Consumerism, Insecurities, and the Environment

You are what you have. Or so we are told. American culture is a culture of consumerism. We consume food, land, resources, clothes, and products at a rate almost higher than anywhere else. It has become part of who we are.Consumerism is essentially what drives industry today. What is consumed in the highest capacity, creates the highest demand, and along with that, the highest production.

Why is consumerism so prevalent in our society? Some psychologists seek to explain this through the connection between material items and insecurities. Modern consumer societies are coupled with growing levels of insecurity. Insecurity is defined by these scientists to be a sense of uncertainty, vulnerability, and fear. In the Journal of Consumer Research, psychologists James E Burroughs, Aric Rindfleisch, and Nancy Wong found that with this rising insecurity, more and more people are finding security in branded objects. Through the use of surveys they determined that "materialistic individuals form strong brand connections to obtain meanings that lie deeper than simple status seeking."

In our ever growing society, we form attachments to brands to make ourselves feel more secure. I know that I am guilty of such. When I was in high school it was all the rage to have a certain brand of yoga pants. So I spent an exorbitant amount of money to buy those yoga pants so that I could feel a greater sense of social security. Though this in and of itself isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's important to maintain a balance. We cannot let our desire for things outweigh our desire to spend time on what truly matters, family, spirituality, education, and community.

This obsession specifically with brands within the realm of consumerism, is also detrimental to true innovation. Consumers care more about the brand than real innovations that could benefit society. You can look at Apple for an example of that. Even though windows processing significantly outpaced that of Apple's, MacBooks still remained wildly popular.

More than how consumerism impacts us as individuals and innovation, consumerism has an even greater impact on the environment. If everyone consumed as the average American does, it would take 5 Earths to support the human population. Let's break down some of the reasoning behind that:

• The more you consume, the greater your impact on the Earth

• 60-80% of environmental impacts are a result of household consumption

• Household is consumption is responsible for:

  • 70% of land use

    • 46% of which is for food production

  • 48% of total raw material usage

  • 81% of fresh water use

  • 65% of total carbon emissions

These are a result of direct household use, or indirect such as the costs associated with manufacturing a product.

What we see here is that what we consume as a society matters. What brands hold power and how they produce their products matter. I am quick to point my finger at industry and their role in climate change, yet I forget that industry exists because of my demand for their products. Consumers and households hold a lot of power, and if there were to change their consumption habits (such as adapting the 5R's to their lifestyle) and lot of these environmental impacts could be lessened.

References:

https://www.apa.org/monitor/jun04/discontents

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160224132923.htm

https://lahstalon.org/negative-effects-of-modern-consumer-culture/

Rindfleisch, A., Wong, N., & Burroughs, J. (2009).The safety of objects: Materialism, existential insecurity, and brand connection.” Journal of Consumer Research, 36 (1):1-16. https://doi.org/10.1086/595718

Ivanova, D., Steen-Olsen, K., Vita, G., Stadler, K., Wood, R., Tukker, A., & Hertwich, E. (2015). Environmental Impact Assessment of Household Consumption. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 20(3). Wiley Online Library.

https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12371