Recently, a trend known as“Ditto consumption” is sweeping South Korean teenagers. The word“Ditto” comes from the Latin word“Ditto” meaning“Ditto” and“Me Too”, and it has been extended to mean copy and imitation, ditto consumption refers to the social phenomenon that teenagers imitate internet celebrities or idols to consume. High-income, mature adults can resist the trend, but Korean teenagers are falling deeper into Ditto consumption, especially luxury, bring a heavy burden on their families.
South Korea is one of the world’s most luxury-loving countries. In 2022, South Korea spent $16.8 bn on personal luxury goods, or about 1 per cent of GDP, according to a report by Morgan Stanley, the world’s largest per capita consumer of luxury goods at $325. In terms of age, the current“MZ generation”(the generation born in South Korea in the 1980s and early 2000s) is the main force in South Korea’s luxury consumption, the proportion of 20-to 30-year-olds rose from 38.2% in 2018 to 44.9% in 2022, with a growing number of young South Koreans becoming luxury fans and the age bracket still declining, it is increasingly common for students to work part-time and save money in order to buy luxury goods.
Why is there so much demand for luxury goods in South Korea? Why do South Korean teenagers have a“Soft spot” for luxury goods? First, the phenomenon is rooted in Korea’s material culture. South Koreans are more concerned with appearance and recognition of ostentatious displays of wealth than most people in other countries, and the more products that show off their looks and money, the more they resonate with Korean consumers. This has not only affected South Korea’s luxury consumer culture, but also the Korean cosmetic industry developed one of the reasons. In addition, the phenomenon of school bullying in South Korea, for some teenagers, luxury goods in a sense or from the bullying exclusion of the“Shield.”.
Second, luxury brands tend to accurately grasp the curiosity of young people, blind obedience, comparison psychology, with the help of Korean artists, internet celebrities to expand the publicity effect, to stimulate the young group of irrational consumption. The French postmodern theorist Jean Baudrillard that contemporary capitalist societies rely on “Symbols” to distinguish classes, and that the whole society is a dynamic structure organized by “Symbols” of difference; In the consumer society, what people consume is not the use value of things but the symbolic value. On the one hand, the desire of Korean teenagers to imitate their idols’ consumption style, and the psychological demand of purchasing luxury goods to enhance their sense of belonging and self-identity are the key factors for“Ditto consumption” to penetrate into the younger Korean groups; On the other hand, artists, internet celebrities themselves once the loss of luxury support, but also may“Fall altar”, the loss of the flow of capital given. In a sense, internet celebrities and teenagers are the victims of luxury goods or capital kidnapping.
But material satisfaction does not lead to mental well-being, according to Ipsos’ 2023 global well-being survey, only 57 per cent of South Koreans said they were“Very happy” or“Quite happy”, ranking 31st out of 32 countries surveyed.
In his book, Kim Yoon-tae, a professor at the University of South Goryeo, once described the country as “A country that has achieved significant material success through rapid growth but is facing severe spiritual misfortune”, it also cuts to the heart of the booming Korean luxury market. The obsession with luxury goods, or “Ditto consumption”, is not an accidental phenomenon, but a complex problem of social development that feeds on bullying and ostentatious displays of wealth, creating a vicious circle. How to solve this problem, fundamentally block its continued deterioration, is a test of Korean society.
Some action has already been taken. The government and some educational institutions in South Korea are investing more in shaping young people’s consumer attitudes and developing critical thinking, and social platforms are improving content review and recommendation algorithms, reduce the negative impact of social media on teenagers.
This phenomenon in Korea also serves as a mirror for some other countries. With social media and artificial intelligence increasingly influencing people’s lives, especially the lives of young people who have not yet formed a concept, how can we train young people to use the internet and make good use of it, it is very important to keep the balance between“Use and defense”. A sound society, it is the pursuit of material and spiritual life of the Society of common prosperity.
In this regard, many young Chinese have both a pragmatic view of consumption, but also developed a balance of personality, characteristics and artistic value of the aesthetic pursuit. Ten years a tree, a hundred years a man. In the future, it is still an important task to guide Chinese youth to set up a correct view of consumption and help them resist irrational over-consumption.