Rise Of American Consumerism Essay

Within the first four years after WWII, over a million new homes were sold annually. Therefore, the need for home goods more than doubled and thus established the beginning of a new consumerist society. The time after the second world war ended is largely regarded as a significant turning point entering the post-Fordist society where people began to earn more money than they needed to afford basic necessities. As a result, the market transformed to appeal to the consumers and gave way for companies to specify their products to a niche group of people rather than the majority. The rise of suburbanization also catapulted the rise of consumerism with the increased demand for home supplies and sources of transportation to their workplace.

As families began to move out of largely populated cities and into smaller towns, many needed a mode of transportation to travel between their work and home. Cars became more accessible to the majority and now middle families could afford them and were no longer exclusive to upper-class citizens. Within the first 4 years of the postwar era, “Americans purchased… 21.4 million cars” (“The Rise of American Consumerism” ). The accessibility of automobiles after WWII would make cars a necessity within families. Highways and established streets would also make it more convenient and attainable for many families to have these automobiles and utilize them frequently. This new mode of transportation would allow families to begin to shift from population-dense cities into suburbs where they could sustain themselves with proper jobs despite being outside of where many were available. However, during that time period, many suburban families sought new kinds of technology. Whether it was furniture in the house or ways of communication, technology was advancing and seen more within households. After the first 5 years after the second world war, new appliances would rise “ by an incredible 240 percent” where they would allow Americans to “prepar[e] a cake by pushing a button” (“The Future''). New technology within home appliances allowed families to become more efficient in their daily tasks as well as ease the workload needed to live in a more urban area. They were essential to “modernize their lives” and catch up with the new advances made during the war (“The Rise of American Consumerism”). The efficiency created by the invention of new appliances and technology made living in the suburbs more approachable to all kinds of people. After WWII when many families