Conspicuous
Origin
Latin conspicuus visible, conspicuous, equiv. to conspic
Definitions
- 1. easily seen or noticed; readily visible or observable: a conspicuous error.
- 2. attracting special attention, as by outstanding qualities or eccentricities: He was conspicuous by his booming laughter.
Sample
He was conspicuous by his absence.
Synonyms
- manifest, noticeable, clear, marked, salient, prominent, striking, noteworthy.
Description
Conspicuous consumption is a term used to describe the lavish spending on goods and services acquired mainly for the purpose of displaying income or wealth. In the mind of a conspicuous consumer, such display serves as a means of attaining or maintaining social status. A very similar but more colloquial term is "keeping up with the Joneses". Invidious consumption, a more specialized term, refers to consumption deliberately intended to cause envy.
Conspicuous consumption is one explanation for the mechanics of consumer societies, and the massive growth of goods and services considered necessary by people living in developed economies. Other explanations for consumerism can be found in the work of cultural theorist Jean Baudrillard and evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller. Concepts central to cultural studies such as postmodernism and discussions around taste offer alternative views, whilst the ideas of sociologist Pierre Bourdieu provide a differing if complementary explanation.
Some theorists posit that 'conspicuous consumption' was the main reason for consumer behaviour in the time period that Veblen coined the phrase, but in intervening years other motivations have become a better explanation of peoples consumption activity; for example consumption as a method of displaying social identity, or the prevalence of advertising]. (see Structural functionalism)
See also
- Human Resources, an excellent documentary film about the mechanization of human behavior
