The pros and cons of living in a consumerist society

The pros and cons of living in a consumerist society

What is consumerism? It is an economic policy that states that the market is shaped by the choice of the consumers. Consumerism basically describes the inclinations and tendencies of consumers towards various products and brands.

The importance of money is growing everyday and bringing new challenges and obstacles in our live. So is consumerism good or bad? Is money the key to happiness? To start with, that it helps people have some fun in their lives and helps them use some of their free time. 

They can buy things which make them happy. One very important advantage is that our society was developed by consumerism. For example, if there existed no need for a steam engine, our industry would not be more productive.

Furthermore, because of the big companies millions of people have jobs. On the other hand, there are plenty of disadvantages. For example, money can‘t buy satisfaction, because it can not purchase luck or a good, true relationship. The most important disadvantage is that money has become the weapon of choice for us.

With money we can gain as many possessions as we want. We only need very little to get food and shelter, now we need more money to buy the latest gadget. Another disadvantage is that consumerism has harmed our planet. Pollution and waste have significantly increased in the last 50 years.

Consumerism should not influence our economy and have such a controlling aspect on our lives. We should not feel pressured to have to get the latest designer pair of jeans or anything like that. Our economy should stand on more fundamental things then if someone will buy something or not.