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American Consumer Culture Essay

523 Words3 Pages

With political opinion as polarized as it is in the US, polarizing information is bound to be abundant in the media. This is especially true since the American media exists in a capitalist system, where a far-right or far-left outlet or publisher is much more likely to be profitable than one which reports from a broader, more-neutral perspective. The cycle of misinformation is self-perpetuating; by the time people reach an age at which they should begin to formulate their own opinions on social, political, and even scientific issues, many already adhere to the opinions and perspectives of childhood or adolescent influences such as family, religion, general ethnocentrism, etc.. (http://www.gallup.com/poll/14515/teens-stay-true-parents-political-perspectives.aspx) The media, especially news outlets, is very aware of what sort of information will attract the largest audience and, thus, garner the largest profits. People raised by conservatives tend to lean conservative, people raised by liberals tend to lean liberal. The same can be said in reference to a person 's religion, trust in science (or …show more content…

Not the fact that we are a consumer culture, but the specific means and methods which characterize that culture. American consumers are not a group known for its free-thinking, individualistic tendencies. American consumers in general have shown themselves to be extremely suggestible. As a culture, we are slaves to trends, to popular opinion, to peer pressure, and to marketing. We are so suggestible, many of us are more inclined to believe a politician or a celebrity on a scientific issue than we are to believe a scientist, or even a consensus within the scientific community. As a culture, we allowed Jenny McCarthy to convince us that what is possibly the single most beneficial medical discovery in human history is poisoning our children.

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The media focuses on one point more than another. For example Isis (a Muslims terrorist group) is killing innocent people in France, the main point in the media is that Muslims are attacking. This makes some viewers and readers think that all Muslims are horrible. Not all Muslims are Isis, most are innocent, as a Muslim, I believe that true Muslims believe that Isis is wrong. The media focuses on one point more than another because it’s more important and everyone should be aware and this is correct in my opinion, but the media sometimes lead some viewers to the wrong path.

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Though not entirely rational, confirmation bias is how beliefs are made

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Den Fernandez Consumer Culture in the 1920s As the world moved into the Roaring 20s it attempted to leave behind the destruction left in the wake of World War 1. In that transition back into a semi-normal society, a new fascination emerged from the United States' economic prosperity and consumerism. While the end of World War 1 brought American soldiers back home from the front lines, it also brought back huge economic gains with America’s numerous loans to other countries with the Dawes Plan instated by President Calvin Coolidge.

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1 - Consumerism developed in America during the early twentieth century in large part due to the boom in industry created by Europe 's inability to create goods after World War I. Combined this with American inventions such as Henry Ford’s assembly line and Americans had money to spend (Schultz, 2013). With the advent of an electrical distribution system, Americans had electricity in their homes for the first time, which led to the desire for all types of electrical appliances to make life easier. All these new products meant that companies had to get the word out about their products which ignited the advertising industry, which led to even more consumerism. Mix into this recipe, the growing credit industry, and you had consumerism like

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551 Words | 3 Pages

Information is spoon fed to individuals. An illusion of choice is present; people can always choose the news station they watch, but which station, if any, has the most accurate information? Social media and television create opinions for people so they can sit back and accept the ludicrous concepts as their own. Post are composed of current political events such as gay marriage and police brutality, but the repetition is obvious; it’s evident that the opinions are derived from others without true original thoughts or consideration on the matter. Thoughts are crammed down the throats of the people, and the people willingly accept and adopt them.

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1154 Words | 5 Pages

The media represents society as in a conservative place

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1675 Words | 7 Pages

Consumer Culture Theory is a theoretical approach which emerged in the 1980s, however, it was Arnould and Thomson (2005) who published a journal article summarising the past 20 years of consumer research. Consumer culture theory addresses the “complex relationships between consumer actions, the marketplace and cultural meaning” (Wang, 2014, p.252). In other words, consumer cultural theorists are interested in consumption patterns, the reasons behind consumer actions and why everyday values/beliefs can be linked to consumption (Askegaard, 2015). Aspects of this theory are shown in Hamilton 's article, as people will try different coping strategies like consumption to make themselves look better and to move away from any negative stereotypes. This leads on to labelling theory because single mothers are often labelled as ‘chavs’ according to Hamilton, therefore, they can be more likely to live up to this label, which makes it harder for them to continue the normal routines of everyday life which can lead to abnormal actions (Becker, 2008).

