Flexing on video has become incredibly popular. But their excess consumerism could be harming their viewers' well-being.
When I ask digital influencers what their expertise is in, the answer is almost always 'lifestyle,'" says Carla Abdalla, who teaches at the Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation in Brazil and studies consumer behavior and marketing strategies. "When I ask them which kind of lifestyle, they talk about the consumption of designer clothes, gourmet restaurants, high-tech gadgets, trips around the world, and so on. Their expertise is the consumption.
@thepuppyclub
That is, it would be nice if the psychological toll wasn't so high. "After over 200 studies, we know that the more people endorse materialism, the worse their well-being. They're less empathic, less prosocial, more competitive," Kasser says. "They're less likely to support environmental sustainability. They're more likely to endorse prejudicial and discriminatory beliefs." And you know, that sounds like what's wrong with YouTube.
