Learn 10 surprising facts about Black Friday, the biggest shopping day in the year.
Category Archives: The Stuff of Consumer Culture
Amazon Go: Inside the new cashierless store moving in to the suburbs
A store without cashiers or lines sounds like the stuff of dystopian nightmares or futuristic dreams, but in fact, it is a reality in four states around the country.
Nestle pulls KitKat and Nesquik out of Russia
In an act of anti-war protest, Nestle removes candy products from Russian shelves.
US Black business ownership sees rise thanks to women, study finds
Find out how Black women are the fastest growing group of business owners amidst a global pandemic.
Why Americans buy so much stuff: A short history
Learn about factors that have shaped modern American consumerism from professor of American History, Lizabeth Cohen.
Live Streams Revive ‘Shoppertainment’ for a Luxury Consumer
The luxury shopping experience is moving from intimate boutique to widely available livestreams.
Google Self-Driving Car Project
A self-driving car could well be a product of the not-so-distant future. How do you feel about a driverless car? What are the advantages? What do you think might concern people about such a vehicle?
How to Stop Discarded Face Masks from Polluting the Planet
Combatting the coronavirus has increased production of surgical masks, creating a potential environmental hazard. Read about the risks and ways to protect the planet.
‘We Are All Accumulating Mountains of Things’
Online shopping can be a convenience. Yet the ease of buying online might also contribute to hoarding disorder and overspending. Review the research in this article to find out more.
Why Do We Buy What We Buy?
In this interview, a sociologist explains how competition among consumers—not necessarily the providers of goods and services—is what drives spending.
15 Surprising Things That Are Made from Recycled Materials
From soap to kitty litter, here’s a list of everyday items made from recycled materials that might astonish you.
COVID-19 Has Resurrected Single-Use Plastics—Are They Back to Stay?
Measures to safeguard public health during the coronavirus pandemic might jeopardize hard-won environmental protections against waste from single-use plastics. Read this article to find out more.
Study: Wanting Things Makes Us Happier Than Having Them
Studies show that the thoughts of buying something new can provide as much pleasure as having that new purchase in the hand! And, for the materialistic, the happiness gained from a new purchase is short-lived.
The Global Cost of Electronic Waste
E-waste, used and frequently discarded computers, tablets, smartphones and other electronics, is the fastest-growing municipal waste stream in the United States. Read this opinion piece about the causes and possible solutions to this mounting environmental threat.
This Clothing Line is Saving Textile Waste and Paying Fair Wages
At Zero Waste Daniel, New York-based designer Daniel Silverstein creates fashion that is both environment-conscious and socially responsible. Watch this short video to find out more.
Are We Consuming Too Much Information?
Feeling overwhelmed by all the information on the internet? That “foggy” sensation in your brain after hours of pointing, clicking, tapping, and swiping has a name. It’s called information overload. Read this article to learn more about it.
What Would You Do if You Won the Lottery?
Find out why winning the lottery may not change people’s lives the way we would expect.
Ad Council’s Challenge: Persuade Skeptics to Believe in Covid Vaccines
Learn why product marketing may be crucial to public health.
Buying begets buying: how stuff has consumed the average American’s life
Living beyond our means and having an attachment to possessions is something we’ve become accustomed to. We can put a false value on owning things, imagining a happiness that simply cannot be obtained through materialism.
The Invisible Way That Marketers Set the Menu for Your Thanksgiving Feast
The foods we literally consume at Thanksgiving are based not in history, but in consumerism itself.