The Consumerist Syndrome in Contemporary Society

Abstract

This interview examines the relations between production and consumption and the significance of what Bauman calls ‘the consumerist syndrome’. The latter is defined by the desire for instant satisfaction. The article distinguishes the consumerist syndrome from Veblen’s concept of conspicuous consumption. It breaks with the 20th century practice of regarding consumer preoccupations and activities as derivative of needs and suggests that consumption is now driven by infinite desire. Bauman sets the consumer syndrome in relation to his concept of liquid modernity. The choices of the modern consumer are set against unfulfilled options. The notion of using consumption as a form of resistance is examined and criticized. The article concludes with some reflections on the condition of sociological activity today.