I explore our consumer society, looking at the history, philosophy, psychology, and sociology of what consumerism really means. Is it a useful concept? Where did it appear from? Are there alternatives? How is the desire that drives consumption manufactured? Are we shallow? Is there any possibility of ethical consumption? To help answer some of these questions I draw from thinkers including Jean Baudrillard, Fredric Jameson, and David Harvey. Chapters: 0:00 – Our Consumer Society 4:43 – A History of Stuff 14:46 – Shopping for Definitions of Consumerism 17:33 – Let Me Be Your Fantasy (The Production of Desire) 25:52 – Copy Cats (Social Mimicry) 31:50 – Shopping for the Problem 43:49 – Real or Hyperreal? (Jean Baudrillard) 54:56 – Fredric Jameson’s Depthlessness 58:23 – David Harvey’s Postmodern Production 1:03:34 – Are We Shallow? 1:11:10 – Ethical Consumption & it’s Problems Then & Now is FAN-FUNDED! Support me on Patreon and pledge as little as $1 per video: http://patreon.com/user?u=3517018 Or send me a one-off tip of any amount and help me make more videos: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=JJ76W4CZ2A8J2 Follow me on: Facebook: http://fb.me/thethenandnow Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thethenandnow/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lewlewwaller Subscribe to the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/then-now-philosophy-history-politics/id1499254204 https://open.spotify.com/show/1Khac2ih0UYUtuIJEWL47z Sources: https://www.patreon.com/posts/67431892