This document discusses the history and development of consumerism. It began during the Industrial Revolution when mass production led to widespread availability of goods. Since the 1950s, consumption has continually grown as people purchase more than all previous generations combined. Consumerism is now a global phenomenon that started for necessities but evolved as people desired goods whether needed or not. The document uses Brave New World as an example of a consumerist society where economic stability depends on continually buying new products and satisfying desires. Citizens are conditioned from birth to pursue consumptive lifestyles.

1. Consumerism & Brave
New World
Georgina Basualdo, Regina Santos &
Alejandro Olivera 9A.

2. Definition
Consumerism: The belief that it’s good for
people to spend a lot of money on goods and
services.

3. Stages
There are five basic stages of the consumer cycle:
extraction (origin), production (to create), distribution (the
process of marketing and supplying goods), consumption
(the using up of goods and services), and disposal (to get
rid of something).

4. When it all started
It started in the 1800s during the Industrial Revolution. The Revolution allowed
products to be available in huge amounts for the first time in history. They were
at so low costs that they were available to everyone. This access led to the era
of Mass Consumption.
This made people buy new models based on appearance rather than function,
and consumption continued to grow. Since the 1950s, people everywhere have
consumed more goods than the combined total of people throughout history.

5. Where did it began?
Consumerism has weak links in the Western world, but is in fact an
international phenomenon.People purchasing goods and consuming materials
in excess of their basic needs is something that exist since the first civilizations
such as Ancient Egypt, Babylon or Ancient Rome

6. Why did it began?
It mainly started because of people’s necessity to obtain goods whether they
need it or not.

7. How did it began?
When people started to trade certain goods for food and when places started
developing into countries and the individual countries adopted a national
currency, consumerism was officially developed.

8. Examples
1. In Brave New World, Huxley is reflecting the state of the society in which he lived. While
the attitudes and behaviors of World State citizens at first appear forced, the World State
is simply an extreme version of the society’s future economy. The World State's
emphasis on buying new goods and immediately satisfying wants is simply an
exaggeration of the present attitude in which happiness is defined as the ability to satisfy
needs and success as a society is equated with economic growth and prosperity. Even to
achieve happiness, the people of the World State need their doses of soma. This society
is tragically dependent on the consumerism that is forced upon them. Economic stability
is the core of the society.
2. Innate desires to consume cultivated in citizens from birth “Ending is better than
mending”
“The more stitches the less riches” Conditioned to pursue overly consumptive lifestyles.
3. World State emphasizes buying new goods. Consumption helps stabilize the society

9. Conclusion
Many people might consider consumerism as a negative thing but it is always
something voluntary the consumer those. If someone decides to spend money
on things that are not vital for his life but will bring him/her happiness, then it
should not be considered as something bad.

10. Bibliography
https://prezi.com/el65sdkkmfao/consumerism-brave-new-world/
http://mullen.pbworks.com/w/page/10606062/Brave%20New%20World%3A%2
0Consumerism
http://www.slideshare.net/alysondickerman/historical-origins-of-consumerism
http://jonpeddie.com/back-pages/comments/the_birth_of_consumerism/
http://www.answers.com/Q/How_did_consumerism_begin
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~kelle20m/classweb/wp/page2.html