By Mariam Elshahawy
Whether we’re honest enough to admit this simple fact to ourselves or not, we have all been victims of conformity at some point in our lives, and the pressure to fit in has only become stronger with the growth of social media. This article will delve into our consumer habits by dissecting conformity itself, as being aware of our own practices is the only way to prevent us from succumbing to blind conformity.
Conformity Explained.
Conformity is defined as adopting the behaviors and beliefs of others due to a need for acceptance or a lack of personal knowledge about the matter.
The different types of conformity include:
Compliance, where someone may agree with the popular opinion even if they do not necessarily feel the same way. This form of conformity is explained by normative social influence, which is the inclination to conform in order to feel accepted and included in a group or community and to avoid being excluded.
Internalization is another form of conformity, where a person may adopt the majority opinion due to not having any prior experience on the matter. This form of conformity is explained by informational social influence, which is the tendency to rely on information from others to make decisions in an unfamiliar or complex situation because we are unsure of how to behave.
Conformity Consumer Behavior
Conformity consumer behavior is where one's own consumption is guided by the behaviors and expectations of others. Due to compliance or internalization, an individual may feel obliged to follow and imitate the consumption behavior of others. The decisions people make regarding consumption can be heavily influenced by a variety of factors, such as price, quality, and how unique a particular brand is compared to its competitors. However excessive consumption is not merely based on an individual's preference for the product, but is rather driven by their fear of being ostracized. Individuals may be psychologically motivated to conform based on their susceptibility to the behavior or as a desperate attempt to gain status.
Human beings, especially the youth, have a never ending need of being prominent in their community by being noticed and accepted. They believe that to accomplish this, they must change their consumption pattern to imitate the pattern of those around them- they must buy what others have to gain a sense of fulfillment. The popularity of a product automatically gives it value. This value is dependent on whether consumers believe the product meets their social needs- normative social influence, or if it helps them overcome their uncertainty- informational social influence.
Factors Affecting Conformity Consumption
The Fear of Missing Out: The constant fear of being alienated from the mainstream leads to what once was just a feeling, becoming a mindset. The feeling that we must possess what others have is fueled by the perception that they are living a better life.
Size of Majority: The greater the number of people purchasing a product, the more likely it is to encourage others to follow suit and purchase the product as well
Culture: We may consciously or even unconsciously excessively consume to meet a group’s norms and expectations as we’re influenced by their opinions, attitudes and beliefs.
Low Self-Esteem: Individuals who lack self-confidence possess a stronger desire to be accepted and long for the acceptance of others.
Locus of control: Extent to which we believe we have control over our own behavior. If an individual is not easily influenced they are less likely to conform
It is essential to be aware of how easily we can get caught up in the habit of excessive consumption. We must make conscious efforts to break away from the social pressure to conform to this behavior and break away from the need to fit in. That way we’ll gain a greater sense of satisfaction with our own possessions, instead of wanting what others have.
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Works Cited
Department of International Business & Trade, Kyung Hee University. “Conformity Consumption Behavior and FoMO.” Semantic Scholar, 30 August 2019, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/45ed/b91e9aea63d88172893eb64ef178afae2282.pdf. Accessed 9 December 2022.
Gijsbertus, Robert Pieter. “Why we buy what others buy.” WUR eDepot, https://edepot.wur.nl/498967. Accessed 9 December 2022.
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