Consumer capitalism

The consumer capitalism (English consumer capitalism ) is a concept in political science. He sees the demand for consumer goods in the center of the capitalist economy. Core assumption is that the consumer is deceived and manipulated. The term is to be distinguished from the central economics concept of consumer sovereignty, in which the indirect control of the economy is described by the conceived as sovereign consumers' decisions.

Theses

The U.S. political scientist Benjamin Barber outlines the consumer capitalism as follows: "In the past we produced goods to satisfy needs; Today you produce needs to sell goods. ". According to statements by Barber to social bonds dissolve in consumer capitalism. Capitalism chic sense to prevail over democracy. The consumer was involved in this process of de-democratization, by founding his own personal identity on brand belief and lifestyle and less participating in the political process.

A similar position represents the sociologist Zygmunt Bauman, who believes that in today's capitalism has changed to the "society of consumers," the "society of producers".

From the perspective of social ecologists Rudolf Bahro is consumer capitalism in a " production battle " out, which leads to the people to artificially generated compensatory needs.

The social critic Burkhard Bierhoff believes that the founding of the mass production capitalism stabilized by the consumer, whose function is to devalue the goods produced after the purchase as soon as possible and destroy so that continued to be produced, and a new, supposedly improved product generation can be thrown on the market. The products range in consumer capitalism exceeds by far that a demand which seems to make sense from the perspective of sustainable production.

The consumer capitalism is also provided by Chandran Nair questioned because he the worldwide expansion of mass consumption - Together with the increasing scarcity of non-renewable resources into consideration - especially in China and India. For ecological reasons the consumer capitalism narrow limits are therefore set. As a global model for the consumption of all the people he appears to be inappropriate, as it constituted a collapse model of economic activity instead of a circuit model. Therefore, Paul Hawken argues for an eco - capitalism or "natural capitalism". Particularly through advertising and marketing strategies that the consumer is manipulated in a deliberate and coordinated way. The purchase, also of nonsensical goods will, conveyed in a very large scale for the benefit of producers and sellers.

Criticism

The theory of consumer capitalism is controversial because it assumes that the manipulation of consumer demand leads to a strong coercive effect. Thus, this position is in sharp contrast to the concept of consumer sovereignty. While the consumer society contains a predominantly neutral definition, claiming bound to the concept of consumer capitalism, capitalism, critical opinion even in advanced capitalism ongoing processes of alienation and exploitation.