In today's Western world there has been a major shift from a production-based society to a consumption-based society. Consumption has a very strong presence and can be a means through which people create their own identity. Today people can consume without leaving home and can be influenced to purchase by turning on the television or walking down the street surrounded by advertising. Below, I will outline some possible reasons for this shift and discuss the dangers facing people who create identities through consumption. The rise of consumer society takes place in all phases of capitalism since the beginning of capitalism (Paterson, 2005 p.13). There was a massive increase in consumption in post-war America which in turn increased consumption in Britain and then Europe, where there was a massive increase in both consumption and production, allowing even the lower class to participate in consumption ( Paterson 2005 p.31). The effects of increased consumption create increased production to meet consumer needs. After the 1950s (Paterson, 2005) young people were identified as the new target audience that drove the growth of marketing and brands. Reasons for the shift from a production-based society to a consumption-based society Mass media helps influence our consumption patterns through lifestyle concepts, advertising, and notions of consumer choice. It can be argued that by using signs and symbols the media can have the power to influence people with specific messages which can cause us to behave in a particular way influencing the way we consume (Morley, 2005). The media can use powerful tools of persuasion through branding and advertising that can stimulate consumers to imagine using a certain product or in a certain context...... focus of the paper ......arketing Research' Vol. 108, 139-140Morley. D, 2005, “Theories of Consumption in Media Studies,” in Miller. D, Recognizing consumption: a review of new studies, 2nd edition, Taylor and Francis e-Library, 2005 p. 294Paterson, M. 2005, 'You are what you buy: theories of consumption' in Paterson, M. Consumption and Everyday Life, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, London and New York p. 12Warde, A. 1994, 'Consumption, identity formation and uncertainty' in Warde, A., Sociology 1994, 28:877, Sage Publications pp. 877-898Woodward, I. 2011, “Consumption and lifestyles”, in J. Germov & M. Poole (eds.), Public Sociology: an introduction to Australian society, 2nd edition, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, pp. 152-156