The Christopher Columbus Effect

I am not the most theoretical student in the class or most theoretical person in general. And as it pertains to my specific project, about consumerism and the mind of buyers, I often find myself struggling to understand some concepts about why people buy, to a certain extent. This is because for me, I don’t get influenced by trends, social media, or my peers. Well, I did when I was in middle school, but since I was 15 or 16 until now (6-7 years in total), I have been confident with who I am. I don’t find myself seeking validation from others in general, through their perspectives or by having certain products. Beyond travel expenses, I spend on the items based on my needs not by my wants. I will be a new pair of running/work out shoes once my old pair is falling apart, I will buy new pants when my old pants don’t fit or when they become severely damaged, or I spend on materials for university projects. So based on my personal experience, I struggle to understand why people by unnecessary items spontaneously just to never use them.

When discussing with my group outside of class, Joseph has thought of a concept that he called ‘The Christopher Columbus Effect’. He defined it as similar to how Christopher Columbus discovered what he thought was India, he and the Spaniards took over LATAM, when modern day people discover something new, that they knowingly wanted or not, they will buy it to “conquer” it.

This concept had helped me understand how some people may have the impulse to buy new clothes or goods at any certain point. Due to this, I believe that it has made my understanding of some concepts and discussion points more clarified so I feel more engaged in conversations rather than it feeling like I am trying to make sense of many new concepts rather than add input.