What is most valued in modern day society?
What does an American civilian think is more important; being their own person or fitting in with everyone else? It seems as if the modern day American residents want to fit into a criteria that “everybody else is doing it” you can tell based on the products they purchase, or the actions they take. We can tell Americans care about conformity more than being their own person because of the present day products. 7% percent f teenagers already have an ‘phone while 62% percent of teenagers say they are going to purchase an Apple ‘phone for their next phone. 51% said they already owned an apple product such as an pod, pad, or Mac. (philanderer. Com) If 47% of teens own an ‘phone that only leaves 53% to the other smartness. More people have an ‘phone than any other smartened. This is a perfect example of conformity in America, everyone wants the latest and greatest. Products do not stop at electronics, brand name clothing and accessories.
Many of these products are Just as ell made as other non-brand name products but because of the label on the merchandise not only does the demand go up, but so does the price because there is knowledge that the brand name will bring in more customers. Products are not the only thing that proves that modern day Americans care more about conformity more than being an individual based on their actions. People in this country will change almost anything about themselves to “fit in” from their hair, their make up, their clothing to what they put into their bodies. Tobacco usage, for instance.
Young people are more likely to smoke tobacco if their peers smoke or if they see tobacco usage as a social normality. “Each day in the United States, more than 3,200 people younger than 18 years of age smoke their first cigarette, and an estimated 2,100 youth and young adults who have been occasional smokers become daily cigarette smokers” (Youth and Tobacco Use) If there was no social influence on tobacco then why would people start smoking it? With all the knowledge we know today about how armful tobacco is to a person’s body, why would someone go out of their way to spend money on cigarettes?
Tobacco is a perfect example of conformity being valued more than individuality. All in all the products purchased and the actions taken by present day Americans clearly show that Americans value conformity more than individuality. Conformity is not always a bad thing, sometimes a person might enjoy fitting in’ somewhere or feeling like they belong. It can be difficult sometimes to be an individual when it feels like the whole world has another idea of how things should be.
