Knowledge is more passion than requisite: The Diderot effect

Have you thought about it! If you bought a new car, a brand new one. You may be very happy, but soon you think I have an old car porch to keep my car or my house does not look good, it's not new and never matches with my car…

Then you may think about upgrading your home, your dress, phone and even your shoes to match with the dress.

Yes, it happens, not only in the case of a car but in any new item you bought. You may feel the desire to upgrade the associated materials. This is a simple example of the materialist psychology of consumerism.

The Diderot effect is a social phenomenon related to consumerism. This concept is based on two fundamental ideas, the first one is material purchased by a consumer aligned with their sense of identity, they will complement one another and purchase will go on. The second one is the introduction of new items or possessions that deviates from their current complementary goods and may lead to spiralling consumption.

In 1988, Grant McCracken a Canadian anthropologist and author, coined the name “Diderot effect” he was one of the scholars of consumption patterns and known for his books about culture and commerce.

Where did the name“Diderot effect” come from?

In the 18th century, French philosopher Denis Diderot first described this effect in an essay. In this essay, he tells about the gift of a luxury scarlet dressing gown that eventually plunges him into debt. He was happy with the gift, but later he was dissatisfied with the rest of his old possessions. He replaced almost everything and brought new and luxurious ones. For example, he replaced his old chair with a new Morocco leather chair, his writing-table replaced with an expensive one, and his home was modified. All his money and took out loans to buy new articles for his home.

This was an extreme case, but there is a tendency in society that people may align their identity with their newly brought materials. And this psychology is a good fuel for capitalism.

In his essay, he says “Regrets on Parting with My Old Dressing Gown”. Here is one more term in McCracken's usage “Diderot unities”, A Diderot unity is a group of objects that are considered to be culturally complementary, in relation to one another.