Consumer Culture

An Other Kingdom takes us out of a culture of addictive consumption into a place where life is ours to create together. This way depends upon a neighborly covenant—an agreement that we together, will better raise our children, be healthy, be connected, be safe, and provide a livelihood. The authors invite you on a journey of departure from our consumer market culture. Discover an alternative set of beliefs that have the capacity to evoke a culture where poverty, violence, and shrinking well-being are not inevitable.

In this signal work of history, Bancroft Prize winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist Lizabeth Cohen shows how the pursuit of prosperity after World War II fueled our pervasive consumer mentality and transformed American life. Trumpeted as a means to promote the general welfare, mass consumption quickly outgrew its economic objectives and became synonymous with patriotism, social equality, and the American Dream.

Unlock the hidden mechanisms that shape your choices, desires, and perceptions. Influence by Design: How Advertising Shapes Consumer Behavior and Thought takes you inside the unseen architecture of persuasion that defines modern consumer culture. This book reveals how advertising manipulates psychology, identity, and society—not through overt force, but through subtle techniques that feel natural, effortless, and even empowering. Drawing from theories in psychology, sociology, linguistics, and cultural studies, this work explores how attention is captured, how emotions are triggered, and ...

An illuminating look at the way the thoughts we have and the decisions we make are influenced by forces that aren't always in our control Why are people named Kim, Kelly, and Ken more likely to donate to Hurricane Katrina victims than to Hurricane Rita victims? Are you really more likely to...

From “one of the great (greatest?) contemporary popular writers on economics” (Tyler Cowen) comes a smart, lively, and encouraging rethinking of how to use statistics. Today we think statistics are the enemy, numbers used to mislead and confuse us. That’s a mistake, Tim Harford says in The...

Few works of political and cultural theory have been as enduringly provocative as Guy Debord's Society of the Spectacle. From its publication amid the social upheavals of the 1960s to the present, the volatile theses of this work have decisively transformed debates on the shape of modernity...

In the tradition of bestselling classics such as Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed and Benjamin Lorr’s The Secret Life of Groceries comes a character-driven exploration of the modern supermarket, unpacking what works and what doesn’t, and delivering a blueprint for a better way to shop...

In the market for a home, but don't know where to start? Not to worry! From financing, mortgages, and credit scores to closing the deal, bestselling real estate authors Eric Tyson and Ray Brown walk you step by step through the entire home-buying process. Discover how to: Harness the Internet to...

The only user-friendly beginner’s guide to Six Sigma Six Sigma is the most common—and perhaps least understood—methodology for streamlining processes in manufacturing, service delivery, management, and almost any other business activity. For business leaders seeking increased efficiency...

With updated information on new types of loans From adjustable-rate mortgages to balloon loans, this friendly, easy-to-understand guide helps you find your way through the home-financing jungle. Bestselling real estate authors Eric Tyson and Ray Brown cover everything you need to know about the...

In a vastly overpopulated near-future world, businesses have taken the place of governments and now hold all political power. States exist merely to ensure the survival of huge transnational corporations. Advertising has become hugely aggressive and boasts some of the world's most powerful...

Persuading other people to say ""yes"" is an essential skill in life—whether you're selling a product, an idea, or yourself. Packed with tried-and-true tips and real-life examples, this revised edition walks you step by step through the fundamentals of successful selling, with an emphasis on...

Culture transformation expert Siobhan McHale defines culture simply: “It’s how things work around here.” The secret to the success or failure of any business boils down to its culture. From disengaged employees to underserved customers, business failures invariably stem from a culture...

One of Porchlight's Business Books of the Year | One of Vox's Best Books of 2023 | An NPR Book of the Day | Required Reading from New York Post | One of Nylon's 13 May Books to Add to Your Reading List | One of PureWow's 14 Books to Read for AAPI Heritage Month | One of W Magazine's 14 Books to...

Britain thinks it runs on tea. Coffee tells a much stranger story. For four centuries, an ordinary cup has been quietly turning up wherever British life was changing. When coffee first arrived in England, it was so strange that sellers had to explain what it was and persuade people why they might possibly want to drink it. Before long, coffee houses were buzzing with news, politics, argument and business. The government worried about what people were saying inside them, merchants used them to exchange information, and one coffee-house keeper called Edward Lloyd gave his name to an ...

From the bestselling author of Buyology comes a shocking insider’s look at how today’s global giants conspire to obscure the truth and manipulate our minds, all in service of persuading us to buy. Marketing visionary Martin Lindstrom has been on the front lines of the branding wars for over...

In history class, we’ve been taught that the Great Depression was all about crashing stock markets, snaking breadlines, and ecological disasters. We learned that FDR tried to put it right with the New Deal, but it was only World War II that finally succeeded in revitalizing the American economy. But that’s not the whole story.

AMERICAN POP: ICONS — Disneyland: Building the American Dream Machine From the opening day chaos of “Dateline: Disneyland” to the timeless lure of Main Street, U.S.A., Disneyland and the Architecture of American Fantasy explores how Walt Disney’s theme park reshaped American culture—not just how we play, but how we shop, remember, dream, and believe. This rich cultural history reveals Disneyland as both a beloved destination and a blueprint for the modern American experience: a space where nostalgia is curated, identity is performed, and entertainment becomes infrastructure. ...

For decades, late-night television promised sharper knives, flatter stomachs, cleaner kitchens, younger skin, effortless fitness, and products you never knew you needed until a pitchman told you otherwise. But were all those “As Seen on TV” products really useless? But Wait, There’s More: A History of Useless Infomercials goes behind the demonstrations, catchphrases, celebrity endorsements, toll-free numbers, and impossible-looking before-and-after shots to uncover the real history of American direct-response television. From the live salesmanship that shaped Ron Popeil’s career and...

The Mobile Wave argues that the changes brought by mobile computing are so big and widespread that it’s impossible for us to see it all, even though we are all immersed in it. Saylor explains that the current generation of mobile smart phones and tablet computers has set the stage to become the universal computing platform for the world. In the hands of billions of people and accessible anywhere and anytime, mobile computers are poised to become an appendage of the human being and an essential tool for modern life.