Holiday Season and Consumerism: Gifts For You, and You, and You, and …
The holiday season is back! Yes, the season where sales, and in-store and online purchases are at their highest. We do not think about the amount we spend, but rather how many people we have to buy gifts for, what they would like, where to get them, and also thinking “Hmm… maybe I would like that for myself, as well.”
Shopping nowadays is so easy. One can be shopping online for one thing, see something else, buy both, and the order would be able to come the next day. If someone shops at an actual store – although, who does that anymore? – and they see a pair of shoes they like, but it turns out they are not in stock, they are told that they can order them online and they can still arrive the next day.
The shopping does not stop. We think to ourselves, “Well, why not get this as well?” It is done without much second thought.
Considering that Black Friday is coming around, the time of year where everyone pushes and shoves each other to get things 50% off, and consumers will be spending a lot more than usual.
It is also no mystery as to why Black Friday is when it is: it is close to holidays, like American Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Consumerism is, therefore, at its peak during this season. People’s demands are numerous; they are infinite.
This mode of consumption leads to consumers buying in bulk, buying what they do not need, as well as buying a lot more for others. When one used to receive one or two gifts, nowadays, they receive three or four. This is because our spending has increased about 20% since the year 2000, as stated by The Atlantic.
It is important for us to realize that, although we are governed by such structure, where our lives are influenced by media, friends and family, we still have our agency. We have the choice to minimize our spending, to say everyone gets one gift, to not fall into the trap of consumerism.
By Maria Dryden
