It is human nature for people to desire material possessions. Our material aspirations are an attempt to satisfy our particular and desired needs. In a world where most of society defines "socially acceptable" as the material things one owns, such as the newest clothes, the biggest house, or the fastest car, we come to believe that All these things must be considered as an integral part. of society. For many, work took precedence over community life and had a major effect on happiness. Advertising has also become a major determinant of our satisfaction and is only a small part of a larger materialistic culture in which we are not only attracted customers, but also leading consumers. We have been led to believe that material possessions will bring satisfaction and happiness. We imagine ourselves to be more than what we are and in this we see how powerful images are. As a teenager, I fell victim to the web of deception and lies woven by the stereotypical belief that we must buy the latest fashion or the best technological devices. I put a lot of effort into my appearance and my material possessions. I watch and look at the ads and the images in them wishing I had or could afford what they were selling. I realized that I am a very materialistic person and I buy expensive phones, cars and clothes to appear better than others who don't have what I have. For example, I wanted a new cell phone that would cost well over four hundred dollars. So I found a second job just to afford it. Another example was when I bought my new car. It's a 2006 Phantom. I now work three jobs just to pay the car note, insurance, gas and general maintenance on the car. This only goes to middle of paper......material possessions define one's status in society. If we, as a nation, stop adhering to consumerist ideals and start facing the fact that material possessions do little to improve our position in society, in fact, they often diminish our position due to debt overwhelming that we accumulate while trying to afford this malignant appearance. It is because of advertisers and our commercialized society that this country has such high poverty rates and other social problems. If we want change, it has to start with us. It’s like Gandhi said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” » Works Cited Davis, Francis J. “The power of images: creating the myths of our time.” » Media and Values ​​57 (1992): Rpt. The composition of daily life. John Mauk, John Metz. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2007. 215-18. Gandhi, Mahatma. CitationDB. 2005. April 13 2008 .