2024 is already an abnormal year for marketing and consuming, why is that?

March 12, 2024 marks 4 years since the pandemic and approximately 3 years since quarantine was cut. Since we were all held in our houses, unable to live properly, and make enough money to get us what we want and enough to get us our basic needs, we now see a burst of spending because of us being trapped.

Why do we consume what we consume though? Because us as humans, we have put ourselves in specific groups (or to specific people) and are comparing ourselves with others in that group that we see ourselves in, so we would consume what they have and become them, weather we have the money or wealth for it or not. 

That is an example of competitive consumption, which is the idea that we spend because we are comparing ourselves with peers that are spending, like celebrities, higher hierarchy, etc. In our society, we have structured things on social esteem which is connected to what we can consume. Which that in of itself means that we consume affects our social value… money measures worth and value, weather we like it or not that’s how people are viewed.

Humans aren’t driven by advertisements as well. Not in all scenarios though, some advertisements do hook people and get them to consume things they don’t actually need. Rather that people are just driven to things that compel them and make them more valuable by the people in the group they see themselves apart of, an example is if your whole family and some friends got a specific item, you are more in likely to purchase that item..

Us humans are also drown to cheaper stuff, which is what technology has began to market in the 1920. Another example are sales, we are drown to things listed as “–% off” or even that propaganda term “up too –% off”. 

Consumerism has too do with hierarchy, and its burst right now is because we were unable to get products that make us feel/look valuable or be seen as the group you compare yourself to.

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22547185/consumerism-competition-history-interview

-Zina K