The Consumer Response: Combining Hopefulness with Hopelessness

Abstract

The preceding discussion provided context for this chapter by profiling the current political and economic landscape. Recently, President Obama described the effect of the tanking economy on ordinary Americans as: “Lost jobs and lost careers. Promising businesses in a shambles. The college acceptance letter returned to its envelope” (Gellene 2009). Against this backdrop, I now want to further examine the response of consumers, question whether changes to consumers’ behavior are likely to be permanent, and conclude by offering suggestions as to how consumers can become more empowered. I will continue my discussion on consumer empowerment in Chapter 4 when I introduce social media as one method for giving a voice back to the people.