Anti-consumerism
Consumerism refers to the behavior to avoid the pleasure of available goods conscious. It ranges from frugality to asceticism. You may cover the whole of life, but also be limited to specific goods (food, clothing, comfort, and others).
Justifications
For a rejection of consumerism, there is accordingly personal, social, religious, ethical, environmental, organizational, economic, but also social-critical (political ) reasons; latter express themselves often present as a critique of a consumerist society fixed.
Economic Aspects
Economics of
In economic terms is consumerism a reluctance of consumers in response to particular events or locations, such as too high perceived prices, fear of the future (eg, in the face of rising unemployment ) or uncertainty about the quality of the offers ( eg because of a food scandal ). Also, deflation can lead to consumerism, as consumers in the future sinking prices and therefore defer purchases. It can be a deflationary spiral arise.
Economic aspects
Due to technological change in the information gathering, greater media attention regarding suspicious business activities and ultimately the growing interest of consumers in social, ethical and environmental aspects of the economy of dealing with consumerism for businesses has become increasingly important.
A special form is the boycott. This can apply to a single product, a brand or an entire company. In the past, Burger King and McDonald's have been criticized for environmentally unfriendly Styrofoam packaging, the Brent Spar affair ended the Shell Group in mid -1990s. The latest example is the criticism of Greenpeace to the use of place Genfuttermitteln, used in the manufacture of dairy products of the company Müller. Its products are used as " Genmilch ", and certainly cause some customers to handle competing products.
Other criticisms of companies led to the conscious avoidance of the purchase of products of individual manufacturers, but not necessarily to renounce the same in lately. So the PC game " Spore " was particularly often downloaded illegally because of his critics perceived as unfair DRM measures on the Internet.
Another aspect is the so-called consumer strike.
Practical manifestations
The phenomenon of consumerism exists in different forms such as strong consumer spending, consumption restrictions to consumer refusal. The strength of the reactance is dependent on the strength of the experienced threat, restriction or the importance of individual freedom.
The effects may be limited to mental effects, but also result in effects in the habit of the consumer. In general it can be said that mental effects cause recruitment and attractiveness changes to the detriment of Reaktanzgegenstandes. Personal freedom or opinion thus experiences greater importance and an inner appreciation by the consumer, usually accompanied by a deterioration of the provider Images. In addition to the avoidance of the company's behavioral effects can occur which manifest themselves in the form of negative mouth publicity, and resistances protests with sufficient strength of the reactance.
The large variety of goods and barely see through offers, customers can overwhelm. This can also lead to consumption restrictions, which might then subconsciously expires and accordingly no longer "real" is ( conscious, volitional ) consumerism.