Oct 24, 2006

Captive Audience Consumerism

Convenience: Performing an action with a minimum of immediately expended energy.


It is arguable that convenience has become a necessity in today’s culture. Everything we do is constructed around the time-or-energy-saving concept. However, taking full advantage of such social organization necessitates a higher than average social standing. Lower social classes (here indicated soley by overall income) find themselves trapped by the same convenience mindset.

EX. Assuming a lower class example, it is less expensive in the long run to buy food at the market, but immediate need combined with availability of funds traps the individual in the “convenient” state of satisfying immediate hunger by buying fast food, which is overall more expensive and less healthy.

Earlier I stated that in order to benefit fully from this structure requires a higher social standing. It is interesting to note that a higher social status also makes said individuals less dependant on this system. The only reasons (theoretically) they continue to participate are familiarity, contentment, or lack of conscious knowledge of the particular structure.

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