Consumerism denotes the behavior of people in a society increasing their consumption of goods with the belief that in doing so, they become economically advantaged consequencing in happiness. The notion emanates from countries basing their economic strengths on the production and consumption of goods reached through people’s economic strengths. The concept of consumerism has influenced mainly the modern society by eliciting increased use of resources at a speed that even the earth cannot restock them, consequencing adverse effects. Consumerism has resulted in environmental problems. The demand for goods creates a need for increased production of these products and raw materials. Therefore, the demand for land arises to pave the way for more industries and buildings, which extends to forests causing deforestation precipitating climate change. Additionally, more water supply is required to support the production processes. Thus, it stretches water sources further straining the environment. Water sources, further, suffer through increased waste production that creates proper disposal challenges. Eventually, waste ends up in water bodies such as oceans and rivers, contaminating them. Moreover, the high increase in output results in pollution of air causing global warming.Consumerism destroys families and social relationships. The concept leads to the internalization of views that all things are disposable, expendable, easily attainable and do not require human relationships. Thus, this creates an illusion of individuality where a person only trusts their monetary power purely to achieve all they desire. Thus, in an attempt to satisfy this craving, individuals engage in a constant race of struggle to achieve financial success. It then introduces stress and tensions that take a person’s concentration and interests away from their social relationships. Also, obtaining goods such as computers, phones, and the internet among others takes up an individual’s time and attention away from family and friends, making them emotionally and physically unavailable further destroying these relationships.Global inequality arises through consumerism. It achieves this by dividing people into of high-class and low-class social status depending on the rate of resource consumption. Worldwide, the wealthiest ten-percent population approximately utilizes half of the world’s resources at the expense of the poor population that use about one percent. Observations point out that the wealthy tend to spend approximately eleven billion on ice cream every year and about 400 billion on narcotic drugs. Equal and efficient distribution of such resources can provide education, water and proper housing for all people in the world equalizing them. Morality and important values in people are affected. Attaching the ability to afford and own various products in the world to one’s worth, kind of life and happiness overshadows morals and value reasoning that brings about true happiness, acceptance, and satisfaction. Morality pegs achieving of real happiness on, understanding the right human conduct, differentiating right from wrong, adopting simplicity and helping others. However, the pressures to owning various products and in large quantities push people to strive to attain financial success while others make faulty moral judgment that precipitates in criminal activities such as robbery to acquire expensive gadget and achieve happiness.The health of individuals suffers through consumerism. The modern culture of striving to have and using more than what one requires results in people consuming more products than they need. It, thus, consequences in high cases of obesity that pose risks to people’s overall health. Moreover, when one fails to meet the material needs they set for themselves, stress and depression develop that affects psychological health. Conclusively, the today’s society should overhaul their present lifestyles and moral reasoning to reduce consumerism as it creates environmental, social, health and equality problems unsustainable by the planet.
