Polarization in Consumer Behavior

Abstract

Polarizations in economic and social life caused by increasing income and wealth injustices worldwide also affect consumer behavior. In the polarization of consumers' lifestyles, at one end of the spectrum are the consumerist culture's representatives with ostentatious and exaggerated spending based on materialistic understanding. On the other hand, consumers who adopt an anti-consumption approach sensitive to social, environmental, or individual welfare, regardless of the necessity of economic difficulties or economic factors, are increasing rapidly. This study aims to conceptually evaluate the concepts of minimalist and materialist consumption, which represent two rising values regarding consumer behavior and are mutually exclusive, and to provide readers with a holistic perspective. In this context, in this study, the concepts of materialism, minimalist consumption, and anti-consumption were evaluated from environmental, social, and individual perspectives, and their effects on consumer welfare were discussed.