The Cult of Materialism
Materialism is a continuous problem that effects our society by constructing a hierarchy and creating a demand for possessions.
Materialism began to develop hundreds of years ago; however, many believe that the invention of the steam engine is what triggered society’s need to possess commodities.
In the 19th Century, stores began selling consumerist products such as jewellery and home furnishings. This automatically created a segregation between the wealthy and the lower class.
It is indefinite that this divide is why today’s society has such an extreme hierarchical structure. However, it is obvious that materialism exists in both the higher and lower tiers of the hierarchy. Take Topshop for example. It is a popular clothing store similar to the stores from the 19th Century, however the difference is that in today’s society everyone will wear clothing from this brand, including celebrities and the middle class people of today’s hierarchy. The celebrities or wealthier people of society will purchase products from this brand and use online media to promote or advertise the merchandise. This forces other people to feel like these products are a necessity to their life. This demonstrates that materialism has developed extremely since the 19th Century, as all people within the hierarchy have materialistic desires.
An example is the need for Apple products. Society is hungry for what is portrayed by the media as the ‘superior race’ in terms of technology and therefore people are putting themselves in debt to own not only just one Apple product, but several.
