2. Consumerism
That we live in a consumer society is something of a cliche´. The paraphernalia of
consumerism surrounds us in our everyday lives (Falk and Campbell, 1997). City centre
stores and suburban shopping malls have been joined by a powerful new retail player
in the shape of the internet. Shopping has become a daily preoccupation, in Western
society at least, and one which is no longer necessarily linked to the satisfaction of any
economic need (Douglas and Isherwood, 1996).