Globalisation refers to the ongoing process that brings people, neighbourhoods, cities, regions and countries in a loop much more closely together than they have ever been before. It has played a crucial role for my family, as it made things much easier and convenient for us with time. To bring to the light the concept of consumerism, I would like to start with a quote of Elise M. Boulding- “The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.” The term ‘consumerism’ per se, means that the work has to be done in consideration with the demands of the client, in order to fulfil their needs and desires for client’s satisfaction. The main aim is to keep the consumers well informed and address their concerns, according to which the project is executed.
My mother works in Broadband India Forum (BIF). It deals with the enhancement of the entire ecosystem to deliver broadband across India by supporting all policy, regulatory & standards initiatives for the proliferation of the high-quality broadband in the country in a technology neutral manner. There has been a remarkable change in the Telecommunication sector due to the constant development and upgradation of technologies. Particularly, the telecom sector has paved its way in shaping up the process of global changes by grabbing every opportunity available.
Due to Globalisation, there has been an immense increase in the revenue and stimulation of consumer demand for world- class products, services and brands. The telecom industry is also in a state of evolution under the impact of Globalisation.
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Globalization and consumerism have made a huge impact on our economy. The accessibility of books, movies and TV shows makes us understand how globalisation and consumerism have played a major role in the upliftment of the society. Me and my brother have always loved watching cartoons together. Cartoons such as power rangers, Dragon Ball-Z, Oswald, Noddy and of course how can I forget our most favourite cartoon- Pokémon. All my family members have access to Amazon Prime, Hotstar and Netflix. Thus, globalisation has had a deep influence on all walks of human life including personal and family life.
In the early times, me and my brother used to go out to play around with our colony friends, but when we got introduced to video games, Disney movies and cartoons; playing outdoors with our friends went in vain. Music has been an important part of my life. It helps me to introspect and relax. Formerly, my parents used to listen to music via radio. With the emergence of better technology, my brother and I have access to applications such as Spotify, Soundcloud, Amazon Prime Music etc. in order to listen to music of our own choice.
Nowadays, we even have the option of applying for jobs, higher education overseas and for purchasing commodities over the internet. Recently, my brother completed his Masters in Development Studies from University of Sussex, United Kingdom. He got this opportunity to study overseas because of internet. Currently, working as an intern in UNESCO under the education department. Again, he was given this chance to work with the organisation because he applied online for the internship. Nothing of such sort would have worked for him, if there was no such term as ‘Globalisation’.
My family is a frequent user of Amazon, Flipkart, Fabindia, etc. They prefer these online services because of the availability of items, 24 X 7 service, discount offers, best quality, convenience and free delivery. Obviously, how can we not address the fact that all this happens just by a click of a mouse.
Since, Globalisation and consumerism have more of positive effects, we tend to avoid addressing the other side of the coin. Globalisation has also created a number of significant challenges, be it with respect to limited job opportunities or unequal distribution of income among consumers.
When I was a child, I used to go out daily either to play or just for a stroll. But, after the introduction of games on mobile phones and cartoons, it made me a bit lazy to go outdoors to play. We all know that too much of anything is detrimental. Similarly, too much of comfort is also harmful. Technology has made our lives so easy and convenient, that we often forget how complacent it has made us by providing almost all the services on our doorstep. It is not just complacency, but internet cannot be trusted for data protection as well. With a wide range of technology, it has made the chances of people to find a job difficult, as most of the work can now be done by computers. Thus, leading to job insecurity.
One of the major aspects of the mental representations created by globalisation has been the commodification – or commercialisation – of daily life. For instance, I had started taking classes for mathematics and science since 9th grade. Nonetheless, I realised how commercialisation of almost everything has taken place in this globalised economy, as I saw many of my friends never going for tuition classes, rather preferring to learn by enrolling themselves for online tutorials and lectures. Moreover, modern consumerism also takes keen interests in environmental matters affecting the quality of life.
I have been surprised after realising how everything has taken a revolutionary turn. From typewriters to laptops, landlines and PCO’s to touch phones, door to door sales to online shopping, handwritten letters to emails, transport buses to metro rail services. I can continue to state more examples but the list is never ending. Globalisation has brought many opportunities for the country to grow and prosper.
From a personal point of view, a well-versed society like ours has made me think of all the changes I experienced recently. For instance, earlier, students had to visit the colleges to fill up the application forms for their admission, but nowadays with the technological advancement, the students have the facility to fill up the admission forms online.
Furthermore, globalization has given opportunities to students to explore the possibility of studying in International Universities. It has indeed revolutionized education immensely, people have stopped reading books as now they have access to high-end technological gadgets such as Kindle. Utilizing the opportunities which the global economy provides us, helps a person to learn better and understand well.
If it was not for globalisation to have brought such a wide range of choices for us, this world would have had a totally different look. As a result, one part of the cultural impact of globalisation has been to create a global consumer culture. Phones, laptops, music applications, online shopping and banking facilities are all products of globalisation. Consumerism has brought into picture so many choices for the consumers, such as, food items, cosmetic products, etc. most of which are products of International companies like Cadbury, Kellogg’s, Bodyshop, Nestle, Oriflame etc.
Therefore, I hereby conclude by summing up all the points, examples and incidents of my family. Globalization and consumerism are interlinked to each other in today’s world. Globalisation is a key to future world economic development which has resulted in our lives being intertwined with people in all parts of the world.
There is a system behind present forms of consumption and consumerism which is operated by the actors of a global economy that have the power to control the worldwide market forces of a globalized economy. It is through globalisation that we have access to better quality products, services and more importantly information. Consumers like me and my family are well aware in this economy about what is going on in this world, which is a result of globalisation.
References
- Broadband India Forum
- The World Bank
- World Trade Organization
- The New York Times
- The Guardian
- CNBC International
- The Economist
- Reuters World News
- Council on Foreign Relations – Globalization
Cite this paper
Globalization and Consumerism. (2020, Sep 16). Retrieved from https://samploon.com/globalization-and-consumerism/
