Consumer Culture in terms of Social Status and Identity Essay

Consumer Culture in terms of Social Status and Identity - Essay Example The global arena, as experienced in the contemporary arena, has undergone through various changes, as historically provided. History provides a review of the evolution of Man, which culminated in great advancement during the past two centuries in terms of different contexts. The 20th century was indeed the hallmark of human irony, where various contexts influenced and were in turn affected by human civilization. Thus despite the clashes of human ideology, which inadvertently resulted in two deadly global wars, and a 45-year long Cold war, the real winner of all this was an unlikely candidate. What do I mean by this? That while the United States became the eventual global leader, the century did not culminate in its political ideas’ dominance in global affairs rather it was the concept/ aspect of consumerism that won. Consumer culture, individualism, individual strive for success, and materialism became the dominant identity factor, which portrayed then and still does, Man’s ultimate gains (Cross, 2002). While the political and economic spheres had been influential in humanity’s existence, as portrayed throughout history, it is the 20th century, which ultimately defined Man. In the superpower itself, and increasingly across the globe, the visions of a political society of active citizenship and stable, shared values did not become enshrined in the human subconscious. Rather, the seemingly passive, yet dynamic society became ingrained in material consumption in the manner. Jhally (2006) portrays that this is what has come to define our current society, the geopolitical, social and economic factors notwithstanding. To augment the aforementioned drive has been the greatly influential aspect of globalization. Despite the great expansion of government, the very basic ideal of political life being primary to social coexistence and human interaction, it has receded to the  background; paving way for a consumer public.