Material Self Investment Diagram
You can’t escape it, and it’s the foundation of who you are. It’s the one thing you’re born with and the one thing you take with you everywhere. What is it?
BODY
You can’t live without them, but they don’t come with designer labels. These essentials are the foundation of life—what are they?
NEEDS
This small plastic tool allows you to spend money you don’t physically have, making purchases convenient—and sometimes regrettable.
CREDIT CARD
The second layer of your material self, it allows you to express identity through fabrics, colors, and style.
CLOTHES
They sparkle, they shine, and they make life more exciting, but when stripped down to their core, they’re not essential. What are these luxury purchases?
WANTS
A risky behavior where buying without forethought often results in post-purchase regret.
IMPULSIVE BUYING
You don't choose them, but they're considered an integral part of your material self. Emotional and financial investments are inevitable.
IMMEDIATE FAMILY
What concept/s balances an object’s practical function with its symbolic meaning in culture and society?
UTILITY AND/VS. SIGNIFICANCE
You may think you’re collecting items, but actually, these items are collecting you. What’s this consumer habit that makes you the possession?
MATERIALISM
This place is not just where you sleep—it's the heart of your material self, containing your memories and comfort.
Home
Whether it’s luxury cars or limited-edition sneakers, we use these objects to shout our identity to the world. According to semiology, what do our possessions really say about us?
SOCIAL STATUS AND IDENTITY
What lifestyle behavior is often a substitute for emotional fulfillment, according to consumer culture studies?
SHOPPING
From cherished heirlooms to everyday gadgets, these objects define your identity, emotions, and aspirations.
MATERIAL POSSESSIONS
You thought you were the one in control, but this powerful force has been shaping your buying habits and defining your social status all along. What invisible hand is guiding you?
CONSUMER CULTURE
It’s everywhere—on your screens, in your magazines, whispering to you from billboards. It turns your wants into needs, but is it a friend or a foe?
ADVERTISING INFLUENCE/ADVERTISEMENTS