Since the turn of the twentieth century, ‘consuming’ has gradually become more and more central to our way of life. Consuming is no longer just a matter of surviving. It has now become a ‘lifestyle’.

We define ourselves by our consumption patterns. What, where and when we buy says more about who we are than any CV. It tells others what tastes, values, interests and attitudes that we have. We readily display style and class through consuming ‘things’ and can even let others know about our fantasies and sexuality through the contents of our shopping trolley.

Traditional mechanisms that established social and status distinctions have been supplanted by acts of conspicuous consumption. It is the experiences of shopping and consuming ‘things’ have come to define our lives and our place in the social world. The costumes and props of our social roles are eagerly displayed by all kinds of actors who are identifying themselves and indicating social position and prestige through ‘product clusters’.

Consuming has become a moral doctrine, a way of life. The ‘good life’ is the pleasure and enjoyment obtained through purchasing and using things. And consumer choice has now come to represent the desirable economic and political system. It is consumer demand that is freeing the old Soviet bloc and China. It is consumer choice that is championing democracy, self-determination and even freedom itself.