Economic materialism

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This article addresses materialism in the economic sense of the word. For information on the philosophical and scientific meanings, see materialism.

Materialism refers to how a person or group chooses to spend their resources, particularly money and time. Literally, a materialist is a person for whom collecting material goods is an important priority. In common use, the word more specifically refers to a person who primarily pursues wealth and luxury. Sometimes such a person displays conspicuous consumption.

Many believe that a "considered" and "realistic" form of materialism leads to economic behaviors supporting a sustainable community. For example, recycling, thrift shops, garage sales, and the like are materialistic in that they show respect for real resources, rather than just throwing them out.

Opposition to economic materialism comes from two sources, religion and social activism. Many religions oppose materialism because of the belief that it interferes with spirituality and the divine, or that it leads to an immoral lifestyle. Some social activists believe that materialism is often a source of societal ills such as war, crime, poverty, oppression and genocide. A main concern is that materialism is unable to offer a proper raison d'être for human existence.

“Young people see artifacts as providing a means of expressing individual and group identities” (Taylor, 2000, 3).

“They are the ones most susceptible to advertising and promotion and most interested in new products” (Goldberg, 2003, 285). (See novelty and neophilia.)