Social media has become another way to promenade, posting photos of yourself with branded clothes, cars, makeup, and accessories (not necessarily high-end). Again your age group will influence the platform you choose, Boomers and Gen X on Facebook, Gen X and Millenials on Instagram, Millennials and Gen Z on TikTok. 

I agree with Veblen in some ways. I think for a portion of society consumption is a choice, whether conscious or not, that is harmful and destructive to both the individual and the world they inhabit. I don’t believe it is limited to a particular demographic, whether that be generation or socioeconomic, I think it transcends age, wealth and education. Some people choose to make ‘wasteful’ or unsustainable purchases and some people choose to make sustainable purchases across all demographics. I also don’t think one is inherently ‘better’ than the other, there are many shades of grey to these sorts of choices. 

If we think about ‘wasteful, narcissistic indulgence’ we are drawn to the idea of someone making purchases for their own selfish gain, it implies they are doing so to garner attention from others, perhaps though this person is fulfilling a need they can not have met in other ways. In which case, is it narcissistic or is it human vulnerability?

An example of wasteful consumption is the current trend of ‘Shein haul’ that is prominent on TikTok and to a lesser extent Instagram with content creators. It is well known that Shein operates in unethical and environmentally damaging ways, but for a content creator who is trying to make a name for themselves, increase their engagement and potentially make an income stream (to support themselves and possibly their family), the environmental and ethical practices of Shein may not be at the top of mind. Not everything is as black and white as Veblen would have us believe.

The old marketing adage of know your market and meet them where they are still applies. 

While there is a long way to go – I feel a corner may be turned, as people are shopping more ethically and the second-hand economy is growing, people are not wanting to be so wasteful anymore and can see what it is doing to the environment.  

We will promenade these second-hand purchases too – show our friends online – what we are doing to save the world. I think brands will need to show their ethical and sustainability side to be able to continue exist into the future. 

More generally however, as more brands are online and there is more competition, they will need to differentiate themselves to stand out from the rest. 

Current social dynamics have highlighted Veblen’s concept of conspicuous consumption. It is evident with brands that use influencers to encourage sales. Fast-fashion brands use the medium to connect with and entice customers to buy more garments than they need. These consumer brands use social platforms to reach likely purchasers to drive profit. 

One could argue that many of the items we buy in developed economies are indulgent and wasteful. The rapid increase in consumerism due to social media is prevalent, however more consumers are becoming aware of its negative impact and the brands that acknowledge this will be better placed with those that hold the same views identified in Veblen’s concept of conspicuous consumption.  

I believe the ‘conspicuous consumption’ has increased in the last few decades as the production time of goods has decreased. Some brands have opted for ‘planned obsolesce’ to keep consumers buying the latest product. Another phenomenon is fast fashion and disposable goods that are becoming more popular and consumed.

This means brands have the opportunity to influence consumers and change their behaviour. Some brands are shifting their vision, embracing sustainability, and trying to elongate the product life cycle, for example, offering free repairs and patching instead of getting a new one.

I think that as production times for things have been shorter over the previous few decades, "conspicuous consumption" has increased. To keep customers buying the newest product, several brands have chosen to use influencers to boost sales, however this only works with particular brands in my opinion.

 

As a result, brands have the chance to sway customers and alter their behaviour online. 

 

Promenading and conspicuous consumption are as alive today as ever. Humans (and animals) have always competed over scares resources that provide us with an evolutionary and ecological advantage. With the rise of commerce people had disposable incomes and the scare resource of money became a social indicator of status. This has only increased in recent years as the internet has mean an exponential growth in audience (and positive reinforcement) for those who are “promenading”. Brands are an important way of indicating that a person has money, and for people to identify with others in their tribe, who share similar ideals.

 

While this provides opportunities for brands to build loyal communities, they do need to take care that people value their BRAND, not just the wealth it represents. This became apparent earlier this year when a number or Russian influencers began cutting up brands that boycotted the country due to the Ukraine war. In a sense these people were still trying to showcase wealth, but by devaluing the brand rather than identifying with it.

