Consumerism is Slowly Killing Us

Convenience Consumer Culture

As we enter into a new age of consumerism, one must ask themselves how did we get here and why? As the world continues to grow and is evolving to tailor to the needs of globalization and the constant demand from the market, it is evident how humans and our surrounding environment is paying the price for our consumeristic appetite. While some may see consumption as a positive drive for the economy and is creating more jobs, it turns out, big businesses’ and corporations are to blame for the dramatic increase in environmental problems. As convenience culture and items such as throwaway products have been integrated into our lifestyle, we have become disconnected from the products we are using and may be putting convenience over our health. There is a lack of knowledge individuals have about this capitalist consumer society we are living in; we are blinded by the fact that most environmental problems can be linked to our excessive amount of consumption. With over 60 percent of environmental impacts coming from household consumption, we are each held accountable for changing our consumption habits and playing our part by voting with our forks and dollars, for the sake of our health and planet.

Some may say the beginning of our mass overconsumption began during the industrial revolution as a capitalistic society came to rise. “Measure in constant dollars, people in the world have consumed as many goods and services since 1950 as all previous generations put together.” We are encouraged by society to live…