American Consumerism Research Paper

English

Every human being wishes to be identified uniquely. Towards this end, human beings struggle to create their unique identity and also understand what is it that makes them unique and human. The process of self-discovery takes many forms. At the most astute, it leads to paths of spirituality. At the levels of everyday life, people associate themselves with things surrounding them. To that extent, the argument of Joan Kron that consumers use possessions to create their identities has reasonable basis. The thesis of this paper in support of Kron argues that possessions duly packaged anchor the American consumers to their idea of ‘having arrived’ and ‘belonging’ in the context of the American Dream, provide an outlet for human fantasy and provide a modicum of functionality in life.
The American Dream is consists of two fundamental tenets – ‘to arrive’, and ‘to belong’ (Solomon 543). Everyone wants to belong to the land of opportunity, where all careers and roles are open to all. At the same time, paradoxically, everyone wants to have a niche for himself – a niche that is aspirational and elitist. Both of these drives are captured by advertisers, who sell products harping on one of the two themes, of ‘arriving’ or of ‘belonging’, depending on the type of product. Once a consumer purchases a product and brings it home, the product becomes a reminder to the consumer about his having ‘arrived’, and his ‘belonging’ to the great American Dream. In terms of ‘arriving’, the consumer may have purchased a Cadillac or a Chevrolet, which is sold by General Motors with the underlying theme that whosoever is buying the car is ‘special’ (Solomon 543). The aspirational aspect of advertisements has a special pull on consumers, and plays to the inherent drives towards self-actualization. Marketing has created ‘up-crusting’, and has thrown up a host of products with which people can feel good about themselves (Twitchell, “Vox Populi”). Thus, when a person has a high-end car or a high-end phone in the house, these products are constantly reminding the person of his special status in society, buttressing his sense of ‘having arrived’. Such status symbols provide the possessor with a sense of place in the ‘social hierarchy’ and are ‘markers of rank and prestige’ (George and Maich). At the other end of the spectrum are products sold by marketers that seek to appeal to consumers about them ‘belonging’ to the American society. The idea of being one with society is signaled in advertisements that utilize ‘common icons as country music, small-town life, family picnics and farmyards (Solomon 544). Similarly, during periods of national emergency such as wars, advertisers opt for ‘flag-waving’ to draw in consumers towards solidarity with the nation. Consumers who invariably buy products that evoke the image of belonging to the America would thereafter associate those products at home with their sense of belonging to the wider society. As they continue to use products in daily life, they may take a few of them and identify themselves more wholly with such products. According to James Twitchell, a man might identify himself more with an ashtray and a set of golf clubs, while a woman might identify herself with her favorite set of perfume (“In Praise of Consumerism” 22). Such identification sets a special subtext in the sense of ‘belonging’ and ‘arriving’.
Life for the human being is not everything about self-actualization and socialization, as manifested as in the sense of ‘arriving ‘ and ‘belonging’. Human beings crave the escape to the world of fantasy so that they can regain their sense of balance in daily life, and can apply themselves to their pursuit of the American Dream. Companies capture such desires and are successful in selling fantasies to every age group. Children are drawn to recalling their favorite cartoon characters and storybook illustrations. Products that associate themselves with cartoons and storybooks evoke an imagery of fun for children. Teenagers may be drawn to products that evoke images of singing, dancing and cavorting together. Teenagers who have adolescent fears of being left behind and being lonely may embrace products evoking images of togetherness. Products that evoke images of urban skylines, cabaret pianists, sophisticated nightclubs might draw in adults. Products indicating that a person is the king of the world, yet returns home to a happy family might draw in older and matured people. On the other hand, Perfumes, cosmetics and jewelry would be heavy into sexual imagery. For instance, home fragrances might show well-dressed couples cavorting in the bedroom. Cars might show images of a person preparing to take a date out for an evening. Words that are rich in sexual imagery, such as ‘hot’ would be associated with products by advertisers. Advertisers may push sneakers through male and female models clad only in the shoes to show off the sex appeal (Solomon 549). When consumers bring products home based on subliminal messages that appeal to their fantasies, such products become part of the fantasy world of consumers. They associate the products with their desire to escape into alternate worlds where they are even more powerful, beautiful, sexy, playful or joyous than they may be in real life. Alternately, such products might serve as props to push people to don the avatars that they have in their fantasies.
Apart from themes of ‘arriving’, ‘belonging’ and ‘fantasies’, everyday life also has a daily dose of the routine and the regular. In the fast paced life that characterizes American society, functionality and efficiency are valued as important. These attributes of products help people to organize themselves while they pursue their dreams and desires. If functionality were to be lacking, consumers would have to perforce spend a larger part of their lives in ‘fixing’ things. Indeed, American life is characterized by a life where gadgets and goods function as specified. This aspect of functionality is taken into account when manufacturers produce and package goods for the consumer. There is significant research into the dimensions of American homes to ascertain how products would be used. Medicines packages are designed to fit into medicine cupboards. Foodstuffs are designed to occupy kitchen shelves. Refrigerators by tradition are still designed to accommodate sauce bottles. Sauces are put in bottles due to the dominant American preference to serving out sauces in bottles. Psychologists speak to people to gather their innermost thoughts about how they would wish to use products. Such feedback is ploughed back into the design of products. The human desire for functionality is also reflected in the requirement of standard weights and measures. Therefore, packaging is invariably done in specified sizes, whether foodstuffs or apparel. Thus, products meet the functional requirement of the home and the persons using them, and make life easier for them, so much so that people use such products almost without a second thought (Hine 122). This dimension of functionality in turn becomes evident in the personality of the American consumers. In their behavior and speech, Americans would be to the point. There would be no additional fluff in speech and behavior. In this manner, a dynamic two-way interaction occurs between the nature of products used at home and the personality of the consumers.
The American home has a multitude of products. These products play multifarious roles, sending out subtle signals to the consumers. The functionality of the products underlines the efficiency and standardized approach of society, and plays into the personality of the consumers. Products evoking fantasy become useful props for fuelling desires and propelling consumers towards the joy of life. Some products signify to the American consumers that they belong to the broader society. Some products are aspirational that signal that the owners have arrived at a niche in society. Thus, it could be said that the American Consumers identify themselves with the products that they surround themselves with at home. In many ways, the products define their sense of who they are and what their place is in society.

Works Cited

George, Lianne, and Steve Maich. “It’s All About You.” Maclean’s (Toronto, Canada) 122.2 (2009): 38-40. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. March 20, 2015.
Hine, Thomas. “What’s in a Package?” Consuming Passions n.d.: 118-127. Print.
Solomon, Jack. “Masters of Desire: The Culture of American Advertising.” American Paradox n.d.: 542-552. Print.
Twitchell, James B. “In Praise of Consumerism.” Reason 32.4 (2000): 18-23. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. March 20, 2015.
Twitchell, James B. “Lux Populi.” Wilson Quarterly 31.1 (2007): 33-37. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. March 20, 2015