Materialism in recent history has
become a serious societal flaw. Wearing the newest in designer fashion or
getting the most recent in cutting edge technology has become a priority for
many people in highly developed countries. It is almost impossible to get away
from the media that constantly shoves the images of “the perfect life” down the
throats of consumers. As popular media portrays, a perfect life in the United
States most likely involves owning a smartphone, a laptop, a 3d plasma screen
television, the latest in fashion, the nicest car(s), and a sleek well kept
home, with the ability at the end of a long day to drink cold refreshing beers,
play video games, watch one thousand t.v. channels, and have an outstanding
looking significant other. Why do people continuously fall for the media’s
traps? Sociology can help explain.
The
media’s main goal is to appeal to the masses. When the appeal supports society
and does not deviate, more people are likely to want or purchase that product.
A great example of massive appeal is when clothing companies use sports stars
or celebrities for ad campaigns. High status people like sports stars and
celebrities are looked onto to set social norms, they essentially are “trend
setters.” Massive amounts of people look up to those individuals for guidance
and will most likely try to own something that is promoted by those high status
people. With that being said, the younger generations are seeing poor examples
of role models on popular television and social medias. The high school through
college age group watches shows like “Jersey Shore” or “16 and pregnant” and
even younger generations watch shows like “Hannah Montana” and “Suite Life of
Zach and Cody.” The shows may seem harmless and even funny, but they show
unrealistic living circumstances. The cast of Jersey Shore live in a gigantic
house and go shopping all the time. The girls in 16 and Pregnant get to go
shopping all the time even when they have a baby. Hannah Montana gets to be the
daughter of a millionaire country singer and have a walk in closet full of
clothing and live a second life as a secret musician. Zach and Cody get to live
in a penthouse with full service and hardly any repercussions for their
actions.
What am I getting at with those
examples and what does sociology have to do with it? Society follows the trends
and norms set by high status individuals. Those high status individuals may be
seen on their own with the latest in consumerism. The massive society looks to
those individuals. Society copies that trend. The average American girl is not
rich like Snooki, but she will most certainly try to dress and shop like
Snooki. Sociology helps study society and can recognize serious societal
issues. With issues being recognized thanks to sociology, those problems can be
addressed and hopefully solved.
This site explains how materialism not only effects one's wallet, but also one's love life.
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