In general, consumerism has five main positive elements, including:

Consumerism increases debt levels which in turn results in mental health problems like stress and depression. Trying to follow the latest trends when you have limited resources can be very exhausting to the mind and body. Consumerism forces people to work harder, borrow more and spend less time with loved ones.

Consumerism is an economic theory that says the more people buy, the better it is for the economy. In economies based on consumerism, consumer behaviour plays a key role in economic decision making. When we buy goods and services, we become consumers.

• Increases economic output and creates jobs.
• Leads to increases in wealth for companies.
• Promotes competition between companies.
• Allows for a large variety of goods and services.
• Improves the quality of life for people.

As well as obvious social and economic problems, consumerism is destroying our environment. As the demand for goods increases, the need to produce these goods also increases. This leads to more pollutant emissions, increased land-use and deforestation, and accelerated climate change [4].

Reasons for Consumerism. The major causes for the evolution of consumerism have been the continuous rise in prices, underperformance of product, quality of the service, Shortage of product and deceptive advertising.

The definition of consumerism is the protection of the rights and interests of the general pool of buyers, or an obsession with buying material goods or items. Laws and rules that protect people who shop and spend are examples of consumerism. An obsession with shopping and acquiring stuff is an example of consumerism.

Consumerism is the idea that increasing the consumption of goods and services purchased in the market is always a desirable goal and that a person’s wellbeing and happiness depend fundamentally on obtaining consumer goods and material possessions.

Consider this intentional approach:

1. Stop and reevaluate.
2. Stop copying other people.
3. Understand your weaknesses.
4. Look deep into your motivations.
5. Seek contribution with your life and usefulness in your purchases.
6. Count the hidden cost of each purchase.
7. Test your limits.
8. Give more things away.

Op-Ed | An Alternative To Consumerism Does Exist: The Performance Economy. The Circular Economy is being marketed as a guilt-free solution to consumerism, but a sustainable economy can only be achieved if businesses stop selling goods argues Sara Arnold, one of 10 winners of BoF’s Future VOICES challenge.

Consumerism becomes excessive when it extends beyond what is needed. When we begin consuming more than is needed, boundaries are removed. Personal credit allows us to make purchases beyond our income-level. Advertisements subtly reshape our desires around material possessions.

In summary, capitalism is a system of wealth generation and distribution. Consumerism is the social order that motivates the act of purchasing goods or services.

A common worry voiced by critics of our modern, market‐​driven economy is that capitalism leads to—and depends on—consumerism. For capitalism to sustain itself, corporations need us to always be buying whatever it is they sell.

The marketing strategies of capitalism have therefore created a society of consumers whose benefit is through consumption on the individual level while the monetary profits go to the capitalists. Capitalism has created a society that consumer based and the new phenomenon has been labeled as consumerism.

The consumerist culture now involves people spending more on consumer items like cars, gadgets and clothes, instead of savings or investments. Consumers also buy these items often so as to keep up with trends, and are constantly looking to upgrade the quality of products and services.

The noun consumerism refers to the theory that spending money and consuming goods is good for the economy. Opponents of consumerism suggest simple living is a more sustainable lifestyle and better for the environment.

Consumer culture can be defined as a “social arrangement in which the relations between the [lived cultural experience of everyday life] and social resources, between meaningful [valued] ways of life and the symbolic and material resources on which they depend, is mediated through markets.” Consumer culture is a system …

One of the most iconic examples of consumer culture is Apple’s rise to the top to technology, because it created a product that fit the needs of consumers in a way that buyers became part of a technology movement.

Basic characteristics of consumer culture can be summarized in the transforming of needs to desires, utilitarian/hedonic needs-values, commodity fetishism, conspicuous leisure and consumption, cultural values, aestheticization, alienation, differentiation and speed.

Consumer culture is a form of material culture facilitated by the market, which thus created a particular relationship between the consumer and the goods or services he or she uses or consumes. Traditionally social science has tended to regard consumption as a trivial by-product of production.

The definition of a consumer is a person that buys goods and services. An example of consumer is a person who purchases a new television. Carnivores that feed on herbivores or detritivores are called secondary consumers, while those that feed on other carnivores are called tertiary consumers.

Following are the most common five types of consumers in marketing.

• Loyal Customers. Loyal customers make up the bedrock of any business.
• Impulse Shoppers. Impulse shoppers are those simply browsing products and services with no specific purchasing goal in place.
• Bargain Hunters.
• Wandering Consumers.
• Need-Based Customers.

Some common primary consumers include mice, deer, rabbits, and some insects.

Herbivores are always primary consumers, and omnivores can be primary consumers when consuming plants for food. Examples of primary consumers can include rabbits, bears, giraffes, flies, humans, horses, and cows.