Before & After

Before

Up until the early 1920's people had the natural inclination to buy goods and services that they needed, the idea of "wanting" something that wasn't "needed" was a foreign concept in those days. People didn't browse shops just looking for things to buy, they went shopping when they needed something. There was no stock piling or buying something that wasn't essential, people were frugal and were very careful about what needed to be purchased now and what could wait.

Eddie Bernays, the "Father of Public Relations", who devised and developed many techniques for influencing public opinion, and was the first to use psychological techniques in advertising, changed all that and orchestrated the commercialization of a culture. Corporations armed with their enormous mass production capabilities, embraced his methods and the dawn of modern consumerism was upon us.

Today we know no different. Shopping is revered by many and there seems to be no shame in the mindless over-consumption of products. People proudly display "Born to shop" bumper stickers, and the act of "shopping" is seen as a pleasurable activity for many, right up there with going to a movie, going out for dinner, or watching the game.

For many there is rarely a conscious and thoughtful decision to determine whether they have a specific need for a product or not, it is an impulse purchase and the decision is based on superficial criteria like "do my friends have this?", or "does it make me look wealthy?", or "I wouldn't be seen dead with the old version now the new version is available".

After

There is no concept of "shopping" in Nutopia. There is no money, so no land, property, or goods can be "purchased" and owned. Instead, all land, property, and goods are "shared" by all citizens. The Guardian System manages all resources and all manufactured goods and services in Nutopia to make sure that goods and services are shared fairly between citizens. The Central Sharing Facility houses all manufactured items and they are dispatched and returned as needed.