Course:WMST307:Student Pages: Conspicuous Consumption

Conspicuous Consumption

Conspicuous Consumption is the consumption of goods beyond the necessities of human life, which signal class distinctions. It was first constructed as a concept by Thorstein Veblen, a Norwegian American economist and sociologist, in 1899. He attributes the rise of consumption to the increased income and leisure time, as well as the growth of the marketing industry that occurred in the nineteenth century. He also referred to this type of consumption as “wasteful” in that it extended past survival need and began to define social status. The goods one consumed, and more importantly were seen consuming, became the way in which social classes were defined and social distinctions made. Conspicuous consumption is especially important in industrial and urban societies, as a way in which the upper and middle classes affirm their status. However, these distinctions are not made between only the rich and poor, but rather between all levels of class, as consumption occurs in and between all of them. Conspicuous consumption, therefore sets the stage for the importance of “Taste” in differentiating between classes.

Popular Culture plays an essential role in conspicuous consumption and can be seen as the vehicle for conspicuous consumption, as media, such as magazines and television, bring attention to celebrities and the lives of other high status individuals, which encourages and enables others to emulate the consumption style and patterns of the social elite. Emulation has also led to the heightened connection between consumption and identity. In a society in which “what one has is often seen as what one is” , conspicuous consumption serves as both a social marker and an indication of group membership and belonging. As such, conspicuous consumption functions at the individual level and well as a broader societal level, for both identification and conceptualization of the self and others.