Consumerism as a social and economi

Consumerism as a social and economic order and ideology encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts. Early criticisms of consumerism occur in 1899 in the works of Thorstein Veblen. Veblen's subject of examination, the newly emergent middle class arising at the turn of the 20th century,[1][need quotation to verify] came to fruition[citation needed] by the end of the 20th century through the process of globalization.[citation needed]