2. WHAT IS CONSUMERISM?
• Consumerism is the theory
that increasing
consumption of goods is
economically desirable. It
encourages the acquisition
of goods and services in
even greater amounts.
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3. CONSUMERISM IN THE BOOK
In Brave New World,
consumerism is a very strong
method that the world state
uses to control the population.
People are conditioned to
think that as soon as products
get old they should be
replaced, and that they
should take every opportunity
to consume as much as
possible.
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4. – Brave New World, Chapter 3, Pg. 49, Paragraph 7
“Ending is better than
mending. The more
stitches, the less riches.”
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5. CONSUMERISM IN OUR LIVES
Today’s society is influenced by massive corporations
that feed on our consumerism, and it is arguable that
we are under the control of these corporations. Unlike
in the book, consumerism in our world is not driven by
the government, but it does not seem interested in
reducing consumption. After all, it is easier to keep the
population under control when they are distracted
buying pointlessly.
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8. Apple is a major technology corporation with an
impressive amount of power. It creates products such
as phones, tablets, computers, and basically electronic
devices aimed at the public. It is a very common
happening that, as soon as a new Apple product is
released, people go on a desperate frenzy to buy it
immediately. Usually it is the middle and higher classes
which exhibit these conducts, but it is still a very
influential thing.
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9. Apple leads us to think that we need their products, when in
reality there are much more important things in life. Also,
there are several other options in the same field, but we’ve
been conditioned to think that Apple is the best there is. We
believe that in order to be accepted, to give others a good
impression, and even to be complete and satisfied, we need
the newest iPhone. This kind of thinking distracts us from the
important things around us and turn our thought patterns
repetitive and shallow. Also, we idolize electronics to the
point of being ridiculously happy of having Apple products.
12. Shopping malls are luxurious buildings of stores, where
comercial products are literally sold side by side in a
concentrated area. Now a days, going to the mall is a
very poplar social activity, whether you go with your
family, your friends, or your significant one. Since malls
also foster a variety of restaurants, it is very common
for people to go eat there, and browse through the
stores and merchandizes on their way out.
13. The fact that our social interactions now revolve around
the consumption of comercial products is highly
alarming. Yes, it is nice to eat out, but there is really no
need for every gathering to happen in the shopping
mall. Also, it is a place where the bombarding of
propaganda is unfiltered and constant. Again, this
extreme consumerism easily distracts us and allows us
to pass the time without much reflection on our actions
and on the world we live in.
14. OVERALL CONCLUSION
A very common way in the book of controlling people is by inflicting
pleasure. Consumerism allows the World State to thrive, keeping
people busy buying, seeing as they are dumping all their attention
on irrelevant material items, and they have basically no control over
their way of thinking. They have been deeply accustomed to never
questioning anything. The government doesn’t want people being
exposed to any information that may provoque thought or
realization. It is terrifying to think of how predictable, shallow, and
dull the people become. Almost like cardboard cutouts. And the
scariest thing is that it does not seem like an unlikely future for us.
15. – Brave New World, Chapter 3, Pg. 35
“You can’t consume much
if you sit still and read
books.”
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