CA Blog: Can Americans still consume to innovate?

Within American Consumer Society 1865-2005, Regina Lee Blaszczyk made me realize just how much the consumer culture we associate with being a recent phenomenon, while it is actually a product of decades, and centuries, worth of evolution. An evolution, which seems fueled by human nature, driven by fascination for our own ingenuity and love for experiences we never could have imagined.

First, we had the recognition and reinvention of the social space of these massive warehouse-like stores along with the rise of urban centers and new building materials.(pg. 76) People preferred to shop with organs playing the background, without the haggling over prices, and for women more so than men at the time, a safe and comfortable environment to browse, linger, and socialize. Wasn't it that needs were satisfied in this case rather than created? This was pioneered by The Cast Iron Palace, which captured people's imaginations. Are our imaginations has also inherent to human needs?

Later we see some stores which don't follow a luxury ideal, such as A&P which embrace the store's ties to quantity production and mass consumption. (pg. 81) Now to me, this seems more of fulfilling an individual's fantasy of grandeur, fulfilling the desire for a less stressful and intense environment in which to make decisions in?

By 1890, with French glass working techniques allowing huge displays, we see the unveiling of store windows as an event people looked forward to. (pg. 83) On almost theatrical levels, individuals would witness scenes for extraordinary periods of time. How could you not dream to be what you see through the glass when it seems so fascinating and extravagant? And how could you not share the experience with everyone you knew when its that incredible, and free?

But if we are really going to see how consumerism is just satisfying needs, then we can look to the mail order catalogs. With the boom of ordering, the U.S. Post Office's initiated rural free delivery sparked Sears's skyrocketing business sales from $746,000 in 1895 to $41 million in 1908. (pg. 87-88)

Now if we look at today in light of what I have said in tandem with our reading of Colin Campbell, what do we consume in our globalized digital and non-digital worlds? Are we still in love with these incredible experiences, truly interested in the newest and best, or has our era of passion for innovation passed in America?

EDIT:

I didn't really relate this as much to present culture and trends as I suppose I should have, so let me build upon this in a way that makes the question more interesting. If we see ourselves as trying to progress to the goal of experiencing incredible things that make us awestruck, whether it be through technology, culture, society, or others, then why don't we embrace retinal scanners in the United States as they become deeply integrated in places like Seoul, Korea? Koreans could continue to use keys, but what need or desire has driven them, and not Americans, to favor retinal scanners?

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