Баранова Нина

Human Values in the Age of Consumerism

- Can you really do it?

- Why not? It’s life, Nina. We always need money. I come home and I want to eat something, to pay bills, buy clothes, take trips, go shopping… It’s easy!

Such talks I had with a friend of mine, after watching a report about the girls from escort agencies. Young and beautiful, they agree to spend time in the restaurants and at parties with well-off businessmen, creating the illusion of completeness and possession of refined ladies. Skilled knowledge of a foreign language, good manners, and an ability to maintain a nice conversation – this is a small list of the traits that such a girl should have. But also she has to forget what is conscience, honesty, ethics, personal freedom, and instead merely to sell herself. And what for?

The age of consumerism makes its own rules, and for many people the values that have been inculcated from the childhood move backwards. In their place, as a weed sprouting from a dirty pot, appears the values suggested by mass media and advertising. “Everything can be bought and sold for a price”, “Take everything from life”, “Live quickly and die in poverty” – these are the mottos for the 21st century.

Ordinary shopping, buying a new car, or purchasing a country house becomes an apogee of consumerism. Parents don’t care what their children feel, they just buy them off with luxurious presents on their birthday. A husband, without looking, gives an expensive fur coat to his wife and he doesn’t really care what he has just bought and for whom – his head is full of business meetings and plans…

- $450 “bucks”. “Yeah, it’s all for you, you’re welcome. O.k., I have to run!”

And we run. We are all running somewhere – to study, to work, to go shopping – and don’t even have a time to stop and merely look around. During this endless pursuit of profit, successful career, and mainly material possessions, we lose the substances that are really important for every person – family, love, freedom and health!

Historical pages

After the Second World War the foundations of Western society began to change little by little. The previous strategy of accumulation has changed into a strategy of consumerism. The ability to spend money, not to save, became an indicator of a successful life. The labor, which was considered as the basis of well-being before, was totally replaced by the process of consuming.

In my opinion the advertising revolution of 1960’s created an absolutely new society, which was called “the society of consumerism”. Spending money became a lifestyle obsession, and shopping – the remedy for a boring life – became the medicine for this boredom. People began to fall in love with the goods they bought.

Euphoria of buying things, acceptance of a person according to the size of their purse, narrowness of the values, changing of priorities – all these are the inseparable attributes of the epoch, and year by year these aspects become closer to the man and have already become associated with the phrase “contemporary person”, as the word “shark” is associated with a ruthless meat eater, and the civil servant with a thief.

The role of the mass media in a process of forming society

It is no wonder that mass media, with the help of some methods, achieves significant influence on the consciousness of human beings to motivate them to a pre-determined behavior. Different programs – entertaining, analytical, informational – all kinds, forms, and genres of journalistic work can change the direction in which society moves. To say this more precisely, at this moment Russian television is almost covered by the tendency called “infotainment.” Information plus entertainment is the formula for guaranteed success on TV nowadays. Nonetheless, in Russian mass media entertaining programs prevail over serious analytical, social, and political programs. “Gum for brains” is what we call reality and talk shows because they supply no intellectual or social value. In the evening after a long difficult day people sit in front of the TV and merely watch, watch, and watch how on the blue screen one picture changes to another… But it is extremely important not to forget that mass media has various social functions, for example, coverage of serious global issues such as ecological problems that affect all people on earth.

According to scientist’s, by the middle of this century, all fish in the ocean may be extinct. It is possible that our grandchildren will not have a chance to taste fresh seafood… Apart from the annihilation of fish, the Earth is also subjected to other global ecological problems – pollution of the soil, atmosphere, subsoil waters, and reservoirs. Other problems include holes in the ozone layer, global warming, and a lack of natural resources; among them a lack of access to quality drinking water.

But all this is an effect, the cause is that humanity changed its attitude and its approach to the environment. It is my impression that because we live in the age of consumerism, people do not think, or care what they leave to future generations. I do think that mass media must forge the direction where society should move. And one part of this direction is propaganda for Earth’s protection.

Conclusion

The younger generation is strongly influenced by pop culture – from music to the choice of a future profession. Most likely this is the next step of social development, but the speed with which we are losing not only human, but also cultural values is dreadful. Vandalism, intolerance, and a low literacy level is the result of this cultural disaster.

I begin to ask myself what is the real portrait of the human being? Who are these people that I see everyday, passing by in the underground, stores, and streets? So I decided to ask 300 people from various professions and ages to answer one question: “Tell me three main traits of a contemporary Russian man from 20 to 45 years old?” Answers were varied – egoism, creativity, nationalism, indifference to health, cruelty… But from all this mishmash of traits I picked out three characteristics that stood out: purposefulness, pragmatism, and confidence.

I do not presume to consider these three traits to be a portrait of a contemporary Russian person, but I can say with confidence, that they are related to the age of consumerism. People now can’t afford a weakness, can’t be dreamers, and can’t be too sentimental, otherwise life “throws them overboard.” The typical traits of people are changing, and also the attitude of the person toward the society, and society toward the person is changing too. Human values have changed, but in fact they should because in that way people adapt to their surroundings.

Love, family values, and religion are invariable and only the cover changes, the core stays immutable. That’s why I suppose that the human soul and values are highly subjective spheres, which are turning into the wonderful flower or into the dreadful weed. But who can say whether the result depends on the soil, the water, or the fertilizer?..