Consumption (for extra credits)

Consumption

 In the simplest sense of the word, consumption refers to the taking in or using up of resources. Simply breathing air or drinking a glass of water are forms of consumption, and in this sense, we need to consume to survive. However, over time, the scope of human consumption, and the range of things we consume, have expanded greatly, and now far exceed meeting the needs of survival. We consume not only goods, but also services, experiences, information, and cultural products like art, music, film, and television. Thus, sociologists understand consumption to be not simply something we do to survive, but a central organizing principle of social life that shapes our our everyday lives, and our experience of the world. It structures and mediates the relationships we have with others, and it serves as a form of expression for both individual and group identities.
 Sociologists also see consumption as an important part of the process of forming and expressing both individual and group identities. In Subculture: The Meaning of Style, sociologist Dick Hebdige observed that identity is often expressed through fashion choices, which allows us to classify people as hipsters, punks, preppies, or emo, for example. This happens because we choose consumer goods that we feel say something about ourselves, about our values and lifestyle, and importantly, about who we want to be.

 Because we associate certain values, identities, and lifestyles with consumer goods, sociologists recognize that some troubling implications follow the centrality of consumption to social life. We often make assumptions, without even realizing it, about a person’s character, social standing, values and beliefs, or even their intelligence, based on how we interpret their consumption practices. Because of this, consumption can serve processes of exclusion and marginalization in society, and can lead to conflict across lines of class, race, culture, sexuality, religion, and nationality.