But if we keep thinking like this, we'll alienate ourselves completely— and that's just what society wants. Here's the truth: consumer culture targets the single person, convincing us that there is no one in the world like us. The brand of moisturizer my grandma used to wear recently staged a comeback, targeting my demographic with a magazine ad that said, "It's all about YOU: log onto our website and tell us about your skin. We talk to you about what's best for it. It's that simple." On the next page, a computer ad featured a trendy, exotic-looking guy with hot new gadgets floating around his head, as if he were contemplating which one he wanted to play with first. Marketers want you to know that to them, YOU are unique. YOU are the master of your universe. YOU are part of the savviest generation of consumers in the most developed nation in history. Now click here to buy our product to stay even more in control of your life and conquer anything that's a threat to your own personal satisfaction.

Consumer culture wants us to stay solo and set in our ways because the longer we remain that way, the more frustrated we grow. The more frustrated we grow, the more we yearn. The more we yearn, the more we want; and the more we want, the more we buy. A famous clothing designer recently told a friend in private, "I don't sell clothes, I sell emotions." As lone consumers, we seek objects that give us the identity we want to portray to the outside: a flirty blouse, a luxury car, fruit juice with antioxidants in that really cute bottle, the new MP3 player smaller than a nostril that also donates money to charity with every download. Look how feminine, expensive, healthy, sleek, and socially concerned I am! Now let's just see what's happening on Bluefly today...

Alessandro Spaggiari is the CEO and president of Spal, Inc., an international company manufacturing parts for sports cars, cell phones, and surgical devices. He says for companies to fare successfully in the ever-evolving worlds of technology and capitalism, they must know the secrets to keeping consumers coming back for more. "On average, a single person spends more on consumer goods than a couple spends, combined," he says. "Marketers are happy to see young people — the highest-spending demographic of all— staying single right now." If you're alone, chances are good you'll spend your free time spending — on a ticket to see a film, out for drinks with friends, on a new self-help book, a guitar to practice during quiet nights at home, a new car even if the old one is fine. It's as though we're trying to fill ourselves up with stuff. But those in solid relationships are more likely to keep the funds closer to home, staying in together for a chat and a glass of wine or watching TV instead.