“I SAW SO I CONSUMED, A NEW ERA OF
CONSUMPTION ?”
An article written by Alix Petit on rethinking consumption.In these articles, I spontaneously and passionately share reflections on subjects close to my heart that nurture my evolution. Without passing judgment, I always try to take a step back, broaden perspectives, and plant small seeds throughout my personal journey.
Over the years, running Heimstone has involved, among other things, selling products to a diverse audience, pushing me to try to understand different desires and purchasing behaviors from "consumers." Guided also by my fascination and attraction to understanding business dynamics and challenges: how do they overcome challenges, how do they adapt to market trends that evolve with the ebb and flow of consumer behavior. These past 12 to 15 months, while the retail world has gone through unprecedented turbulence, and Heimstone has obviously not been spared, facing numerous challenges and many doors slammed shut right in our face, I naturally dove into a deep, almost obsessive reflection, questioning what it means to consume today, but especially tomorrow.
Seeing has become the new owning:
consuming is now about
savouring the ephemeral.
Driven by a crazy decade of endless scrolling on social media, an ecological, political, and economic crisis — and all amplified by the tactical and strategic work we conduct within The Refreshment Club, specialized in AI and visionary strategies — I was struck by how much our relationship with objects has changed. Once, consuming meant owning. It was physical, tangible, and sensory.
Today? Consuming has become lighter, faster, less grounded—it's something else entirely.
We scroll, we like, we save. We "consume" not with our hands anymore, but with our eyes. Social media has transformed the act of consuming into something ephemeral and fleeting. A post here, a video there. That perfect dinner table with ceramic plates you'll never hold in your hands, or that flowing dress worn by a stranger on the other side of the world, which you'll never wear but will endlessly admire in 15 seconds of reel - what impact does this have on our consumption?
Do we buy less
but consume more?
This question led me to wonder: has seeing become the new owning? For years, we've been told that materialism was outdated and experiences were taking over. But what if scrolling through someone else's feed has become the experience? This endless flow of images and ideas fills us in a way once reserved for actual purchases. We've moved from "I consume, therefore I am" to something like "I've seen, therefore I've consumed."
This change was accelerated, of course, by the challenges of recent years. The pandemic locked us into digital spaces, making scrolling natural. Supply chain issues taught us patience — or at least, frustration. And today, the rise of sustainability pushes us to rethink the very notion of ownership. Do we need to buy an object to enjoy it? Or can we simply admire it from afar, like a rare species we hope to see remain in its natural habitat?
But there's a catch. Consuming without owning leaves us hungry in a different way. Does all this scrolling fill the void or deepen it? Does it bring us joy — or just the desire to want more?
“We've moved from "I consume, therefore I am" to something like "I've seen, therefore I've consumed.”
So if the subject interests you, I leave you to meditate on these questions with me: how can we reinvent our model? How do we create something truly meaningful in a world where meaning itself is consumed in an instant? What becomes of fashion, art, or design when they are more seen than worn, hung, or used?
Thank you for your loyalty, thank you for reading.