Changes in levels of Consumption

Industrialization through science and improved methods of production and communication has made available a tremendous stock of goods from which people may choose in order to satisfy their wants. The active and potential wants of individuals are constantly changing as they are confronted with this wide variety of choices. Thus the level of consumption or manner of living constantly changes.

Level of consumption is not synonymous with standard of living, although it is its basis. A standard of living is a psychical fact. It is an attitude toward, a way of regarding, or of judging, a given mode of living. It is a subjective view of certain objective facts. The manner or level of consumption comprises these objective facts.
The standard of living is the satisfaction which is considered essential by an individual or a group. Such satisfactions make up an organic whole. It differs from a scale or way of living, which is merely the goods and services actually consumed; the dozens of eggs, the pairs of shoes etc. Scale or plane of living is the materially measurable form of the standards.
The level of consumption, or the content of the inventory of commodities used by the majority of families today, has increased and improved, largely because mass production had made more goods available for all. The standard, along with the level of consumption for a person has improved throughout the history of mankind.
Advertising is the method devised by industry to acquaint consumers with products. It has potent effect upon the level of consumption. Radio and television advertising, which reaches into practically every home, attempts to persuade the consumer to buy some article, or to change from one to another, or to change the brand. The advertiser has recognised the high place prestige and personal appeal hold for the individual and makes definite and constant appeal to emotional evaluation and personal gratification.
Hence advertising has accelerated the movement for change in the content of the family’s inventory, and, together with constantly increasing and rapidly changing stocks of commodities, has made intelligent buying ever more difficult for the family.

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