TMA 02 Essay Plan
Introduction
* Introduce the argument that consumption reflects and shapes our lifestyle and identity. * Why do we consume? * Introduce key points such as Theorists, The big four and how they restrict shopping choices and why, How some people consume in a certain way to protect the environment, inequalities some people can consume whilst others can’t because of money, disabilities etc. Transportation.
Main Body * Introduce theorists 1. Baumen-Seduced and repressed 2. Veblen-Leisure class 3. Susman-Society is shaped * How the big four shape our shopping choices. * The ways in which some people consume, what effect consumption has on the environment. * Inequalities.
Conclusion
* Talk about the links between the concepts the theorists have and how they are evidence to the point that consumption shapes and reflects our lifestyle an identity. * Talk about the big four and the conclusions drawn

TMA02
Outline the claim that consumption reflects and shapes our lifestyle and identity.
Contemporary UK society today has moved from an industrial society that revolved around work to a society that now focuses on purchasing and having certain possessions, a ‘consumer society.’ There are many reasons why people consume such as to fulfil the desire to live a certain lifestyle or to reflect their hobbies and interests.
The claim that Consumption reflects and shapes our lifestyle and identity can be backed by many forms of evidence. First are the theories that come from three important social scientists; Bauman (1988) ‘The seduced and repressed,’ who explains the restrictions different inequalities have on today’s consumer society, Veblen (1899) ‘Conspicuous consumption,’ who suggests that consumption is used for social reasons as much as personal ones and Susman (2003) ‘The Performing Self,’ who argues that consumption is used to express individuality and personality. Within these social theories conclusions can be drawn about the different influences and restrictions that affect the way in which some people consume such as the media and inequalities. Then there is evidence that ‘the big four’ have an influence on how and where people consume groceries.
The social Scientist Bauman (1988) came up with the theory of ‘The seduced and repressed.’ Bauman believed that society was divided into two groups. The first group was the seduced, this included the wealthy, the aristocracy, people with disposable income and people with cheap credit available in other words the lucrative market. Bauman also included singers, actresses and models as part of the seduced as they were seen as valuable members of society by other consumers and by those with something to sell to the lucrative market. These types of people can be utilised by businesses to promote their products, as they have been bought into (seduced) liking their product and what it offers them i.e. money. They were people that had an influence on the consumer society. The second was the repressed. The repressed include the unemployed, low paid or those who were unable to fully participate in a consumer society, for example people with disabilities or lack of transport, these are types of inequalities. Opportunities for self-expression and social membership in a consumer society are more restricted for this group of people. For example someone who does not have access to transportation cannot visit newly popular sites of consumption like retail parks and are restricted to shopping in towns that do not provide the wide variety products as they used to. As a result this individual becomes socially excluded as they cannot consume to fit in with a particular group of people. Bauman’s theory argues that the seduced are admitted membership in society because they are able to consume effectively, whereas the repressed are excluded because they are unable to fully participate in consumption. This shows that consumption can only be carried out if an individual has the resources and the ability to take part reflecting on an individual’s income and lifestyle.
Veblen (1899) talks about ‘conspicuous consumption.’ His theory came about during industrialisation, he studied the consuming habits of the newly rich and successful and industrialists and their families. Veblen argues that people consume to reflect to others a certain lifestyle and found it was common with those who were newly rich. His theory today can mainly be related to the rich and famous as many of them started as ordinary people that have become rich and successful and want to show this to society. An example of this would be MTV cribs which could be described as a celebrity showroom. Ordinary people try to participate in this kind of consumption. They are heavily influenced by the media and try to live a lifestyle similar to their idols through consumption. For example someone who is interested in football may have David Beckham as their idol and because of this may consume any products he promotes; this could be anything from football boots to aftershaves and cars. These people who try to consume like their idols tend to fall into the trap of obtaining quick expensive credit (e.g. Wonga loans) which then affects their lifestyle as they are too in debt to afford to pay to take part in leisure activities and different social events.
Susman (2003) looks at ‘The performing self.’ He explains how in modern society people are less concerned about consuming to display their class and good character and are more concerned about consuming to express individuality and personality. They would express this through material goods such as fashionable or branded clothing. He developed this argument through the study of descriptions of how to consume and self-help manuals. (An example would be Mrs Beeton’s book of household management.) Susman argues that this type of consumption started when society changed when ordinary people were able to take part in consumption rather than only the wealthy. The cause of this change was the rising popularity of the department store, where a large amount emerged in large towns and cities throughout the UK between 1880-1930. They were able to sell luxury products at lower prices because they sold volume mass produced goods that were a result of an industrial rather than a hand-made production. The department store was a popular site of consumption for those with a lower income as they supplied more affordable products and the increasing popularity of the department store was a reflection of the wealth and interests of society.
Another area of consumption is the grocery shop and although every consumer is under the impression they have a choice on where they carry out their shop they are a lot of the time restricted to shopping at one of the big four supermarkets, this is due to them dominating the market, in the 12 weeks up to the 07/08/2011 their total market share was 75.4 percent (The Guardian, accessed 2014). The big four include Sainsbury, Morrison, Asda and Tesco. In the past consumers would purchase groceries from a number of businesses such as fishmongers, butchers and green grocers. However today a lot of the smaller businesses have been put out of business due to the domination and success of the big four this is known as a zero-sum gain.
The reason for the big supermarkets success is down to the fact that society’s social lives have changed and because of this demands change. One of the attractions of the supermarket was the fact that they offered convenience. This was desired as women no longer stayed at home and instead joined the workforce meaning they had less time to carry out the grocery shop. In the 1900 women only made up 18 percent of the workforce and by the 1990s had reached almost 50 percent (History of work ethic, accessed 2014). Another reason was that over the years there has been an increase in the participation of leisure; for example training at the gym has become an extremely popular leisure activity and because an individual would be required to spend some of their free time undergoing this activity they are left with less time to carry out the grocery shop. Where part of society required the convenience others who suffered from inequalities were restricted and had no choice but to carry out their grocery shop at one of the big four supermarkets. An example would be those who did not have a method of transport to get them to other supermarkets they may prefer to use.
Another attraction was that supermarkets offered low-prices. This was popular with those with a lower income as their financial situation restricted them from living a lifestyle where they could purchase luxury groceries from the higher end supermarkets such as Waitrose and Marks and Spencer.
Overall taking a look at the theories created by the three social scientists, when put together they provide an analysis of consumerism and each of them create examples of ways in which consumption shapes and reflects our lifestyle and identity, with Bauman’s theory he outlines the restrictions inequalities have on certain consumers, Veblen looks at how the media creates a desire to live a certain lifestyle and finally Susman created his theory around the time of the department store where products were more affordable enabling everyone to take part in consumption and live more luxurious lifestyles. Finally taking a look at the influence the big four has on the way society consumes it is clear that the service they provide is desired by some individuals because of their lifestyles and restricts others because of their inequalities and differences. Together the theories and the influences of the big four create a strong argument in favour with the argument that consumption shapes and reflects our lifestyle and identity.