ABSTRACT
In The Consumer Society (1998 [1970]) French social theorist Jean Baudrillard compared the fi eld of consumption to “a jungle in which the new wild man of modern times has diffi culty recovering the refl exes of civilization” (Baudrillard 1998 [1970]: 25). By comparing the fi eld of consumption with life in a jungle, Baudrillard points towards one of the major contradictions of the consumer society. This type of society generates a wealth of commodities, facilities, services and experiences designed to satisfy our seemingly endless needs. At the same time, this array of options raises the question of how to digest, manage and control this overwhelming wealth of opportunities.
