Material Consumption by Human Beings

The craving of man for unrestrained consumption is deeply intertwined with his innate or acquired complexes. Consumption is a compensatory practice, it is, in fact, not the value of the object, but an attempt of a self-identification. A person who buys new things tries to discover himself through the point of possession. Consumption includes other motives in the brain of a person; he buys not just boots, he buys a brand, color, image, status, position in society, confidence, and many other bonuses accompanying the purchase. He makes a purchase, not because he needs this thing, but because he needs the status of this thing. A whole system of interest formation works here. Advertising, marketing, promotion - all this is a fiction of the post-industrial world, which is looking for more and more consumers of statuses.

Consumption is one of the indicators of the human worldview and its basic ideas, perceptions of the society. A person who consumes a lot and mindlessly has a consumer attitude with an egoistic direction. The more reasonable the consumption, the more developed a person is morally and spiritually, since he can control his desires and needs regardless of the global trends. It should be especially noted the increased role of modern technologies that provide ample opportunities for control and manipulation of public consciousness. First and foremost, it is a question of television and other kinds of commercial advertising that has the greatest impact on the final choice of a person.

Closely connected with advertising is modern pop culture who’s financing directly depends on the growth of a material consumption. This pop culture can also call for the consumption of certain goods to facilitate this process. As a result, since childhood, a powerful information influence is on the person, whose ultimate goal is to form a stable human personality a picture and a system of life values, landmarks that dominate the human being behavior. The consumer is constantly tempted by new and new types of material wealth, the opportunity to try, to get new pleasures, to play with a sense of greed and desire to possess the best, put some people above others. Simultaneously with other factors, a sense of fear is used. The fear enhances the temptation. The fear of being late, missing your chance, not becoming successful is one of the main internal motives determining consumption and leading for a certain position of a person in society.