Rising necessities: controversial transformation

The phenomenon of rising necessities is studied in the mechanism of the dialectical development of production and consumption and is represented as a set of interrelated aspects. This is an increase in the number of needs and consumption; distribution of needs in the broader circle of consumers; changed quality of needs; complication of the consumption method; changed forms of consumption; development of intellectual and social needs. The article shows that the process of rising necessities includes the complication of the consumption method, which leads to the formation of needs in services, and then to the emergence of social forms of consumption and services. It reveals the features and effects of this process: broad development of non-vital needs, emergence of quality and quantity hyper-consumption, demonstrative consumption and pursuit of brands; existence of antisocial needs that turns the rise in needs in its opposite; prevalence of consumer demand over income that results in “life on credit” of individuals and entire countries; unrestrained growth of needs, consumption and production respectively that give rise to unprecedented environmental pollution; hedonistic orientation of consumption, violation of dialectical connection of needs-abilities, crisis of culture and morality; formation of poly-needs that combine several components (material and non-material); accelerated development of needs in communication, entertainment and games...