Describing Consumer Society

Essay plan

Consumer society gives us choice.   Discuss this claim

Introduction

Describe what consumer society is and what it means

Main body of the essay

Paragraph 2

Outline Bauman's argument using his set of concepts - 'the seduced' and 'the repressed' - and show how they help to organise and structure the following claims.

Claims:

    • Divisions in a consumer society are determined by access to consumption and the ability to use consumption to shape one's identity
    • Membership and belonging in a consumer society is defined by the ability to spend, by car ownership and mobility
    • Exclusion from consumer society is defined by the inability to consume effectively and a lack of belonging

Paragraph 3

Present the evidence to support Bauman's argument.

Evidence:

    • Peter Jackson's study of retail parks

NB: Do I need more evidence here? One piece of evidence to support these claims doesn't seem to be enough. Perhaps I need to support these claims with some examples of who the seduced and repressed might be?

Paragraph 4

Outline the argument that supermarkets produce a divided society. Note the two sides of the argument here using the two claims below and use the concepts 'zero-sum power' and 'positive-sum power' to explain these two positions.

Claims:

    • Large supermarkets abuse their dominant position in the market at the expense of consumers, local shops and vulnerable workers
    • Large supermarkets use their dominant position to provide choice to consumers and benefits to workers and the wider community

Paragraph 5

Use the evidence below to support the two opposing claims.

Evidence:

    • Partick/Linwood examples
    • statistics detailing the supermarkets' market share
    • statistics from the Federation of Small Businesses

NB: Is there too much evidence here? One piece of evidence per claim is probably sufficient?

Conclusion

Paragraph 6

Pull the argument together by...