“OOPS – I ordered again!” – Online consumerism and the psychology behind it

As another Black Friday comes and goes, consumption is at an all-time high, with drivers like social media and brand advertising adding to the mass hysteria that is over-consumption. Ironically, consumption solely meant to use up, something that would disappear, however, from the 1950s, it boomed and began to expand across the classes. Global clothing production has doubled while garment usage lifetime has decreased significantly, with the number of times a garment is being worn has dropped by 36%.

Shopping is now extremely accessible: unlimited hours for scrolling, larger stock access than in stores, no lines to wait in, available anytime, anywhere, at low prices. It also provides a sense of personal control, autonomy and has been described as a self-soothing technique. Consumption is justified when acquiring basic needs, however when it becomes excessive, it can have negative implications. Reasons for shopping in excess are heavily linked to emotion, so to move closer to pleasure, move away/ distract oneself from pain or simply boredom.

When you buy something, it acts as a dopamine hit, producing the same chemicals as when you smell a batch of freshly baked cookies. Online shopping provides double the dopamine as the “rush” is felt when the item is purchased and when the item arrives, providing more “fun”! It’s gratifying with less behavioural cost.

Dopamine is a hormone associated with pleasure and is a key part of our internal reward systems. It helps encourage reinforcement and repeat actions/ behaviour which, left unregulated, may lead to addiction.

Compulsive spending, medically described as “Oniomania”, is the uncontrollable need to shop. Continuous shopping to re-experience the momentary pleasure or ‘rush’ begins to outweigh practical considerations and self-control, causing far more damage than good

This “need” to consume can be related to evolutionary habits as in the past, people with the most resources such as food and wood, were more likely to survive the winter, instilling us with an innate desire to collect material things to provide a perceived sense of security.

Social media also plays a hand in fuelling consumption as it reduces the research phase of shopping and sources products for consumers thanks to advanced algorithms. Also, the increase in influencer marketing and hauls normalises over-consumption, where it is even becomes aspirational.

How to beat over-consumption =

The personal tips I’d recommend are to be mindful and patient. When buying, take time to think about how much you need it or will use it. An exercise I practice when shopping for clothes is asking myself: How well will it fit in with my other clothes, make three outfits on the spot and if it was out of sight, could I remember what the item was in 10 minutes? Also investing time and money into more experiences over material items that may come and go!

Thank you and good luck!

Tio A <3