ABSTRACT
Contemporary patterns of consumption are symbolic of the power and potential of global capitalism and marketing. Rapid economic growth-assumed to be vital to human existence-is tied inextricably to the production, consumption, and disposal of a variety of products and goods. Quality of life, social status, and even human relations and identities often presuppose a high and constant level of consumption. Critical forces behind contemporary consumption are national, multinational, and transnational corporations and their abilities to encourage a frenzy of buying and selling through highly creative and imaginative marketing and advertising practices (Villeneuve, 1995; Zuk & Dalton, 2003).
