Consumption as the Main Determing Factor of the Modern Society
The Japanese society entered “The Consumption Society” owing the consumption revolution in the '50's. From that revolution the Japanese society has changed every 10 years as the variation of the consumption society. '60's was high-mass-consumption society age. '70's was consumer's independence revolution from industries, and '80's is to be called as “Post-mass-consumption society” according to my analysis.There are three reasons why the logic of consumption became a ruling factor from '70's. First, the accumuration of “Consumer surplus” of intelligence and sensitivity. Second, “the variables of the social structure” seems to have lost its validity more than before. Third, the household is now the place where the lifestyle culture comes out and not the place where only labor power and lives are produced as defined by old economics. And I discuss some sociological hypothesises including Marx's.In the democratic society where the consumers freely and creatively express themselves through the act of consumpiton, it is necessary to determine the factors of social change in a new way. The society should now be regarded as having more flexibility.In my conclusion, today's mass-consumption society does not depend on production relationship (Marx's hypothesis) but on consumption relationship. And consumption as the under-system of the society affects much the upper-system ; social culture and consciousness.