Culture collective Kommune’s insights vertical, Stumble, has released its first culture report, ‘Consumed: A Deep Dive Into Consumer Culture In India’. The report aims to help brands, students, collectives, academics, organisations, and pretty much everyone understand the cultural trends shaping our present and future. Among the trends it identifies are:
The rise of neo-creators blurs the line between content makers and consumers, and fosters parasocial relationships (one-sided relationships) with their audience.
With on-demand content and digital streaming on the rise, consumers are seeking curated content while dealing with FOMO on what’s beyond.
There is an uptick in people wanting to unplug, seeking IRL (in real life) extensions of their URL personas, giving rise to phygital communities like Cubbon Reads, Zomato’s District, and Nike Run Club.
People are seeking offline experiences to escape screen fatigue. While the idea of “buying experiences, not things” was popular, we often treat experiences as disposable objects; in fact, we hardly see things and experiences as different at all.
The digital divide is widening. This creates a two-tiered world: those who are digitally connected and those who are not.
People are increasingly using credit to buy things they can’t afford, leading to a debt crisis. While financial literacy is improving, the credit boom is a major concern.
Social media has changed our friendships, where we now microdose our friendships through soft check-ins and passive interactions — such as sending memes to each other and reacting to them without actually having a conscious interaction.
The rise of social commerce
VML Intelligence’s report on social commerce finds that 67 per cent of global shoppers it surveyed had bought through social media platforms in the last 12 months. In the 16-24 year old age band, 83 per cent had bought on social media with Instagram (30 per cent) and Facebook (19 Per cent) the most preferred channels.
But it’s not just the young, says the report. In the 45-54 age band, 54 per cent said they had purchased an item through social media this year.
Deals and discounts are big pull factors for shopping on social media platforms. And more than influencers, family and friends’ recommendations carried weight.
Thailand and Colombia had the biggest number of social commerce shoppers followed by China. In India, 88 per cent had bought through social platforms.