A consumer society is one in which the purchase and consumption of goods and services (including for leisure and entertainment) is a central, or even the most important feature. It contrasts with an industrial society in which work and the production of goods are the most important features of social life. The postmodernist Jean Baudrillard and also Zygmunt Bauman both discussed the move towards a consumer society.
The idea of consumer society suggests that the identity of individuals increasingly comes from what they choose to consume (what products and services they buy, the brands they prefer and what leisure activities they pursue) rather than social characteristics such as class or ethnicity. It suggests that identities are increasingly fluid and can be chosen rather than limited by birth and background. It can therefore be used to suggest that lifestyle choice is now more important than inequality in shaping people’s lives.
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