Dd102 Introducing the Social Sciences Outline the Argument That a Consumer Society Is a Throwaway Society

Outline the argument that a consumer society leads to a throwaway society

Consumption is ‘the purchase and use of products and services, and one of the defining features of contemporary society. (Blakeley and Allen, C1, p26). This essay will study the nature of consumer society where there is constant demand for better lifestyles and thus increased consumption, with a high placed on owning many things. Waste or rubbish is a key feature of this consumer driven market, with excessive levels of waste produced.

A ‘throwaway’ society has emerged from the constant demand and desire for more goods, and the idea of using things once before discarding, no thought to the value of this waste.

This essay will consider other factors that may have caused increased waste levels, mass production and rise in affluence, the role of the supermarket, bringing together all main considerations in how the consumer society and throwaway society go hand in hands hereby any increased consumption will potentially increase levels of waste and further strain on future resources.

This is a good introduction. It does encapsulate the argument that I’d expect in terms of the answer to this TMA

Early 1950's saw a shift in culture from an industrial uk society, based around manufacturing, to a one where more importance was placed on what you purchased rather than what job you had. Employment levels were high, a rise in wages whereby they doubled 1959-1959, mass production and increased availability of goods and the beginning of hire purchase introduced at stores, a 'live now pay later' idea promoted as the development of department stores saw mass consumption in over drive as the stores offered variety 'luxury' items, now relatively inexpensive and more people than ever were able to afford to buy into the kind of lifestyle once out of their grasp.

This is a logical extension from the introduction. I think though that you could have thought about this in a little more expansive way....