Name: What is Conspicuous consumption?
Uploaded: 2026-01-17T17:52:31.000Z
Duration: 59 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Conspicuous consumption refers to the purchase and use of goods primarily to display wealth or social status rather than real functional need.

The concept was coined by sociologist Thorstein veblen in his 1899 book the Theory of the Leisure Class.

Veblen observed that people, especially in upper social classes, engage in extravagant spending to signal affluence and prestige.

By buying expensive and often unnecessary items, individuals attempt to differentiate themselves from those in lower social strata.

This behavior highlights the strong relationship between consumption, social hierarchy, and the desire for recognition in capitalist societies.

Today, conspicuous consumption appears in luxury cars, designer fashion, extravagant vacations, and curated Instagram posts that flaunt wealth.