Although being a consumer important part of our daily lives, most people never acknowledge that they have an ‘identity as a consumer.’ I perceive that consumption is a form of expression in America today. What you buy and how you live identifies you as an individual. The choices you make as a consumer today reflects your personality, your beliefs, and helps you express yourself. The entire marketing and advertising industry help define our self expression as consumers. Choosing to buy Abercrombie jeans depicts our expression as ‘cool yet stylish;’ whereas, buying Versace slacks would emit our expression as ‘elite and fashion conscious.’ The advertising industry gives identity to the products, and when we buy a product – we buy the identity that comes with the product; in this way, as a consumer we express ourselves.
The roots of consumer identity may have started with the Boston Tea party. Rejecting British Tea was an expression: it was expressing the rejection of British culture and fortifying an identity of being “Americans.”
The concept of consumer identification is marked by the cultural change for “convenience” rather than “reuse.” Reuse is still a cultural norm in most third world countries such as Nepal and India. In these countries it is common to see shops that “mend clothes,” peddlers that come to your house to buy scrap and specially ‘empty bottles,’ shops that repair everything from furniture to electronics for a small price, and clothes that are still handed down. In fact, people in Nepal store empty bottles and wait for the “scrap buyer.” Personally, my parents still take my old clothes and give them to their friends’ children! I believe that this continues in countries because, unlike America, these countries are not as economically strong and don’t have such a developed ‘consumer identity’ practice. Consumer identity was formed by ‘abundance,’ whereas, in most third world countries scarcity still prevails which leaves little choice to support such a culture. In America, abundance is a way of life and choice is integral to people’s lives. I believe it is economic progress that has led to the culture of ‘convenience.’ And this in turn has helped people save time, and made them more productive resulting in further progress. The need for progress influenced products like “Kotex” and many more, which have enabled people to do more with their time. Perhaps Kleenex, instead of handkerchiefs, was an item of convenience due to the time it saved on washing! In America, time has great value and this is seen with the system of “hourly pay.” Most developing nations don’t have such a system.
The most interesting concept that was discussed in class was “living wage.” I conceive that it is hard to precisely determine living wage. I believe every person has their own standard as to what they believe is “necessary to live,” and there is a vast difference in people’s definitions as to what is “living.” What is a necessity for one maybe a luxury for another person. A villager in Nepal would define living wage as the ability to have two meals, have 2-3 pairs of clothes and have enough wood for winter. But this is an example of poverty. The American definition of living wage is vastly different, and I would assume what may have been “living wage” in the 1800’s could not be considered living wage today. The increase in living wage reflects on the expected quality of life; which breeds progress and thereby the need for convenience.
The most significant idea in consumer identity is “consumer rights”. The right to consume what you want is paralleled by the right to work and live. This sounds synonymous to the ‘right for pursuit of happiness.” A consumer’s rights, enabling expression and inspiring them to work and live better – goes hand in hand with the American dream to “express freely and live well.”
