Rich Kids of Tehran: The Consumption of Consumption on the Internet in Iran

Web 2.0 technologies and social media have given new dimensions to consumerism. Users, overwhelmed with images of prosperous people in wealthy nations, may fantasize about being in their position. In the last decade, new pages on Instagram have emerged with the hashtag #RichKids. Here, users consume luxurious items and prestigious positions, but vicariously. Borrowing the term “vicarious consumption” from Thorstein Veblen, and slightly modifying it to provide an interpretation of consumers of @richkidsoftehran (RKOT), the current study argues that this and similar pages not only do little to solve the problems of the followers but also are counterproductive, creating feelings of rage and frustration. It is the consumption of someone else’s consumption. Although the human mind can imagine itself in RKOT’s position, followers are also aware at all times that this is somebody else’s pleasure, not theirs. This study suggests that netizens ought to take a media literacy approach to help themselves understand that their attention is a valuable personal and collective asset, and they should defend it against the forces which seek to take advantage of ordinary people’s aspirations.

Introduction: the Paradoxical Rise of Consumerism in Iran

It is now common for people to follow #RichKids, a common hashtag on various social media sites around the world. Everyone who has a talent might think of becoming a celebrity, but #RichKids are people who are famous solely because they are rich. From an austere perspective, it is pathetic and a waste of life to follow what other people consume. However, there are many—particularly in the younger generation—who follow #RichKids in the hope of sharing in their pleasures. Ours is a world in which consumption per se has become the ultimate goal of life for many people, and since consumption is always hindered by lack of resources, humans have developed subtle ways to consume things they cannot even consume.

In the 1940s, after a study on biographies in popular American magazines, the philosopher and sociologist Leo Löwenthal (who was born in Germany but immigrated to the USA in 1934 and spent the rest of his life there) concluded that the American public’s attention and respect read more . . .