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Register to read the introduction… We consume an immense amount of different products every day. We consume material products for example furniture and high amounts of technical devices. But we also consume digital media. In the 21st century we own televisions, computer, tablet PC's, smart phones and all kinds of gadgets. These electronic devices grant us access to different programs and commercials on our television, all kind of games and applications and also social media on the internet. We consume social interaction on a daily basis. Facebook, Twitter or Instagram are present everywhere. Facebook for example had a revenue of $ 5.1 Billion in the year 2012 …show more content…
American children consume four to five hours of television every day and see 30,000 commercials a year (Dumount). The effects of these advertisements is difficult to determine and therefore there is no international regulation for commercials targeted at children. Also has the role of consumer products changed into a part of our culture and children have the right to make free use of those goods (Cook).
Children's role in our society of consumerism has changed. In the western societies children have a lot more money to spent, they show brand loyalty at an early age and are the future's adult consumers (Valkenburg and Cantor 61). They also influence the consumption of their parents. Everyone has experienced the cry of child in a super market that did not get the item it wanted. "It is the sound of hours of market research, of an immense coordination of people, ideas and resources, of decades of social and economic change all rolled into a single, 'Mommy Please!'"
…show more content…
In these years, two to five, they start to nag if they do not get their will (ibid 65. At the same time they are not able to distinguish between fantasy and reality. They believe the stories on the television are real, cannot differentiate between television program and commercials and believe all the information that commercials show them (ibid 64). This inability to critically question the content of commercials can stay until the later elementary school years. In these years the children learn to compare products and information. The lack of realism is criticized and children also learn that emotions can be feigned. In these years children develop the ability to understand needs and emotions of other children and are more influenced by their social environment (ibid

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