Consumer capitalism

The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. (September 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Consumer capitalism is a theoretical economic and social political condition in which consumer demand is manipulated in a deliberate and coordinated way on a very large scale through mass-marketing techniques, to the advantage of sellers.

This theory is controversial. It suggests manipulation of consumer demand so potent that it has a coercive effect, amounts to a departure from free-market capitalism, and has an adverse effect on society in general. According to one source, the power of such 'manipulation' is not straightforward. It depends upon a new kind of individualism - projective individualism, where persons use consumer capitalism to project the kind of person who they want to be.^[1]

Some use the phrase as shorthand for the broader idea that the interests of other non-business entities (governments, religions, the military, educational institutions) are intertwined with corporate business interests, and that those entities also participate in the management of social expectations through mass media.

Harold Wilhite, a Professor of Social Anthropology and Research, emphasizes that understanding capitalism is crucial for grasping the roots of unsustainable consumption. In his 2016 book The Political Economy of Low Carbon Transformation, he places capitalism at the core of his analysis. Drawing from thinkers such as Karl Marx, David Harvey, and Thomas Piketty, Wilhite examines how the foundational elements of capitalism — economic growth, individual ownership, marketization, product differentiation, and turnover — hinder sustainability transformations and fuel increasing consumption. He delves further into the societal impacts of capitalism’s growth imperative, arguing that it not only shapes systems of provision but also fosters cultures and habits of perpetual consumption growth.^[2]