The other category in Bauman’s concept of a consumer society is the ’repressed’. Those in this category are excluded from consumer society because of certain features in their life. People in the ’repressed’ category are generally unemployed or in low income jobs which hinders them from being effective consumers. Other groups who would have difficulty in becoming effective consumers in a consumer society and who are therefore classified as ’repressed’ are the disabled, migrants, the chronically sick and the elderly who rely on state pensions. What people consume will make up part of their identity and determine their status in society. As such it has become necessary for people to fit in with the aspects of a consumer society in which they wish to participate or they become socially excluded and have a devalued identity (Hetherington , 2009,p.29) .
Income is largely the sole determinant in deciding what category of either ’seduced’ or ’repressed’ people fall in to, but there can be others. For example , a young person with a low income could find it easier to fit in and be socially included in a consumer society rather than a person with disabilities or in a older age group on comparable income. The younger person will be more able to adapt to consumption as
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they are likely to be more knowledgeable about it and are able to follow the trend . By having fashionable clothes, going to the right clubs, being fit and healthy and by having a large network with whom they can share similar experiences , they are more likely to be accepted by others . However an older person or a person with a disability will find it harder to be accepted , because they are less mobile and have to spend any income on basics provision such as food and bills. This means that they are social excluded and can be seen by the rest of society as some how failed members of society. So although income is the biggest determinant in deciding how effectively a person can consume and be a member of a consumer society, there are other reasons as well which have to be considered which explain why certain people are either ’seduced’ or ’repressed’.
One winner in a consumer society is major supermarkets such as Tesco, Asda , Morrision’s and Sainsbury’s . The reason why these supermarkets are winners in a consumer society is because of their increasing power over the grocery market (Allen, 2009,p.66). The major supermarkets take nearly three out of every four pounds that are spent on food and groceries in the U.K. (Bevan , 2006) . So by making all this money the major supermarkets are able to expand in both out-of-town sites and ever increasingly on to the high street with express stores and the like. This has lead to small independent shops going out of business because they can not compete. They are part of the losers in a consumer society. Because major supermarkets have better bargaining power with suppliers than smaller independent shops they are able to buy in produce cheaper and pass on the savings to customers , which increases consumers in the supermarkets and away from the smaller shops. This is described by sociologist Dennis Wrong(1997) as a zero-sum game . This is were one party’s gain is balanced by another’s loss . So if you subtracts one party’s gain with another’s loss it amounts to zero .
As a result of increased consumption in recent years the products that are bought create rubbish through the packaging and when a new product is purchased to replace an older one which is then discarded. This has lead to an increase in the amount of rubbish being produced . This creates ecological implications, and so the environment is a loser in a consumer society. It is environmentally unsustainable for the earth’s resources to be used up in the making of products because the earth can not replace these resources and keep up with the high demand for them. Also the earth can not absorb the waste generated in a consumer society. It has been estimated that in 2008 global annual consumption amounted to 40 % more than the earth’s annual resource and re-absorptive capacity (Global Footprint Network, citied in Brown ,2009 ,p115 ) . According to ‘The Food We Waste‘ stopping the significant amount of wasted food generated in the UK would save 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide being produced (brown,2009, p.117). However there is a winner when it comes to rubbish and waste - recycling companies. Recycling companies take the waste and rubbish generated by a consumer society then recycle it to produce new products , this then gives the waste and rubbish a new positive value to what otherwise is thought as something to be worth less.
In conclusion, the rise of a consumer society has produced winners and losers in society. The winners include people who have the means to effectively participate in consumption, major supermarkets who dominate the retail market, and recycling P3
companies who revalue the rubbish generated in a consumer society . The losers include
the people who do not have the means to participate in consumption and are there for socially excluded, small independent shops who cannot compete with the major retailers and the environment due to the waste generated and the resources used up .
Word count - 1280
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References
Allen .J (2009) ‘one stop shopping : the power of the supermarkets ‘ in Taylor, S ., Hinchliffe , S. , Clarke , J . and Bromley , S . (eds) Making Social Lives , Milton Keynes , The Open University .
Bauman , Z. (1988) Freedom , Milton Keynes , Open University Press .
Brown , V. (2009) ‘rubbish society : affluence , waste and values ‘ in Taylor, S. ,Hinchliffe , S . ,Clarke , J . and Bromley , S. (eds) Making Social Lives , Milton Keynes , The Open University .
Global Footprint Network (2008a) Brown , V. (2009) ‘ rubbish society : affluence , waste and values ‘ in Taylor, S. ,Hinchliffe , S . ,Clarke , J . and Bromley , S. (eds) Making Social Lives , Milton Keynes , The Open University .
Hetherington . K (2009) ‘ Consumer society ? Shopping , consumption and social science’ in in Taylor, S ., Hinchliffe , S. , Clarke , J . and Bromley , S . (eds) Making Social Lives , Milton Keynes , The Open University .
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Self-reflection
What I found interesting about this assignment is the theories behind the idea of consumption such as Veblen theory of ‘ conspicuous consumption’ .
What I found difficult about this assignment were some of the ideas and concepts in chapter three of the material lives book .
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Essay plan
Intro - brief description of what a consumer society is
Paragraph 1 - Bauman’s ‘seduced ‘ as being winners and how .
Paragraph 2 - Bauman’s ‘repressed ‘ as being losers and how .
Paragraph 3 - How income is not the only factor in the enabling of participating in a consumer society .
Paragraph 4 - How the supermarkets are winners because of their power over the market .
Paragraph 5 - Small independent shops cant compete with the Major supermarkets and therefore are ‘losers’
Paragraph 6 - How the environment is a ‘loser’ and how recycling companies are ‘winners’ .
by
han1201 (student)
