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Consumerism and evolution of consumer society

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The increased complexity of modern consumer society reflects the increased complexity of our social strata. We are no longer characterized in broad categories of nobility, bourgeoisie, workers and peasants. Our society today has a near infinite number of strata. This has taken consumption as a marker of status to near-absurd levels. Comparisons of products are endless. We compare the square footage of our houses, the engine power of our cars, the number of DVDs in our collection and the size of our television screens. Each slight improvement is another increase in our status. This shift has taken us from a society with only a handful of social strata to one in which the social hierarchy is a continuous progression. This in turn fuels near-continuous consumption in order to further differentiate us from the denizens of the strata below

Several changes in the past century have contributed to this increased complexity. Retailing experienced a significant shift in the early years of the 20th century. For most of history, shopping filled two roles. One was the acquisition of goods. The other was a social function, as evidenced by the rise in coffeeshops and teahouses. In the early part of the 20th