Consumerism and Mindless Consumption Sustaining the New Age Urban Indian’s Identity

Abstract

Consumerism as a phenomenon has most commonly been examined in terms of its collective effects, positive or negative, on an economy and its constituents. Few perspectives have incorporated the negative effects of consumerism on an individual. Managing the negative effects of consumerism in terms of identity conflicts is a key issue that has not received much attention in existing literature. This theoretical paper examines the impact of consumerism on the ‘New Age’ Urban Indian, who is conceptualized as an Indian adult enacting the role of a consumer; unconstrained by information availability, budget or supplier considerations for most consumption decisions. In this study, we examine the critical factors that contribute to a negative impact on consumer identity. Key factors impacting the ‘New Age’ Urban Indian’s identity are discussed and mechanisms suggested at business firm levels to sustain and arrest this damage.