My brief thoughts on consumerism

Yesterday in class we discussed consumerism and the impacts it has on the IT realm. With instantaneous transactions made over the internet and the digital processing of credit cards, we are in an era where consumers can be consumers at lightning speed. What this means to me as an individual, especially as a computer savvy individual,  is that I am very much vulnerable to the trappings of consumerism that the industry has constructed. I don't have a credit card, but I have a substantial amount of debt. I feel that if I got a credit card, I'd become their slave.