Consumerism
To Dupe or Not To Dupe: The Twisted Ethics of Luxury Fakes
Can it ever be morally righteous to buy high-fashion duplicates?
The Rise of the 'Sigma Male', a New Kind of Toxic Masculinity
How memes of a fictional serial killer turned into an un-ironic personality and lifestyle.
‘I Know I Have an Issue’: Does ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Convince People to Overspend?
“Buy now, pay later” companies say they’ve created “a fairer and more sustainable alternative” to credit cards. Some users say they also change spending habits for the worse.
China Wants People To Buy More Stuff. These Chinese Millennials Say ‘No More.’
Facing rising competition and an uncertain future, they are sick of being constantly told to consume more.
In a Post-Pandemic World, Luxury Does Not Mean More Things
Our deepest desires are reflected in the things we buy. Nowadays, that means more things we can touch…and more things we can’t.
We Buy Gifts That Surveil Our Loved Ones Because There Is Nothing Else to Buy
It's not just good marketing, we buy Ring cameras and DNA tests and Amazon Echos because we are taught the only way to show our love is through physical gift giving.
The Wrong Amazon is Burning
A Google Chrome extension wants to remind you that it doesn’t have to be this way.
'Oblivious' Customers Continued to Wait in A&W Drive-Thru as Restaurant Burned Down
The smoke was so thick that firefighters couldn’t even go inside to battle the flames, but customers wanted their Chubby Chicken burgers, dangit.
The Psychology of Our Love for Marie Kondo and 'Organization Porn'
The tidying expert’s new Netflix show has drawn breathless attention.
Christmas Presents Are Bad, Actually
Forget to get someone a gift? Let me provide you with after-the-fact justification.
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We live in a world committed to making purchases as easy as possible. But at what cost?
Conor Oberst's Desaparecidos Project Made One of His Best Albums
2002's "Read Music, Speak Spanish" is still a reminder that you can sing about anti-capitalism and make it beautiful.