We live in a consumer society. What does that actually mean? Well, not many of us make anything these days. Manufacturing is a dying industry, here in the west, with most stuff being made in China and other low wage paying developing countries. Most of us work for a living in service industries or, perhaps, in a profession. The stuff we like to buy is primarily made elsewhere. Why shopping appeals to most of us, is that it rewards us materially for our industry. Whether it is a new pair of shoes, a dress, a shirt or jacket, or something more substantial, these consumer items are our baubles in the capitalist system.
Shopping Is Our Reward
Shopping is our pat on the head, our reward for towing the line and playing the game. Purchasing things makes us feel like that we are winning the game. The world has become this giant shopping centre, where we all wander about in our free time grazing and shopping. We are like herd animals moving from boulevard to avenue, with trough time inside the Westfield mega malls surrounded by other similarly motivated animals. Why shopping appeals to most of us, is because it is the main show in town.
Hunter Gatherer Activities
Shopping has strong roots to the hunter gatherer activities from our ancient pasts. Spearing a bargain and digging up a special have echoes to that pre-agrarian lifestyle we all once lived. Shopping is a stronger force in the lives of women, as they are traditionally the nurturers in our communities. Sourcing sensational food is popular with both genders, as we inhabit a more multicultural smorgasbord in many of our western cities in the 21C. Greater varieties of restaurants and cafes is one of the advantages of the clash of civilisations in 2018.
Gratify Our Materialistic Needs
Sharing shopping secrets via social media is a favourite pastime of many. Twitter lights up with messages about new eateries. Instagram is awash with shots of food and people enjoying chowing down on sensational dishes. Facebook, similarly, likes to share stuff about good times and favourite cafes. We seek new pleasures within the safe parameters of our shopping centres. We rarely go outside of these consumer palaces. We build our shopping centres ever larger and more ostentatious to gratify our materialistic needs. Why shopping appeals to most of us, is our desire to have more and more cool and new things.