Amazon.com and others are eager to fill the skies with drones delivering packages at all hours. Convenient, yes, but it could transform – and not in a good way – our ability to make informed choices.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on Consumerism
Displaying 81 - 100 of 122 articles
The Victorians had some interesting solutions to the problem of telling children where our stuff comes from.
Each Mardi Gras, 25 million pounds of beads hit the streets of New Orleans. One researcher went to the Chinese factories that make them – and spoke to the workers who believe the beads will be given to royalty.
You may not be free but buying lots of stuff can create the illusion that you are.
Which objects would you choose to tell the story of your life?
Back in 1663, it was all about staff getting the day off, now it’s all about boosting the coffers of the major stores.
Stores are engaged in an arms race to make online shopping less of an impersonal chore.
Modesty in your spending (and half an eye on the future) could make you very cheerful indeed.
REI’s ‘Opt Outside’ campaign makes a virtue of shunning Black Friday and hiking instead of shopping. But while outdoor retailers preach sustainability, they still fuel our consuming habits.
John Lewis’ Christmas ad is highly anticipated and guaranteed to get Britain spending.
People are buying more and more things. But does that make them more contented?
As a remedy to rampant consumerism and the throwaway culture of fast-fashion, a few clothing brands actively encourage their customers to buy less.
Luxury holidays aren’t just a dent in your bank balance – they’re also doing untold harm to the environment. But you can have a good, green holiday.
Fashion weeks are becoming less about fashion cliques, and opening up to the masses.
A new industry is being created under President Xi Jinping. Meet the two men making it happen.
Microplastics go largely unseen but are a scourge of the oceans. Filmmaker Jo Ruxton answers questions about the challenge of filming it.
Researchers calculate whether we’re using less materials, or whether we’re just shipping it in from abroad.
Perhaps surprisingly, men spend more money after being romantically rejected while women do the opposite.
Many of us are concerned about just want to get through it. But the consumer madness of late December is the perfect time to ponder the consequences of our habits and excesses.
How the best brands tap into the spirit of the season.
Top contributors
-
Academic Director, School for International Training, The University of Melbourne
-
Professor of Consumer Research, University of Bristol
-
Professor of Work and Organisation, University of Essex
-
Omar H. Fares is a Friend of The Conversation.
Lecturer of Marketing in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University
-
Reader in Consumer Psychology, Anglia Ruskin University
-
Associate Professor of History and Environmental Studies, Bowdoin College
-
Lecturer in Anthropology, Goldsmiths, University of London
-
Assistant Professor of Art History, Miami University
-
Professeur Affilié, HEC Paris Business School
-
Associate Professor in Earth System Science, University of Exeter
-
Assistant Professor of Interior Architecture and Design, George Washington University
-
Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Sheffield Hallam University
-
Professor of International Management and Marketing, Vienna University of Economics and Business
-
Professor, Lectra Fashion and Technology Chair, ESCP Business School
-
Professor of Strategy, Hult International Business School
