Consumer society and shopping! We can find countless reasons why we buy more than we need. Some of these reasons are imposed on us by society. However, other reasons arise from our own internal motivations. Either way, coming to a healthy understanding of why we buy more than we need is a worthwhile pursuit. When we enter this field, we can examine the "Diderot Effect" as an interesting resource. After all, the desire to overconsume, as articulated by the French philosopher Denis Diderot in the 18th century, is one of the fundamental addictions that shape our present day.
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The simplest implication of the Diderot Effect is this: "The introduction of a new possession into a consumer's existence will usually result in a spiraling cycle of consumption." In other words, when we buy one thing, the consumption of other things follows. We can see this in small ways:
We buy a new shirt or dress... and instead of maintaining a minimalist wardrobe, we immediately start looking for new shoes to match them.
We bring home a new sofa... and suddenly we notice that the coffee tables in our living room look old and shabby and in need of replacement.
We buy a new car... and soon we start spending money on car washes, gasoline or parking fees.
We move into a new house... and on this occasion we replace our existing bedroom set with a new one. In any case, the reality is that our existing possessions are often functional. But when we introduce new material into our lives, we tend to fall into the spiral of consumption.
In a fictional story about this cycle, Denis Diderot writes, "I received a new and elegant dressing gown as a gift from my friend. However, after receiving it, I realized that all my other possessions began to look dull and pale in comparison. I began to replace them, even the art on the walls. And by the end of the story, I was the master of my old dressing gown and the slave of the new one."
He argues that we begin to identify with what we have and look for new things that fit our particular mold. Diderot argues that buying fashion is rarely about the functional use of clothes.
He adds to his philosophy that dressing is not only about finding fabric to cover our bodies, but also represents a space for self-expression. Partly psychologically, partly through deliberate manipulation techniques, we are driven to buy recklessly, and much of what we buy is not even what we really need.
