Consumerism is a
large topic involving social and economic order. In our culture, consumerism is
EVERYWHERE! Now that I think about it,
the only places I go where I’m not bombarded by the urge to consume are when I
go walk on the beach or hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains! I often wish that I didn’t live in such a consumerist
culture, but then again…I’m sure that I would miss it terribly if I didn’t have
the opportunity to buy something I wanted or needed.
Thinking of human
behavior related to consumerisms is an even more involved topic! When I break it down I note that social forces
have a huge impact on consumerism. Trends within different cultures and
subcultures are largely shaped by what our media culture influences us to
desire or feel the need to have.
In Santa Cruz, my hometown
– the surf culture is very highly valued and it’s common to see people wearing
surf brand clothing even though they do not surf. Likewise, in larger cities brand names are
highly regarded, and it’s common to see the majority wearing brands like; Gucci
and Prada.
To be honest, I’m
not a very good consumer! I shop mostly
at second hand stores! I do however
remember a Hershey’s candy bar that was delicious, but for some reason it’s
shelf life was extremely short.
In my 3rd
link the writer states; “But then the
taste of Cookies ‘n’ Mint bars changed. Long before Hershey’s stopped
making them, they seemed to go bad.”
I find this very
interesting, because I felt the same way!!!
The quality of the product changed, for the worse and I believe that is
why people stopped consuming then, leading to it’s untimely doom!
Another theory is
that the candy bar was mass-produced and overtime they went “bad” after being
on the shelf for a long period of time. Either way, consumers stopped buying
them and as a result, Hershey’s discontinued their production. What a tragedy!
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