Watch This — The History of Consumerism in a Nutshell

For most of history, the overwhelming majority of people owned next to nothing. In modern-day America, it seems that people own too many things. In fact, Public Storage — the nation’s largest self-storage operator — reported revenues of $2.56 billion in 2016, according to SpareFoot.com.

That’s a lot of piled-up goods. How did we get here?

The School of Life organization has posted a video that helps explain the rise of consumerism. It shows how beginning in the early 18th century, developments in northwestern Europe — and particularly in Britain — kicked off the consumer culture that we know and love today.

Watch the video to learn more about the history of consumerism — and whether or not we can find a better blend of consumerism and high-minded values in the future.

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