Materialism and Consumerism Through Urban Social Lifestyle In The Context of Shopping Malls: Malaysian Perspective

摘要

This research is carried out to study the values and lifestyle and culture of the city dwellers through the principles of materialism and consumerism by giving more emphasize on the values of consumers as well as on the values which can be identified at the main shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur which in turn directly impacts the formation of social lifestyle at the city. A recent study places Malaysia at the fourth place whereby the people comes to shopping malls on a frequency of twice every week, roughly at the same level of the neighbouring countries like Singapore, Thailand, and Hong Kong, for the purpose of casual, entertainment, and leisure. Through the shopping malls, the social lifestyle culture expression of the current day could be identified and tracked. Basically, coming to the shopping malls for the purpose of shopping or recreation most often would create or stimulate a sense of taste which directly has created an identity and also at the same time has enhanced and developed a better way of living for the city dwellers. This research is carried out to identify and explain on how the culture of urban societies which is apparent in the environment of the shopping malls could directly impact the lifestyle of the city dwellers. Through the methods of field observations or observational research and descriptive analysis, this research it will look into how the shopping malls play its part in creating obsession, emotion, aspiration, as well as creating a system of belief within the community of city dwellers in the wake of developing a daily form of lifestyle. The function of shopping malls as the main contributor in the formation of a new perspective for the reinterpretation of an urban culture lifestyle, indirectly it helps in understanding in a broader term, the meaning of city community and it also to provide an overview of Malaysia shopping malls landscape and their social culture as a whole.