Hegemonic+Backdrop+-SP


 * Hegemonic Backdrop**

__Consumerism__ The ideas of materialism have become widely accepted in society and it seems as though a vast majority of us are stuck within a way of thinking where we play a game of acquisition and consumption. The idea that we are all brainwashed by advertising and media then comes about but it seems to be a choice on an individual level. No one suspects that we may ever break these trends without something horrible happening first that makes wasteful consumerism an impossible practice to continue. It has become a global first world way of life and the essence of status and perceived to be a higher standard of living.

__Scarcity__ The assumption of scarcity. (Frances Moore Lappe’s idea of lacking and her thought traps) It is becoming widely discussed and assumed that we live on a planet with finite resources and we have a culture living the illusion of endless growth. We seemed to be quite reactionary with global issues regarding global resource management and never predictive. Abundance is the opposite to scarcity and many believe that abundance is entirely achievable with the advancement of tools and technologies that enable improved access to resourced perceived to be scarce and therefore more valuable, much like the diamond market.

__Growth__ Many assume that we can continue to expand in so many areas but it is becoming evident that growth past various thresholds that chart into realms instigating harmful unintended consequences are soon to be inevitable unless concrete guidelines are put in place for optimized paths forward. This is to say that growth for the sake of growth is unsustainable but growth to improve and progress toward better is the continuous goal.

__Miniaturization__ This is a continuing trend toward smaller and smaller products and computing space riding alongside Moore’s law. Perhaps more computing power in less space is good but this has physical limit and smaller isn’t always better once usability and performance is compromised. It could be argued as the reason against the practicality of modularization.

__Profit Incentive__ This is the idea that companies are primarily incentivized by monetary gain and are more likely to prioritize profit over customer benefit. Related to this is the assumption of the profitability of repeat purchasing. This is what motivated companies to embrace a business model that incorporates planned obsolescence. Capitalism and free market is seen by the majority as the best economic system. The American Dream and right to the pursuit of happiness is seen by many as the accumulation of wealth on an individual level and this leads to an endless cycle of profit driven business and consumerism.

__Green Business__ Many take to products that claim to be sustainably produced and often justify purchases based on these green virtues. Green washing is rampant in countless markets and the meaning of true sustainability has been lost. Green marketing is commonly pursued by companies after only miniscule changes toward greener products. Many fail to see the often more profitable strategies of entirely sustainable C2C products.

__Public Awareness__ In an age of social media and instant global communication networks, public awareness isn’t a huge problem and people often assume that if just more people know about a particular problem, it will soon be addressed. These problems however, often don’t visibly affect people directly and so it is less personal to them and they are less likely to take action after awareness. People can be educated to no end on the evils of or consumerism that is destroying the planet but it seems nothing will be done until there is no other choice but to change. Culture evolution may then only shift in the positive direction when simple existence is threatened and the consequences outweigh the financial costs.