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Tocqueville And Thoreau: The Emergence Of Consumer Culture

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A consumer culture emerged over the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries through the rapid changes during the Industrial Revolution. This transformation profoundly impacted consumer culture, leading to increased consumption, the rise of department stores, and the emergence of new consumer goods. Significant changes in the working conditions also accompany this. Technological innovations, such as steam and electric engines and more efficient steel production, have led to greater production levels. These developments contributed to the shifts from a traditional economy of secular to one of abundance, influencing attitudes towards consumption. This paper seeks to analyze the emergence of consumer culture during the late 19th and early …show more content…

For example, Thoreau criticized excessive consumption and stressed the value of simplicity, independence, and a relationship with nature. Meanwhile, Tocqueville warned about the potential dangers of materialism and its effects on social cohesiveness and individual freedom. Tocqueville and Thoreau warned of the possible risks of mass consumption, but Webster was more upbeat, emphasizing the advantages that mass production and industrial advancement could offer society. His viewpoint emphasized a more optimistic view of the connection between material progress and social well-being, emphasizing the possibility of economic expansion and higher living standards through increased productivity and technological innovation. Verbelen discusses how people seek satisfaction through consumption for various reasons related to social status, emotional fulfillment, cultural influences, and personal identity. One prominent reason is the concept of conspicuous consumption, where individuals engage in wasteful or extravagant spending to display their wealth and social status. By consuming goods and services conspicuously, individuals seek to signal their social standing and gain recognition within their social circles. “A household is required to be ostensibly all spent in a performance of conspicuous leisure, in the way of calls, drives, clubs, …show more content…

This consumer culture influenced purchasing behaviors and contributed to a sense of shared consumer identity among Americans. Accessible mass media platforms, such as radio and cinema, make shared cultural content accessible to individuals from a wide range of backgrounds. This shared media exposure aided in bridging social gaps. Marketers profited from American society becoming more homogenized, with less distinction between social classes and a blurring of cultural boundaries. This change offered a chance to develop marketing strategies appealing to a varied but increasingly homogenous customer base. Increasing access to a greater variety of consumer goods and services was believed to improve people's comfort, convenience, and general well-being, both individually and as

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