from conspicuous consumption to conspicuous expression? (i say no) | GOOD
Ultimately, I disagree. Yes, I agree that conspicuous expression is exploding, but in no way does that decrease conspicuous consumption. If anything, marketers are catching onto the best ways to use social media to spread their messages and brand. These marketers realize that traditional media is no longer reaching the facebook and twitter generation and are simply adapting to the new environment, perpetuating conspicuous consumption through the new medium. Don't get me wrong, I love social media and the way it lets people connect and share and organize but it's not going to be the savior of our environmental crisis. There is no way to get around the fact that what drives conspicuous consumption is a culture that breeds envy and greed. I'm not saying that people should stop enjoying themselves as they become more prosperous, only that we need to remember that our prosperity doesn't come out of a vacuum, and that we have a duty to share that prosperity in service of the greater good. When we stop denying our interconnection with other people, and with other forms of life, it will become obvious how screwing over someone else, screwing over the environment, amounts to screwing ourselves and our children.
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