Who is most vulnerable to social media-driven conspicuous consumption?
The effect is not uniform — it hits hardest among people who already feel insecure or left out. A 2022 study found that women with lower self-confidence showed a significantly stronger tendency toward conspicuous consumption on social media, while those with higher self-confidence were less drawn to it [5]. This suggests that for some, buying luxury goods is a way to compensate for internal doubts.
Similarly, people who experience cyber-ostracism — being ignored or excluded online — are more likely to engage in conspicuous consumption. A study of 407 Chinese social media users found that cyber-ostracism directly increased conspicuous buying, because it reduced people's sense of control over their lives [3]. The researchers showed that this loss of control was the psychological mechanism driving the spending.
Narcissists are another group especially prone to this behavior. A 2022 review of the literature identified four reasons narcissists gravitate toward conspicuous consumption: a need for positive distinctiveness (status and individuation), a search for meaning in life, materialistic values, and sexual signaling [7]. The evidence for these motives ranges from solid to preliminary, but the overall link between narcissism and luxury buying is well-established.
How does social media trigger the urge to buy status goods?
The main driver is passive use — scrolling through others' posts without interacting. A 2025 study with 504 participants showed that passive social networking site use directly predicted higher conspicuous consumption, and this effect was explained by a feeling of relative deprivation: the sense that you have less than others [1]. The researchers also found that people who already felt they had low socioeconomic status were especially vulnerable, because the comparison hurt more.
Social media influencers amplify this effect. A 2024 survey of 272 consumers found that exposure to influencers triggered both social comparison and FOMO, which in turn drove followers to buy conspicuous products [4]. The study also showed that influencers increased followers' desire to mimic them and boosted materialistic values, creating a dual pathway to conspicuous spending.
Even the type of content matters. A 2021 experiment with 599 participants compared how people perceived luxury goods versus luxury experiences (like exotic vacations) posted on Instagram. While traditional luxury goods still conveyed the most status, luxury experiences also signaled high status — especially for women [2]. This means social media has expanded what counts as a status symbol, giving people more ways to show off.
Does using social media more make the effect stronger?
Yes — the intensity of use directly correlates with conspicuous consumption. A 2023 survey of 230 Instagram users found that the more intensely people used the platform, the more they engaged in conspicuous consumption across three dimensions: seeking status, wanting social impact, and pursuing sociability [8]. This suggests that heavy users are constantly exposed to social comparisons that fuel the desire to signal status.
However, the relationship is not simple. The same 2022 study on cyber-ostracism found that social media use intensity actually weakened the link between feeling excluded and losing a sense of control [3]. The authors interpreted this as a buffering effect: heavy users may become desensitized to online slights. But this did not stop the overall path from cyber-ostracism to conspicuous consumption — it just changed one step in the chain.
Brand communities on social media also play a role. A 2022 study of 353 luxury brand community members found that social capital — shared values, reciprocity, and trust — increased brand passion and engagement, which in turn drove online brand advocacy [6]. This means that the more embedded people become in luxury brand communities, the more they feel compelled to defend and display those brands, reinforcing conspicuous consumption.
About These Sources
This answer is built on 8 peer-reviewed studies — published from 2021 to 2025, 2 from 2024 or later, 5 in Q1 journals, collectively cited 241 times — selected as the most relevant from 9 studies that passed quality screening, drawn from 35 papers retrieved from a database of over 500 million.
Sources used in this answer
Why does browsing social networking sites increase conspicuous consumption? The effects of relative deprivation and subjective socioeconomic status
Passive social networking site use positively predicted conspicuous consumption in 504 participants, mediated by relative deprivation and moderated by subjective socioeconomic status.
Conspicuous consumption of luxury experiences: an experimental investigation of status perceptions on social media
In a 599-participant experiment, luxury goods still conveyed the most status on Instagram, but luxury experiences also signaled high status, especially for women.
Is Conspicuous Consumption Influenced by Cyber-Ostracism? A Moderated Mediation Model
Cyber-ostracism increased conspicuous consumption in 407 Chinese social media users by reducing their sense of control; social media use intensity weakened the link between ostracism and loss of control.
Social media influencers and followers’ conspicuous consumption: The mediation of fear of missing out and materialism
Exposure to social media influencers triggered social comparison and FOMO, which led to conspicuous consumption in 272 survey respondents; desire to mimic and materialism were additional mediators.
The Relationship Between Women's Self-Confidence, and Conspicuous Consumption Tendency on Social Media
Among 311 female university students, self-confidence had a negative and significant effect on conspicuous consumption tendency on social media.
How social capital builds online brand advocacy in luxury social media brand communities
In 353 luxury brand community members, shared vision and reciprocity increased brand passion and community engagement, which drove online brand advocacy.
Narcissism and conspicuous consumption
Narcissists are prone to conspicuous consumption for four reasons: positive distinctiveness, meaning in life, materialism, and sexual signaling; evidence ranges from good to preliminary.
Effect of the intensity of Instagram usage as a social media tool on conspicuous consumption
Intensity of Instagram usage positively influenced conspicuous consumption across status, social impact, and sociability dimensions in 230 users.