The History and Future of a Growing Consumer Society with its Pros.docx

The History and Future of a Growing Consumer Society with its Pros, Cons and Innovations.
As every corner of the world becomes part of the growing global consumer society it is
important to discuss not only the pros and cons of such a society, but also the innovations and
long lasting impacts these innovations will have on traditional societies. In order to theorize the
future of this growing society we must first start by looking at the present changes and the
beginnings of societal changes. There are multiple views on what many deem
“Americanization” 1 , most however are very critical of the long lasting effects of the global
consumer society.
History shows that in truth the Consumer Society started in the United Kingdom during
the 19 th century when”…the growing middle class and the working class became consuming
classes as well.”[Nev14] When industrialization first started in the United Kingdom British
industrial workers would, for the most part, stop working once they earned the weekly pay they
traditionally earned, much to the lament of their employers. In response draconian labor
discipline strategies were implemented, which included reducing wages to force employees to
work longer. Many different groups began pressuring for reform due to these strategies; these
reforms included better pay, fewer hours, and better working conditions. However, employees
began seeing themselves as consumers as well and stopped seeking a shorter workweek. By the
1920’s the worker as a consumer ideology was fully entrenched in the United States. Because of
this ideology new innovated packaging technologies were developed. This development allowed
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