Consumer capitalism dominates our economy, our politics, and our culture, even though a growing body of research suggests it may be well past its sell-by date. This talk discusses how consumer capitalism has become economically and environmentally unsustainable, and how our cultural and information industries make it difficult to envision other forms of human progress by limiting critical thinking and keeping us locked in a cycle of consumption. Lewis further argues that change will only be possible if we take culture seriously and transform the very way we organize our media and communications systems.
Justin Lewis is Professor of Communication at Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies. He has written widely about media, culture and politics. His latest book is Beyond Consumer Capitalism: Media and the Limits to Imagination (Polity, 2013). He has also written books on media audiences, cultural policy and media and race.