Consumerism refers to buying and consuming goods without needing them. It started growing in the 1920s in the US and parts of Europe and spreads through social media and propaganda showing desirable images to persuade people to buy products. People tend to fall into consumerism because it makes them feel special or fit into society to avoid being judged. In the novel Brave New World, the government uses consumerism to fool people into thinking they need things like the drug Soma to be happy through propaganda, while the real purpose is to keep them busy and not questioning their predetermined lives where the clones exist only to consume for profit.