Observing Consumerism and Class

Activity Instructions:

Using the articles and websites provided below (do not reference outside sources), do some preliminary research on consumer spending (history and recent trends), class and inequality, then answer the following questions (be sure to cite your sources and discuss):

1. How would you describe the evolution of consumerism in the U.S. over time?
What are the most recent trends in our consumption behaviors (since the 1950s-60s until today)?

2. What economic or social factors play a role in the changing consumer today (i.e. Millenials and IGen vs. older generations)? How is spending different today?

3. How does social class affect U.S. consumerism in some specific ways?

4. What role does status attainment play in U.S. consumer culture? Are we just buying goods we need or is there something else motivating us?

5. What might this suggest about the future of U.S. consumer culture?

Stearns, P. (2012). Born to Shop: Consumerism as the Modern Panacea. In Satisfaction Not Guaranteed: Dilemmas of Progress in Modern Society (pp. 213-254). New York; London: NYU Press. Retrieved April 3, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt9qfzf6.12Open this document with ReadSpeaker docReader Stearns, P. (2012). Born to Shop: Consumerism as the Modern Panacea. In Satisfaction Not Guaranteed: Dilemmas of Progress in Modern Society (pp. 213-254). New York; London: NYU Press. Retrieved April 3, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt9qfzf6.12 – Alternative Formats

Lukasz Walasek &Gordon D. A. Brown, October (2015). Published online: 2 November 2015. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.comOpen this document with ReadSpeaker docReader Lukasz Walasek &Gordon D. A. Brown, October (2015). Published online: 2 November 2015. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com – Alternative Formats