Neoliberalism and the spiral of consumption: A Critical evaluation

Consumption is an action that all people are in a relationship with. Due to this relationship, consumption has become a subject of interest for almost all disciplines in the field of social sciences. At this point, theories put forward in the field of consumption, especially in sociological, economic and political terms, come to the fore. Another area that should be given importance is the change that consumption has undergone in the historical process. The subject on which there is almost a consensus in the literature is that consumption was only done based on need in the early periods. With the industrial revolution and the increase in production that occurred afterwards, there were also changes in the structure of consumption. After this period, consumption began to be carried out in order to gain status with its symbolic meaning. An interpretation that the semantic change of consumption occurred spontaneously would be meaningless. The increase in product experienced with mass production techniques in developed countries has paved the way for the semantic change of consumption. Since staying on the level of need-based consumption would mean that the increase in product would not be absorbed, the increase in consumption has been tried to be provided with political regulations and various tools. These regulations are classified under the title of "tools of the consumption spiral" in the study. After the neoliberal period, the amount of consumption has increased with consumer loans, credit cards, shopping malls and social media applications that have entered our lives in recent years. As in developed countries, political and economic changes after 1980 have also affected Turkey. Turkish society has been introduced to new consumption practices after this period. The increase in consumer loans, credit cards, shopping malls and social media usage that mediate consumption are shown in the study with the help of tables and figures. The triggering of consumption in Turkey has not occurred with the industrial production process as in developed countries, but with the increase in imported products.