"Mass advertising, first developed in the late nineteenth century, grew into a huge enterprise essential to the success of the mass-production/mass-consumption economy. Popular new weekday radio programs, for example, were often sponsored by national companies trying to sell laundry detergent and hand soap—hence the term “soap operas.”" - Shi and Tindall
The video above explains how consumerism, which had been a growing concept since the late 19th century, assumed a prominent role in American society in the 1920s in correlation to the changes in perception and identity of the American people.
The rise of consumer culture can be attributed to many of the economic and social changes occurring in this period of time. At this point in time, the economy of the United States had started to become heavily reliant on carefree shoppers to keep factory production up and running. The consumption of these produced goods became what could be called a national obsession. This sudden spike in consumer culture was also led by the massive economic changes America had gone through during the World War. American historian Joshua Zeitz explains, "Between 1921 and 1924 the country’s gross national product jumped from $69 billion to $93 billion while aggregate wages rose from roughly $36.4 billion to $51.5 billion. The United States had entered World War I a debtor nation and emerged as Europe’s largest creditor, to the tune of $12.5 billion. From a relative standpoint, America was rich, and it showed." Social changes and the race for wealth also became a strong influence in the consumer culture of the 1920s. Joshua Zeitz states again, "Americans were also able to buy vast quantities of mass-produced glassware, jewelry, clothing, household items, and durable goods, which blurred the distinctions between rich and poor."