One
out of three Millennials and Gen Xers have boycotted a brand in the past year.
(Carufel, 2019)
The New York Times has a
section online devoted to boycotts. In
April alone there were seven efforts covered.
Probably more were not.
While
there is no doubt that activism is on the rise, I'm wondering if the increase
in boycotts isn't more about the fact that all decisions are emotional. Research shows that we decide emotionally and
justify rationally. It's not nearly as
sad as it sounds. The reason our decisions
have to be made using emotions is that there are too many variables involved
for them to be strictly rational.
Instead we listen to our guts.
Besides,
buying a brand that supports a cause you care about can lift your self-esteem
just as much, or perhaps more than buying one that is premium-priced. So why wouldn't either criteria be equally
valid?
Of
course it's also true that our decision to join a boycott could be an extension
of our desire to be part of the tribe.
While the need to belong has always been part of human nature one of the
side effects of social media is that we see the perfect lives that others are
living and long to join them. And when
we do, we follow their cues; which social media is only too happy to share with
us.
78% of
Americans participated in a boycott this year.
Were you one of them? Why?
Carufel,
R. (2019, February 7) 1 in 3 Millennials
and Gen Xers have boycotted a brand in the past year. agilitypr.com. Retrieved May 1, 2019, from https://www.agilitypr.com/pr-news/public-relations/1-in-3-millennials-and-gen-xers-have-boycotted-a-brand-in-the-past-year/
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