Publication (142 pages).

Accumulation
Consumer theory often discusses themes of accumulation when
they consider the function behind advertising or the creation
of false needs, but the foundation of consumerism go back to
accumulation. Increased commodity exchange for profit was
originally noted by Marx as capital accumulation: the process
of increasing one’s wealth (Marx 1967). This type of accumulation
has since been overtaken by consumer accumulation,
wherein the process of commodity exchange for profit includes
consideration for the consumer. Many theorists have recognized
different market tools that have led society to purchase
and acquire items at increasing rates. Advertising is the most
basic tool for increasing consumer spending: ads are placed
in conspicuous areas to inform people about a product in the
hopes that they purchase it. This leads to increased spending on
the part of the consumer, and eventually commodity accumulation.
False needs also play a role in consumer accumulation
by transforming wants into needs thatthe consumer believes
they must have in order to survive. This type of encouraged
accumulation is often the reason for various gadgets in the
home; cell phones are rarely necessary but marketing tools have
led society to believe they are imperative to survival in society.
Planned obsolescence is an example of a more complex
tool; it may encourage repeat purchases due to structural flaws
but also due to small aesthetic changes. This encourages higher
levels of purchasing which may lead to accumulation if prior
items are not discarded. Consumer behaviours of accumulation
are inherent in a system that encourages constant acquiring of
goods. The connection between high levels of acquisition and
high levels of accumulation is not always clear however; it relies
on ideologies of discard.
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