Consumer Society

Alongside population growth, the development of a consumer society in the West and its worldwide diffusion (aided by globalization) is a significant contributor to the current [Page 89]environmental crisis—a main reason for concern about the chances of future generations to enjoy a minimally decent standard of living. The concept of a “consumer society” has been forged to describe the transformations that happened in Western industrialized societies, mostly in the aftermath of World War II, even though the rise of the consumer society has a long historical precedent. During this period, Western European and North American societies have undergone significant structural and cultural changes that can be described as a shift from production to consumption as the main structuring principle of daily life practices and social ...