TMJC_2023_H1 GP_P2_Insert

Tampines Meridian Junior College 2023 JC2 Preliminary Examination H1 General Paper This Insert consists of 2 printed pages. Stephie Plante discusses the rise of conscious consumerism but questions its effectiveness. 1 2 3 4 5 Boycotts are used worldwide. Tens of thousands of students in Hong Kong boycotted the first day of school to protest a proposed extradition bill . Globally, there were calls for football teams to boycott Qatar 2022. In both these instances, ordinary people have used boycotts as the easiest way to express their discontent about situations they have no control over. Beyond politics and sport, boycotting is also used by consumers to show their disapproval of a business and its practices – even though deep down they know that boycotting may not have any impact on what the business does. Regardless of its actual impact, this form of protest, also known as conscious consumerism, remains popular with consumers. Broadly speaking, conscious consumerism is defined as buying with the social, environmental, ecological and political impact of one’s purchase decision in mind. It is motivated by a desire to shop with a ‘clear conscience’ and thus involves buying or boycotting companies that align, or misalign, with one’s ethical values and beliefs. For instance, American consumers boycotted companies linked to former President Donald Trump as they condemned these corporations for indirectly endors ing policies they vehemently disagreed with . These policies ranged from the inhumane treatment and targeting of detained migrants, to Trump’s political inaction on climate change and his refusal to regulate guns despite unprecedented mass shootin gs. These consumers had turned outrage into action: a spreadsheet of companies linked to Trum p explained why those companies were on the list and what they needed to do to get off it. Such boycott demonstrates a more aggressive form of conscious consumerism, though other times, consumers prefer a less confrontational approach of supporting companies through buying their products. Between the two expressions of conscious consumerism, cal ls to boycott are a lot more visible on social media than rally cries to pledge brand support. Boycotts stem from anger , and anger spreads faster and further on social media than any other emotion. There are in fact many ongoing boycotts at any given time. Nonetheless, conscious consumerism in its milder form of brand support has become more prominent. More people are choosing to vote with their dollars by supporting companies that they perceive as ethical or socially just. People are starting to recognise that it is easier and more effective to support ethical brands than to boycott brands they consider unfair or unjust. Whatever the form, conscious consumerism has become increasingly popular because of our desire to red