Conspicuous Consumption - Consumerism Theories

Consumerism Theories

As proposed by Thorstein Veblen in the 19th-century, conspicuous consumption (spending money to buy goods and services for their own sakes) explains the psychological mechanics of a consumer society, and the increase in the number and the types of the goods and services that people consider necessary to and for their lives in a developed economy. Supporting interpretations and explanations of contemporary conspicuous consumption are proffered in Consumer Culture (1996), by C. Lury, Consumer Culture and Modernity (1997), by D. Slater, Symbolic Exchange and Death (1998), by Jean Baudrillard, and Spent: Sex, Evolution, and the Secrets of Consumerism (2009), by Geoffrey Miller. Moreover, Hiding in the Light (1994), by D. Hebdige, proposed that conspicuous consumption is a form of displaying a personal identity, and a consequent function of advertising, as proposed in Ads, Fads, and Consumer Culture (2000), by A.A. Berger. Each variant interpretation and complementary explanation is derived from Thorstein Veblen’s original sociologic proposition, that conspicuous consumption was a psychological end in itself, from which the practitioner (man, woman, family) derived the honour of superior social status. Moreover, an evolutionary psychology explanation for conspicuous consumption proposes that it is a costly signal, similar to costly signals in other animals, which shows a person’s good socio-economic quality, and is intended to attract economic coalition partners and sexual mates.