THE CONSUMERISM ISSUES OF THE NATIVE COMMUNITIES OF SABAH

Abstract

Native communities are still lagging behind in many aspects of life. Their quality of life is still low as compared to other communities in Malaysia. Native life and the quality of life of the minority community who are not satisfied is why people are increasingly marginalized and oppressed by various challenges. Due to the existence of contacts with the outside community or other communities, native communities have experienced change in social interaction, trust, physical and their lifestyle. Native culture has accepted to include the culture of consumerism. In the context of native communities, they are also not excluded from participating in the mainstream of consumerism services and purchase of goods over time. The development has an impact on spending patterns and consumption in the purchase and service (Seiders et al., 2006).
Consumerism in native communities provides an understanding of the cultural dynamics that underlie consumer behavior. Moreover, consumerism is a concept used to describe a situation when a person’s joy is associated with the purchase and ownership of goods and services (Ma'rof & Sarjit, 2008). Men buy what he wanted to buy and justifications provided include "anything that bears consideration, trends, considered or decided to buy" (Sherry, 1986).