Consumerism

We seem to have forgotten the very basic strengths of human values and our social wealth has declined over the last 40 to 50 years because of several reasons. Our materialistic gains have, in a way, distorted the way we look at things and the way in which we attach a value to everything - a perverted perception of the value system. People, therefore, have started believing in consumerism, individualism and hedonism that have eroded the value system and the social fabric. Social wealth, which encompasses the family, the workspace and our social circle, has taken a beating on all three fronts. In a larger sense, it is an attitudinal change, which has brought in a new code of morality.

Consumerism is one of the major components of our present day morality or value system. Control, domination and seduction of others through the possession of materialistic goods and also linking it to respect, prestige and status has given a boost to the rat race. The motto is 'grab it, whatever it is, whatever the cost, morals be damned.' Therefore, everybody is running fast but where is everybody running to? People are climbing ladders, but often the wrong ones. Branding and marketing campaigns are adding fuel to the fire and have generated the myth that an individual will be gratified and gain an identity, only by consuming commodities. While consumerism offers the tangible good of owing a product, it does not fulfill other cultural and social requirements.