Читать книгу Digital Marketing - Annmarie Hanlon - Страница 66

Liquid consumption: ‘ephemeral, access based, and dematerialized’

Solid consumption: ‘that which is enduring, ownership based, and tangible’

(Bardhi and Eckhardt, 2017, p. 582)

This is a step change, as previously consumption was simply consumption. Bardhi and Eckhardt argued that the change has partly occurred with the increase in the digital economy and that consumers, in some cases, place greater dependence on digital access than physical ownership. Bardhi and Eckhardt also suggested that liquidity is not to be celebrated and may be as a result of income, life situation and the ability to move on quickly. Whilst this is a concept and has not been fully researched, one area to consider is lifestages. Do people move towards fluidity as they age and start to downsize and de-clutter? Is it only about lifestage or also point of view?

One other issue is digital clutter. It's great adopting a fluid perspective, but how many photos have you stored on Facebook? How many emails have you archived? As it is easier to retain liquid possessions, do we ever review and remove, as we would do with old clothing? What will happen to charity shops that feature heavily across the UK high street if a generation moves towards liquid possessions? These shops, from Cancer Research to animal charities, depend upon the acquisition of solid possessions. This is certainly an area that requires more research.

Students often move between solid and liquid consumption. Some bring a carload of possessions to university whereas others travel light, often due to necessity, with a laptop, mobile phone and clothes. Those towards the fluid end of the scale can access music and films online and their contacts and memories are stored in their mobile phone.