Today’s world of fast fashion and overindulgence highlights Veblen’s views on conspicuous consumption as being ‘wasteful’ and ‘narcissistic indulgence’. Keeping up with trends and being ahead of the curve is somewhat of a competition today. The world of the ‘influencer’ has taken ‘promenading’ to a new level where individuals can not only show what they have but can be rewarded by those very brands with more products. 

Brands today are often caught between two places, profits, and sustainability. Social media and online influencers provide many brands with an opportunity to target more people with more of their products as they look to increase sales and profits. However, there is a shift among consumers and sustainability is very much a core issue for many. Brands that look to be less wasteful and more sustainable may see the benefit in the long run and be more aligned to those who have the same thinking about conspicuous consumption as Veblen.

The meaning of “Conspicuous Consumption” has been diluted with such a broad array of high-profile, global brands available at consumers fingertips. The impact of the Covid-19 virus has resulted in consumers changing the way they look at high end brands.  High end brands are also reverse engineering their premium products by undertaking category analysis to introduce new ranges to capture sales in the lower parts of the brand diamond.

Brands need to help to create authenticity with consumers to encourage conversion, as consumers have a broad range of global information available at their fingertips at any time of the day to help them make learned decisions. 

The promenade exits in both the physical and amplification in the digital, and with the advent of the metaverse, the line between the physical and digital will increasingly become hard to distinguish.  We live in such an exciting, connected time, where more than ever we can share our experiences with our friends, family and even unknown people across vast physical distance, at low cost and in real time.  It’s an exciting time for brands too – with the ability to reach more consumers than ever through clever and engaging communications and partnerships.

 Promenading has not really changed since the early days of the so-called leisure class after the industrial revolution, but now, in the digital world, consumers can reach a larger audience of peers in an instant. 

Consumers are now able to share their purchases (clothes, cars, etc) and their thoughts (politics, ideas, etc) with a huge amount of people, and that promenading can also be shared over and over. Essentially, the digital world given rise to an excessive promenading. 

But can we promenade to excess? What if promenading is for the greater good? 

The new digital promenade has given rise to a new way of perceiving and understanding conspicuous consumption. It appears to me it has fostered a growth in altruistic social awareness and a drive to reduce waste. Another student has mentioned that there have always been those consumers who try to avoid waste, but I think the digital world might foster a “considered consumption” 

With the digital world, brands have now a greater opportunity to leverage our human narcissistic tendencies to promote themselves, to speak to many more consumers at once and to become part of our cultural conversations about the world and our/their future in it, thus creating positive associations for a brand. 

Veblen linked conspicuous consumption to wasteful, narcissistic indulgence - some  argue this has been exacerbated and entrenched over the last few decades. What do you think?
Absolutely agree. While the 1800's conspicuous consumption may have been considered narcissistic and wasteful, it was a time where overall less clothing items were owned by individuals as they were all handmade. In an interesting twist, conspicuous consumption in the 1800s allowed a person to express their individuality and wealth with purchasing a luxury item, whereas nowadays consumerism and mass manufacturing means these items that are coveted by people are more common and hold less status.

What do these ideas mean for brands today?
Luxury brands in particular are faced with the threat of brand erosion thanks in large to:
- the desire to appear on social media to appear as though you are living a certain lifestyle even if you can't afford it. People who are trying to fit in are purchasing  designer knock-offs to portray an image of fitting in with a crowd
- whereas one may have previously bought one expensive designer handbag and used it for several seasons, modern day consumerism sees individuals buying a new designer bag every season and reselling old season items. Having designer bags sold through unapproved channels can see anyone own a designer bag, even if it doesn't fit the brands demographic or audience.

NB: apologies for the anonymous post, I tried multiple times but was unable to create an account. Shall keep trying! Jamie-Lee :)