The beauty and the beast of consumption: a review of the consequences of consumption

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to answer the following question: What can researchers learn from consumer research that can inform them about the consequences of consumption? Design/methodology/approach This paper follows guidelines for a summarization conceptual model. First, the paper offers a review of consumption theories and research studies on a variety of consumption-related constructs. Then, a bird’s-eye view is taken to critically synthesize the findings. Findings The consequences of consumption can be summarized along a framework reflecting the positive and negative effects of consumption on oneself, one’s relationships, one’s society and the Earth. Knowledge gaps in previous research are identified, and a set of propositions is provided to enrich the understanding of the consequences of consumption. Research limitations/implications The bird’s-eye view of the studies addressing the impacts of consumption identified gaps of knowledge in this area; these gaps constitute valuable topics for future researchers to study. The findings of the paper stress the need for studying the boundaries of different consumption effects. The review emphasizes the complex intermingling between consumer motives (antecedents) to behave in certain ways and the impacts (consequences) of such behaviors. The major limitation to this research stems from the immensity of the task involved. Practical implications This paper informs public policymakers on how to create realistic regulations that take into consideration the complexity of consumption. It calls on governments to provide an infrastructure that facilitates experiential consumption and to educate consumers, through the media and the public schools, to consume responsibly. Originality/value Whereas previous researchers have focused on a particular consumption practice while studying the consequences of consumption, this paper provides a comprehensive review that includes an array of practices. This paper synthesizes previous research findings through presenting a framework delineating the effects of consumption and identifying knowledge gaps in this research domain. The paper also provides a set of propositions that can guide future research on the topic.

The Environmental Impact of Consumption Lifestyles: Ethically Minded Consumption vs. Tightwads

“…By examining the environmental impact of anti-consumption lifestyles, environmental concern and ethically minded consumption, this study provides additional empirical evidence that tightwadism is associated with lower carbon footprint, thus confirming existing theories that anti-consumption lifestyles may play a role in achieving more sustainable societies [1,2,[19][20][21]. Few studies have considered various lifestyles in a single framework, as well as explored how emissions impact knowledge moderates the effect of anti-consumption on environmental impact.…”

“…This paper builds on previous literature and stems from the intersection between the fields of consumer behavior and sustainability. Past research suggests that the adoption of anti-consumption lifestyles might contribute to achieving sustainability goals [1,2,[19][20][21]. Anti-consumption urges consumers to buy less products [2], resulting in a voluntary reduction in the acquisition, use, and disposal of commoditized goods and services [22].…”

Value Perception and Streaming Intentions: Exploring Social Identity Mediation in Indonesian OTT Users

“…Social identity emerges from social identity theory, which helps us understand societal interactions in social networks (Gumparthi & Patra, 2020). Nasr (2019) suggests that social value refers to social agreement and the enrichment of one's image in society. As in research studied by Reed II (2004), consumers create a social identity about how they view themselves and then make consumer choices that align with that social identity, especially for more prominent identities.…”

Determinants of Millennial behaviour towards current and future use of video streaming services

“…When distinguishing social value from identity salience the most relevant observation is that the former is an extrinsic construct and the latter an internal one. Social value can be attained from associating one's use of a product or service with particular social entities (Panda and Pandey, 2017) in an attempt to enhance their social image among those they wish to identify with (Nasr, 2019;Arun et al, 2021) and with themselves (Chen et al, 2017). Use of electronic innovations has been found to enhance the status and image of the user (Pura, 2005) and Mohd-Any et al (2015) in an analogical manner, putting the same argument forward as it pertained to internet-based, self-service technologies.…”