Swimming with the current is much easier than swimming against the current. If people are not able to follow the trend, they will not belong to this time anymore. "Most of the time each of us is a member of a group, sometimes a member of several groups, and at different times of different groups" (Katona 55). Moreover, their feeling, thinking, and acting will be profoundly influenced when they are in a powerful group. Because the people surrounding them are chasing the fluctuating trend, they are forced to improve their standards of life in order to fit in with this complicated society.

Community college students like shopping because this is a way to alleviate depression and follow the trend. Due to their need for self-gratification, they will buy whatever they want to satisfy their goal to become a person with an individual image. Furthermore, community college students like to be innovators, so they can communicate with others with similar interests. Not only can they communicate with their peers, but they can also develop self-confidence in the buying process.

Community college students create their lives to match a "self-image" produced by the media.

Fox, Jeffrey. "Laptops faster and better than ever." Consumer Reports May 1999: 13

One of my friends, David, is a university student. We all know he is not a major in computers nor a professional in computer, but he is the only one who is always upgrading his computer. He is always talking about how powerful his computer is, how fast his computer can achieve, and what he just bought the last few days every time when we go out. In spite of the fact that he uses his computer just for chatting with his peers on the Internet and working with some simple schoolwork, we all found that he wants to impress us with his computer in order to enhance his self-image in our group.

Community college students will madly make a duplicate in a new image mold created by media, just as the new image becomes commonplace. Driving a brand new luxury car, purchasing with American Express credit card, and having a top model laptop computer are the cases of making an image. Also, there an innumerable number of other cases that follows as well. Perhaps, community college students may think making a self-image is a part of their life.

"Materialism." The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia.

For me, a community college student who has an American Express card can always feel superior to others. When I was eighteen years old, my dad said "my dear daughter, now you are already eighteen years old, and I know you have the ability to handle everything by yourself. So, I am going to get you an additional American Express card." I cannot tell how my dad delighted me when I heard he said that. It really made me feel I was better than anyone else was when I pulled my card out.

Today's community college students are materialists. In philosophy, materialism means "a widely held system of thought that explains the nature of the world as entirely dependent on matter, the final reality" (Materialism 1). Students will buy clothes and accessories based on frequent fashion changes and the power of the brand names. Students will look at an object by its value more than its actual purpose, and they may meet new friends by considering whether they are rich or not too.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Life Swimming, American Express, Mercedes Benz, Southern California, George Katona, community college, community college students, college students, Electronic Encyclopedia, Benz Students, Psychopathy Consumerism, american express, Express King, credit card, Boston Globe, high-limited credit card, express card, high-limited credit, american express card, luxury car, university southern, southern california, university southern california, using high-limited credit, using high-limited,
Approximate Word count = 1492
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)