Understanding Consumption
- wanderingxinz
- May 2, 2019
- 4 min read
It's been a year since I've updated this travel blog and many things have changed, including my outlook and perspectives.
Today I would like to touch on the topic of: CONSUMPTION
You will see how “consumption” ties in to my travels in this two part post.
Prior to attending the unit, Consuming Cultures and perusing over the readings; I had quite a superficial and little understanding of the term “consumption”. I simply thought of it as the literal act of ingesting food or drinks and the act of purchasing consumer goods and services.
I gave little thought to about how it linked up to my life, personality and even my self-identity.
However, after studying this a little more in-depth, I quickly realised there is so much more to "consumption" than meets the eye.
Before we even begin to talk about consumption, we first have to recognise the consumer: Ourselves.
According to Gabriel and Lang, we as consumers are multifaceted. We have distinctive identities and can vary, making us “the unmanageable consumer” (Gabriel and Lang, 1995, p. 4).
I find this to be true for myself as sometimes I am firm on what I want but other times I simply do not know what I want.
It is also interesting to note how my friends, whom I’ve known for over a decade, though we share lots of similarities and likings, we are definitely not entirely the same.
For example, I am that consumer who will wait for the sale patiently; checking in on the best deals and waiting for the best time to make my final purchase. My friend on the other hand, simply cannot hold back and would just go ahead and buy to her heart’s desire, regardless of the price. If she wants it now, she gets it now.
My friend is also a fervent supporter of the local arts scene. She would spend the time and money to watch plays put up by a local cast but I do not share the same sentiment. I would rather spend the money on concerts by my favourite singers instead.
Thus, I agree with Gabriel and Lang’s viewpoint of the consumer being unmanageable as each individual have their own set of likes, dislikes, habits and personalities.
Gabriel and Lang also mentions an important point that the consumer is “always central” (Gabriel and Lang, 1995, p. 2).
I agree with this concept as our society and economy is one that is consumption-based.
From Richins, basic human needs such as food and water are consumed in order for us to stay alive. (1995, p.341) Hence, in order to obtain food and water, the consumer must work for it. Thus, contributions must be made to the society and economy to keep it running.
Slightly side-tracking, a related term to consumption is “consumerism”. My friends have always talked about how consumerism is bad, with some even boycotting the idea of consumerism. I've never really understood their stance as consumption to me is an act of "addition", and more is more to me so what is there to lose?
Now I realise, it is actually quite terrifying to imagine a society that is not consumption-based.
This is as the consumer’s most desirable state is to have gains only with no losses involved.
If an individual is not motivated through consumption, then there would be no progress in our economy as well. Everything would be stagnant as there are no free lunches in the world.
In exchange for money, I must sacrifice my time and physical strength into working. Then, I can use the money gained to purchase and consume another item of choice such as going on to a holiday. To go on a holiday, I must have money and the time to go on one.
Every single act of consumption is linked and just like interlocked gears, for one to move, the other must not remain static.
To put it simply and in the words of Britney Spears; You wanna live fancy? You better work bitch!
Of course, consumption is not all just about gains and losses in terms of monetary and or commodities. According to Slater, “consumption is a meaningful activity”. (1997, p. 131) Behind every act of consumption, there lies a cultural meaning. Slater argues that consumption is tied in with our own cultures which then gives things their own intrinsic meanings.
Previously, I have never thought of consumption and cultures as one. The idea that the way I consume is closely tied to how I was brought up, in relation to my community and cultures was a novel one.
Similar to what Xu, Shim, Lotz and Almeida has found, "adults who have a stronger sense of ethnic identity are more likely to consume ethnic food and attend ethnic entertainment activities". (2004, p. 108)
My identity shapes the way I consume.
A simple task such as planning for.a trip can already reveal my personality and identity. I had put in extra efforts in budgeting due to my middle-class income status. A family holiday comes rare and considered a luxury indulgence.
I also had some preconceived idea of what I wanted to consume in terms of flight and accommodation, such as my preference for Singapore Airlines and hotels over motels/ home-stays. These were due to the messages drilled into me since young, Singapore Airlines was always advertised as a top notch airline whilst horror stories about motels gave me bad impressions. (You can read more about planning a trip here!)
As I look back at my travels, I am able to link up to Slater's argument of consumption being closely associated with cultures.
Living in Singapore, a multiracial and multicultural country, there are myriads of cultural consumption happening daily.
From simple things such as the various dietary restrictions for each religion, to the different ways each one prays to their God, there is meaning behind their differences.
For example, muslims abstain from the consumption of pork as it was mentioned in their Qur’an. Some also argue that it is because pigs are deemed as ‘dirty’ and unhealthy.
This reveals how consumption and even the non-consumption of things are affected by one’s culture.
On the next post, I will be touching more on how I consume personally and my experience with consumption!
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