Difference Between Conspicuous Consumption and Conspicuous Leisure

The main difference between conspicuous consumption and conspicuous leisure is that conspicuous consumption involves the practice of purchasing goods or services to display wealth publicly, but conspicuous leisure involves behaviours pursued during nonwork time for the sake of displaying wealth and status.

Conspicuous consumption and conspicuous leisure are two terms coined by the American sociologist and economist Thorstein Veblen. Both these concepts explain how elite members of the society show their superior position, wealth and status by an expenditure of effort, time, and money, and showcase their disdain of productive work.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Conspicuous Consumption 
     – Definition, Characteristics, Examples
2. What is Conspicuous Leisure
     – Definition, Characteristics, Examples
3. What are the Similarities Between Discrimination and Oppression
     – Outline of Common Features
4. What is the Difference Between Conspicuous Consumption and Conspicuous Leisure
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Conspicuous Consumption, Conspicuous Leisure, Leisure Class, Thorstein Veblen

What is Conspicuous Consumption

Conspicuous consumption is the practice of purchasing goods or services to display wealth publicly, rather than to cover basic needs. Conspicuous consumption is a way to showcase one’s wealth and status, especially when the goods and services displayed are too expensive for others to afford. Although we usually associate the concept of conspicuous consumption with wealthy people, it can be seen in any economic class.

The term conspicuous consumption was termed by the American sociologist and economist Thorstein Veblen in 1889. According to Veblen, this term expounds the psychological mechanics of a consumer society and the increase in the goods and services that people consider necessary for their lives in a developed economy. Thus, the concept of consumerism actually stems from conspicuous consumption.

Exclusive luxury designs that serve as symbols of status are examples of conspicuous consumption. For instance, although there are many high-end smartphones manufacturers in the world, some luxury brands like Lamborghini, Porsche, and Bentley have created their own smartphones. These luxury brands usually have the same software and hardware as other brands like Apple and Samsung, but what set them apart is their exterior castings. For example, the luxury Black Diamond iPhone has a solid gold case, embedded with white diamonds and has a huge black diamond as the home button.

What is Conspicuous Leisure

Conspicuous leisure refers to behaviours pursued during nonwork time for the sake of displaying and attaining social status. This term was coined by Thorstein Veblen in his book, The Theory of the Leisure Class, published in 1889. Some examples such behaviour include taking long vacations to exotic places, keeping fancy-bred animals, learning dead languages, and excessive pursuit of sports. Moreover, conspicuous leisure can be observed in all societies where social stratification exists.

According to Veblen, conspicuous leisure contributes to the glorification of non-productivity, justifying the behaviour of the most powerful classes and making the lower classes admire the leisure class. This, in turn, helps the leisure class to retain their status and material position. The lower class also imitate the leisure class in order to increase their own status.

Similarities Between Conspicuous Consumption and Conspicuous Leisure

• Both conspicuous consumption and leisure involve publicly displaying wealth and status.
• Waste is a common concept in both conspicuous leisure and consumption.
• Although we usually associate these concepts with wealthy people, they can be seen in any economic class as lower and middle classes often try to emulate the elite class.

Difference Between Conspicuous Consumption and Conspicuous Leisure

Definition

Conspicuous consumption is the practice of purchasing goods or services to display wealth publicly, rather than to cover basic needs. In contrast, conspicuous leisure refers to behaviours pursued during nonwork time for the sake of displaying and attaining social status.

Waste

Moreover, conspicuous consumption is a waste of goods, but conspicuous leisure is a waste of time and effort.

Examples

Luxury cars, branded clothes, expensive jewellery, etc. are some examples of conspicuous consumption, while taking long vacations in exotic places and keeping fancy-bred animals are two examples of conspicuous leisure.

Conclusion

The main difference between conspicuous consumption and conspicuous leisure is that conspicuous consumption involves the practice of purchasing goods or services to display wealth publicly. But, conspicuous leisure involves behaviours pursued during nonwork time for the sake of displaying wealth and status. While conspicuous consumption is a waste of goods, conspicuous leisure is a waste of time and effort.

Reference:

1. Kenton, Will. “Conspicuous Consumption.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 29 Jan. 2020, Available here.
2. “Conspicuous Leisure.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Mar. 2019, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Woman Holding Shopping Bag” (CC0) via Pexels
2. “Brown Nipa Hut on Body of Water” By Vincent Gerbouin (CC0) via Pexels