How would the world be different if it were less consumer driven?

Question

The world today is largely driven by consumers. A company that is doing great, employing large numbers of people, making a great product or providing a great service and giving back to the community in a large way will go under if people don't like the product or service. People rate the success of their life by how much they own, they have a poor and incomplete life if they have little but they would have a better life if they had some more stuff, even if they have a great family and friends to support them. Even elections these days are won and lost largely by the state and status of the economy and how much money it puts into people back pocket instead of issues affecting other aspects of life.

So my question is, what would the world look like and how would it differ, both in economics and in social aspects as well, if the world we live in were less driven by economics, consumers and money?

Please explain your answers, focusing on the social aspects, changes and differences please.

Thanks.

Answer 1

The consumer driven economy is the result of overemphasis on materialism...... more and more is considered better and better..... there is too much stress on quantity that inevitably makes quality suffer. Materialism also produces short term approach..... wanting more and more means one is impatient and impatience is the prime cause for us willingly sacrificing the long term for the sake of short term gains. These factors further bring competition instead of cooperation.

I believe that with the shifting away of focus from materialism (thereby from quantity mongering, from trade-off of future and from competition) would bring human values once again into prominence.... and greater cooperation would ensure greater collective wellbeing..... overall the quality of life would improve individually as well as collectively. In my view, it is a wrong notion that competition improves efficiency.... it just forces the minimum efficiency required for survival.... as opposed to that, a quality orientation, long-term approach, human values and cooperation would inculcate maximum efficiency in an unforced and willing manner. We would create better assets with better distribution amongst people. More importantly, we shall have a highly secure environment with risks minimized as well as tackled collectively for benefiting all rather than a few chosen elite in the society.

I am not talking of socialism or communism, which too are forced on people.... I am talking of human values through shifting away of the focus from materialism... the cooperation and collective wellbeing in here would be coming spontaneously rather than being forced by any economic or political system.

If all this sounds idealistic, I couldn't help it because I wanted to ensure that the true direction in which the world could move can be discerned clearly in full contrast.

Answer 2

In a world without money or drive of economy there would be no point in creating new things. People would fall into a barter society. Which would slow the way of trade and could cause great trouble. Many people would revert to hunter gathering society to be able to live. This could create even more hunger problems and troubles. How would the job world be driven? If you can't work for money than what would be the point of working? If we had a communist society no one would want to just be the norm. People have dreams and ambitions that need to be followed. Everyone would still not be happy. Everyone can never be happy, people will always try to one up and make others inferior, such is the nature of man.

Answer 3

Im sure we will find another problem to blame if money was not a big deal in todays society. Other forms of government will arise.. maybe one where we work together to achieve a common goal and not independent goals. Maybe we can learn a thing or two from how ants live. Everyone has their own role.. everyone just as important as the other for the whole community to survive. Not leaving their fellow ants to die from hunger alone while the rest live the life of a celebrity.

I guess we have something ants dont have.. and thats selfishness.

Answer 4

Of course the ecology would be cleaner.