A tremendous scientific and technical development, which took place in the last decades of 20th century and the appearance of so called high technologies (also called new economy), hasn't resulted, however, in a fast economic growth of developed countries. It can be treated as a paradox. Why is it so? The majority of economists see the reason of this phenomenon in the supply side of economy. The author of the paper states that the reasons of stagnation of developed countries could be found in the demand side, precisely in its low growth. This insufficient demand is a result of little changes in the system of social needs and consumption. Consumption demand should be increased to induct the economic growth. This increase might be reached by a significant modernization of the consumption pattern - that means a decrease of the share of material goods consumption in the global volume of consumption, replaced by an increase of the share of social services consumption (cultural, education, health and recreation services). The current model of a highly materialized consumption has run out its development possibilities. Only modernized consumption, so called new consumption, could become an engine of the new economy, a source of a long term economic revival, reduction of unemployment, and so on. Zadanie pt. „Digitalizacja i udostępnienie w Cyfrowym Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego kolekcji czasopism naukowych wydawanych przez Uniwersytet Łódzki” nr 885/P-DUN/2014 zostało dofinansowane ze środków MNiSW w ramach działalności upowszechniającej naukę