A Materialistic Rut

According to a market research company in 2014, “some tweens not only want the latest games and clothes, but also think owning these things will bring them happiness, friends and popularity. And marketers are eager to get them to buy: Tweens spend $28 billion a year, not including the more than $200 billion their parents spend on them” 

Since the 1960s, we’ve grown into a more consumerist society. With the help of media and different social factors in our every day lives, we’re fed advertisements and commercials at every given moment – forcing and manipulating our thoughts into buying more and more. It is mainly directed at today’s youth, considering their vulnerability. It is easier to market towards younger individuals because it is immensely important for them to “fit in” with their peers. The youth are fed into this notion that their self-worth, values, and basically who they are as individuals is predicated on what they do or do not have. Integrity, morals, values, justice, freedom (etc.), and other important ideas and concepts are not their main focus. Some youth could not care less about the moral controversies happening in their own society, but are rather concerned with when the next iPhone is coming out, and how they are going to buy it.

For example, on a list of today’s youth culture values, it is of great importance for them to acquire expensive goods, as well as name brand clothing items. 

A youth today displaying obsession with material acquisition.

But, has it really always been like this? Or has society shifted over time, and somehow allowed the youth to become such material crazy beings? Taking into consideration the youth of the 1960’s, materialism was not as prominent, or for some youth not a concern at all.

For example, in the novel Just Kids by Patti Smith, both Patti and her life long friend Robert are teens in the 1960’s, who do not value material objects, and in fact at times reject their importance. They are both artists, and do not have the desire to acquire and obsess over material objects other than their own portfolios. At times, they even refer to their portfolios as a material burden, as it is heavy to carry around. They have a very non-possessive attitude towards their belongings, and do not feel defined by what they do or do not have. In the 1960’s many of the youth were protesting through rock n roll, they were counter revolutionists, and were interested in the equality of individuals, as well as the anti-war movement.  Whether or not they were keeping up with the latest trends or acquiring goods was not their main concern.

Youth in the 1960’s showing interest in the anti-war movement.

As we compare the attitudes of the youth towards materialism from both time eras, we can tell that in the 1960s there was a bigger focus on anti-war movements, and the equality of individuals, whereas nowadays there is a bigger focus on acquiring as many name brand products and expensive goods as we can. It is definitely obvious that there has been a large shift in the youth's values since the 1960s, and what they deem and value as important in their lives. I believe that our society has become more consumeristic since the 1960s, encouraging the youth of today to desire material things to such an extent that it controls some of their lives. In essence, the youth of today believes that they are defined by what they own.

On another note, if the youth of today could acquire some of the values and morals of the youth of the 1960s, then they could potentially help themselves get out of this materialistic, consumeristic rut that they have been pressured into.