Consumerism and It’s Irreversible Consequences:

Hording syndrome/Diderot Effect, Long-lasting Depression, etc.

Consumerism is a system to encourage /ɪnˈkʌr.ɪdʒ/ people to buy more and throw

/θrəʊ/ away their old stuff more often so the producers can make a killing. After

manufacturers /ˌmæn.jəˈfæk.tʃər.ərs/ started to produce more goods people began to throw

away their as old as the hills things to replace with the new ones.
At the core of consumerism there is an active competition for revenues /ˈrev.ən.juːs/.

Businesses must provide the best possible product or service to consumers. /kəmˈpet.ɪ.tər/

That trend forces companies to look at the specific reasons why people purchase (пеечес)

items, thus allowing them to create goods or services which meet specific needs.
First of all, critics of consumerism often point out that consumerist societies  /sə
ˈsaɪ.ə.ti/ are more prone /prəʊn/ to damage the environment, contribute to global warming

and use up resources  /rɪˈzɔːs/ at a higher rate than other societies /səˈsaɪ.ə.ti/.
By and large, the effect  /ɪˈfekt/ on the environment is truly damaging. People
carry on the planet’s depletion /dɪˈpli·ʃən/ to cultivate wealth and satisfy their
immediate /ɪˈmiː.di.ət/ desires. Increasing  /ɪnˈkriːsing/ demand /dɪˈmɑːnd/ for goods puts
extensive pressure on natural resources such as water and raw materials. Consumerism
results in the excessive /ɪkˈses·ɪv/ use of energy and encourages the use of chemicals
/ˈkem.ɪ.kəl/ which are known to degrade  /dɪˈɡreɪd/ the environment. In a nutshell,
consumerism does more harm than good to the environment.
Secondly, increasing consumerism tends to shift societies /səˈsaɪ.ə.ti/ away from
significant values. Instead, there is a strong focus on materialism and competition.
People tend to buy goods and services they don’t need. For instance, in hoarding /ˈhɔː.dɪŋ/

disorder, people persistently have such difficulty in parting with possessions that
accumulate and clutter /ˈklʌt.ər/ living areas enough to make them unusable. Furthermore,
there are infinite /ˈɪn.fɪ.nət/ reasons or excuses we purchase /ˈpɜː.tʃəs/ more stuff than we
need. For instance, when people are upset they prefer shopping therapy /ˈθer.ə.pi/.Some

motivations are forced onto society – peer pressure and keeping up with John Doe /ˌdʒɒn
Consumerism and It’s Irreversible Consequences: 1
ˈdəʊ/. Besides, the Diderot Effect is one interesting phenomenon /fəˈnɒm.ɪ.nən/. It means
that the purchase of one new item more or less leads /liːd/ to the purchase of another.
Lastly, consumerism increases debt levels which results in mental health problems like
stress and long-lasting depression.
To summarize, consumerism has its pros and cons. Although it drives economic
growth and boosts innovation, it comes with a fair share of problems ranging from
environmental and moral degradation /ˌdeɡ.rəˈdeɪ.ʃən/ to higher debt levels and mental
health problems. Since we are already in a consumerist society it is advisable /ədˈvaɪ.zə.bəl/

to strike a healthy balance, as the ball is in our court. A person’s love for the finer
things in life should not come at the expense  /ɪkˈspens/ of his or her mental health and
financial /faiˈnæn·ʃəl/ stability.

1. make a killing to earn a lot of money in a short time and with little effort

2. as old as the hills.
3. which meet specific needs to do something that someone wants, needs, or expects you to
do or be as good as they need, expect etc
4. By and large (в цілому),
5. . In a nutshell very briefly, giving only the main points:
6. shopping therapy
7. with John Doe
8. more or less
9. pros and cons
10. , as the ball is in our court.( черга приймати рішення) he responsibility of taking
action lying with someone Source: theidioms.com

Words: 552
Idioms: 10

Consumerism and It’s Irreversible Consequences: 2