cover story.
the cul consum Consumerism infatuated the United States for the first time during the industrial revolution. Since that era it has continued to be on the rise ever since, becoming a staple in our culture, especially during the holidays. BY WEB EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LIV ZENDER AND FEATURES EDITOR BRIANNA LEGETTE
The History of Consumerism Still prevalent in society today, the Industrial Revolution kickstarted the culture of consumerism in the late 1700’s. By the end of the 19th century, the United States was in the process of transforming from an agrarian society to urbanization and industrialization with major cities and corporations. Production and manufacturing greatly increased through factories and assembly lines. For this mass production though, corporations utilize fossil fuels as sources of power. During this time, exponentially more products were manufactured and advertised to the public, which in turn caused the demand to skyrocket. The goal was to crank out products as quickly as possible while also producing the most
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revenue. Before this time, there were not enough products mass produced for the general public - especially those who did not reside in the upper class. Individual desire eventually fueled consumerism and led to the transformation of the country to the way it is today with products being mass produced for people around the world. Consumerism continued to grow due to the increase in mass production after World War I and World War II. According to BBC, United States production was 12 times greater in 1920 than in 1860, and from 1921 to 1929 household electricity went from 35% to 68%. This is likely due to soldiers coming home from the war and being reintegrated into society.
