Consuming Culture

a) How do you see the role of consumption in structuring your day-to-day existence?

Consumption is something that everyone partakes in everyday. Jean Baudrillard says that consumption is reaching the point where it is taking control of all of existence (Isabelle, 2013). Consumption has affected our sense of self and identity. Consumption and consumerism are components of numerous intellectual traditions that have long neglected one another, whether purposely or accidentally. As a result, the term consumerism has come to mean different things to different people in different situations (Gabriel & Lang, 2006) Consumption now shapes my identity as I consume things daily such as eating certain foods, buying clothes of a certain brand. As commodities are "converted into the substance of play and differentiation," people self-consciously utilise the "sign-value" of products to transmit messages about themselves (Isabelle, 2013). In order to be seen as relevant and having good taste, I have been buying clothes that fit this label. Due to the blurring or collapse of aesthetic distinctions, taste and its class connotations have become increasingly complicated in late or postmodernity (Isabelle, 2013). Consumption affects our social interactions, perceptions, and mental representations in ways that go beyond simply satisfying our demands (Gabriel & Lang, 2006). A second brand of middle class differentiation that is used to stigmatise the impoverished, whether "at home" or abroad, is ethical consumerism. Consumption is a key component of the supply and demand concept and comprises both the provision of products and services and the demand for those goods and services by each individual consumer. Consumption includes both the provision of goods and services and the individual consumer's demand for those goods and services; it is a crucial aspect of the supply and demand idea. Compared to economic consumers, leisure shoppers are far more likely to make impulsive purchases because they spend more time in stores and are more susceptible to numerous internal and external sensory triggers (Timothy, 2006). Leisure shoppers are something that individuals like myself identify as. Consumption is also influenced by the extent of customer need (Timothy, 2006). Although most impulsive purchases are unneeded, there may occasionally be a slight necessity for them. These items often have low pricing and have a significant influence on impulsive purchases. Online shopping has also increased my consumption habits as it often takes less time than going to actual malls and the simplicity of finding items from several stores without needing to travel. More time is required to consume the social product when productivity at the place where one works grows. Consumption requires time thus the more we produce, the longer it will take to consume it. A highly materialist society is what causes working time reduction. According to research, individuals who suffer poverty or even the danger of death as children or who have parents who are not very kind to them may grow up to be more materialistic as a coping mechanism (Deangelis, 2004). Therefore, being a materialist is bad if you're poor; on the other hand, being wealthy virtually makes you as happy as someone who isn't materialistic. . In particular with purchase now pay later services, consumption will also raise people's debt. It made me rethink if I should use those services and spend wisely. Stress levels will inevitably rise as a result of debt-related stress. Beyond only meeting our needs, consumption has an impact on our social relationships, perceptions, and mental representations (Gabriel & Lang, 2006). By reducing my consumption of material goods I can reduce waste as rising consumer demand for products also comes from rising production, which increases pollution, intensifies land usage, and depletes natural resources. The oceans are turning into enormous landfills as a result of the global issue of waste disposal. Pollution, resource depletion, and resource scarcity are all consequences of consumerism.Consumption has impacted our identity and feeling of self. My identity is now shaped by the things I consume on a regular basis, such as eating particular meals and purchasing clothing from a particular brand. Instead of learning that culture "influences" consumption or gives particular shapes to fundamental needs, I discovered that culture defines the demands, products, and behaviours that go into consumption.

b) How does the academic study of consumption help you understand the role of consumption in your life?

The academic study of consumption made me realise that the concept is very broad and covers many aspects. There are several ways to conceptualise consumption as cultural and as people have basic wants, they take on various cultural forms in various countries, for instance people act on their own accord but occasionally allow societal influences to steer them in other directions (Noble & Ang, 2018). Consuming more than one needs is known as consumerism, and it is a cultural and economic notion that is closely related to the never-ending cycle of surplus consumption. Culture is an addition to consumption in both scenarios. Consumption is a path to liberty, dominance, and fulfilment. All of these elements are based on the consumer's ability to choose, get, use, and enjoy physical products and activities. I feel consumption increases when I have more financial resources. I will purchase more items and impulse buy. With the rise of successful advertising and marketing campaigns, modern consumerism has really become popular. Individuals will tend to enjoy their shopping activities more when they have greater financial resources and according to some survey participants, having the impression that they have limitless money resources when shopping greatly increases the amount of satisfaction and.the limitations imposed by having fewer resources typically decreased the amount of enjoyment (Timothy, 2006). However, some argue that consumption has more significant consequences that are worth thinking about, even though some materialists float through life with minimal difficulty. Consumerism pushes consumers like me to purchase the most recent models even when they already own the basics. When businesses are successful in making customers feel the need to buy their products and be successful. Waste production is unavoidably increased by consumption. In Singapore, as our population and wealth expand, so does the amount of rubbish we produce overall. Waste production increases with consumption rate (Yu, 2020). People lose sight of their actual priorities when they are consumed with material goods. Some people may be so focused on working hard to make more money so they can buy more things that they neglect to spend quality time with their loved ones. I learned that culture defines the needs, products, and behaviours that go into consuming rather than that culture "influences" consumption or gives specific forms to a basic need (Slater, 1997). In the environment we live in, snap judgments are encouraged. According to research, impulsive shoppers think without reflection and pay little attention to the effects of their purchases. Semiotics is a concept that I also learned. It talks about how various organisations of objects and their meanings develop from systems of meanings, and as a result, discuss fashion systems, food systems, and other systems. The main benefit of using consumption as a social account is seeing that things do not have intrinsic meanings; rather, meanings and objects are socially ordered(Slater, 1997). In the end, it is impossible to separate our consumer behaviour from our behaviour as social, political, and moral beings. The narrowing of the gap between the wealthy, middle class, and the poor is linked to the growth of consumer demand for luxury items and prestige brands. Even those with limited budgets want something from Dior.. Living standards have increased dramatically, as we have seen. People feel robbed of the "good life" because the aspired level of living for the ordinary family is now so much above the actual standard provided by the average salary. Television and publications play a significant role in this ramping-up process, presenting richness as common and achievable rather than via advertising.Part and parcel with the fragmentations and contradictions of modern existence are the fragmentations and contradictions of modern consumerism.With the aid of media and ads, consumerist cultures encourage individuals to adopt this way of life by portraying it as necessary for their survival and pleasure. Making a conceptual difference between "consumption" and "consumerism" is a crucial first step in this process. Both terms have intricate histories and tumultuous present-day usages that occasionally significantly overlap. However, regardless of the type of economic or ideological framework in which consuming occurs, the term tends to more readily apply to the general "used up" of an object, good, or service. Ethical consumerism is not without its problems. It may be used, for instance, to support wealth disparities, to assist corporations in misleading the public and avoiding being more thoroughly environmentally or socially "ethical," to encourage snobbery, and to divert attention away from the extensive, ongoing work that must be done to create more equal and environmentally sustainable societies. Consumerism plays a crucial role in helping people achieve these expectations. Consumption has evolved into a method by which people can obtain numerous goods and services related to satisfying their basic needs, such as clothing, food, and shelter. To sum up, consumerism plays a significant role in my life.