Materialism in America is not something new, rather it is something that has been a part of American society for some time now. Materialism is defined as the valuing of material possessions and physical well-being over spiritual values. In today's society we have hundreds if not thousands of examples of people obsessed with material things. Most Americans believe that purchasing will bring fulfillment, happiness, higher social standing, and connections with others. In short, the more you have, the better you are as a person. This is the current state of American society full of consumers who want to buy more and more even when they have no money to spend. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Technology is constantly improving, getting better but also becoming more and more expensive. Apple and Samsung are American companies that focus on the sale, design and development of electronic products. Both of these companies are considered industry giants and produce a variety of products such as phones, computers, and smartwatches. Apple, known for its iconic iPhone, has launched its new iPhone 11 starting at $1,200 in the United States. Samsung is also launching its new Galaxy Note Plus phone with a starting price of $1,000. These price points are the highest the overall smartphone market has ever seen. Yet these companies have no problem selling their products to thousands of Americans. Jefferson Graham says the iPhone set a new sales record in 2017, surpassing the previous year by 211 million phones. Jefferson also states that although iPhones are the most popular in 2017, looking at the list of best-selling tech items of 2017, it's easy to see the dominance these brands have. With the Galaxy smartphone in second place and the Apple Watch in fourth place. Buying the latest phone, computer or smartwatch can sometimes make people feel satisfied or believe they have a higher status until, of course, a new model comes out. This demonstrates the materialism in American society. Americans also spend thousands of dollars on housing. You could argue that it's because Americans want comfort and they want a sense of relief. This, however, is starting to change as Americans spend more and more on housing costs. Typical American home expenses might be limited to rent, utility bills, and insurance. This has started to change with expensive furniture and appliances becoming a must in a home. Items like high-speed Internet, bigger and better plasma screen televisions, touch screen refrigerators, just to name a few, add to the expenses Americans incur for their homes. American society will make you feel like you have failed if you don't have a big house with all the necessities, forcing people to force themselves to buy and buy. Hoping this gives them a sense of fulfillment that won't last long because simply purchasing doesn't give such a long-lasting sense of fulfillment. The fashion industry continues to grow with people spending large sums of money on clothes. Once again, this illustrates the materialism in American society. Brands like Nike, Adidas, Louis Vuitton and Gucci are some of the examples of American companies that earn millions of dollars every year from the sale of clothing. Having clothing from a well-known brand gives people a sense of privilege and belonging to a higher economic class because of the money spent on your clothes. Clothing is.