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1395 Words | 6 Pages

August 5, 1981. A day that forever changed our American culture. It was on that day that President Ronald Regan fired more than 11,000 air traffic controllers, also banning them from working for the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) ever again. Even though the ban was lifted in 1993 by President Clinton, Simon Sinek, author of the 2014 book Leaders Eat Last, noted how this action may have alleviated a short-term problem in our country, but President Regan, in the process, inadvertently created a new, longer-lasting one: a disposable culture. With such implicit approval from on high, business leaders, other government officials, the media, and even the food industry put numbers ahead of people.

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1135 Words | 5 Pages

Bias in the Media In America, our media has long been accused of being biased. In today’s complex political atmosphere, the left and the right are extremely split, and some of the reasoning behind that is the influence of the media on both sides of the political spectrum. Conservatives argue our media is liberal biased while Liberals accuse media to be conservative bias. Nonetheless, seventy-seven percent of individuals surveyed in 2011 by Pew Research Center say the media tends to favor one political side over the other (Farhi, Paul).

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Political socialization is the process by which this complex interplay shapes individual social and political identities and value systems. Family are the first and most influential agents of socialization, Although there are other influential agents of socialization that we are exposed to throughout our lives such as friends, school, religion, and political culture. An agent of socialization that affects a huge amount of people is mass media and entertainment, which includes television, radio, music, internet, newspapers and

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With the outbreak of World War II in Europe, a group of British schoolboys decide to leave their homes and board a plane to safely evacuate the area. Unfortunately, their plane is shot down. The young boys become stranded on an uninhabited island with a “tangible” fear of a “beast.” This fear distracts the boys from their main priority of building a signal fire in hopes of being rescued from the island. The existence of the “beast” allows the boys to obsess with killing this creature and increases their level of savagery.

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Has the success of consumerism and advertising affective the daily lives of Americans. According to democratic theorist and author Benjamin R. Barber yes, he believes that large businesses are pushing advertisements that most Americans can 't refuse. William Lutz an English professor at Rutgers University is another person who believes that advertisers are trying push consumers by selling misleading products through advertising. However, it isn 't only affecting Americans, but also the earth’s environment. The cause of rampant consumerism in America is misleading advertising’s from large businesses.

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1296 Words | 6 Pages

When thinking of the media you think they are reporting the appropriate and accurate information not based on any personal opinions and feelings. Also one would not think the media would be reporting based on one side of politics or the other. The media is extremely biased when it comes to politics and news. While some of the media is conservative-biased I believe the mass media is liberal-biased. Majority of media outlets are liberal companies, media personnel and journalists will identify themselves as democrats and liberals more so than republicans or conservatives and lastly the left side (liberals) of the mass media is persuasive on what information to report.

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478 Words | 2 Pages

According to Webster 's Dictionary, consumption is the utilization of economic goods in the satisfaction of wants or in the process of production resulting chiefly in their destruction, deterioration, or transformation. American consumption is out of hand. We eat too much, spend too much money, and over use our natural resources. I eat too much. Many of my closest friends and family members eat too much.

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1148 Words | 5 Pages

American Culture. America is a big country, consisting of a number of cultures which explain their community belief and values that are express in its own way. It’s said that a country can be defined by its, which can be true and it’s important for America to teach the youth of America about core American values such as, freedom, individualism, achievement and success and also many more that will make them remember their culture and values. America has undergone constant change in technology development and but this development is make it hard to detect the changes in cultural values. In consumer behavior, America like to have wide choices and unique products, so that they can have a version of their own lifestyle.

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