제 17 호 What Is Digging Consumption?
Kicker: LIFE
What Is Digging Consumption?
about Proper Consumption Habits
By Yun-Seo Jung, Reporter
Digging and Hobbies?
What is your hobby? Have you ever stood in a long line to buy anything related to your hobby, such as shoes or goods? Recently, the above-mentioned situation has often occurred among young consumers, commonly called the MZ generation. This is also often seen in people who are hooked on something, which we often call “Deokhu.” According to the Korean Urban Slang Dictionary, Deokhu comes from the Japanese word “otaku.” Deokhu is short for “Odeokhu,” which is its Korean pronunciation of ‘otaku.’ Also it refers to a mania for something such as celebrities, movies, anime characters etc. Deokhu - a person or group enjoy it very much or spend a lot of time on it. The consumption habit that appears a lot in them is called “digging consumption.” Digging consumption is a new term that means the act of deeply digging into an item or area favored by consumers leads to the consumption of related products. The examples about digging spending are as follows.
In the Case of Clothing Collectors
The first is people who have a hobby of collecting clothes such as shoes and clothes. In this case, shoes are often collected, especially among clothes. They want to buy shoes from their favorite brands regardless of type, color, etc. Some people even just buy shoes regardless of the size they fit just to display them at home. In fact, celebrities who are famous for interest in fashion appeared on entertainment programs and introduced her house, saying that she bought large-sized shoes simply to keep them because the size that fit was sold out. They put a lot of efforts into lining up for a long time and applying through events to buy shoes. Nike is the flagship brand of Shoes Collecting, which many people love. Among them, GD's fashion brand ‘PEACEMINUSONE’ and Nike's collaboration product series are especially popular. In fact, when GD launched the "Nike X Pieceminusone" product in collaboration with Nike in November 2019, the sale price was 219,000 won, but it was resold at a price exceeding 10 million won. In addition, crowds wearing Nike-announced dress codes lined up in front of a store in Hongdae early on weekdays to receive 8,888 application tickets with only 1.78 percent chance of winning. There was also a sad situation that people who did not fit the bill had to wait in line for a long time but just go because they had to have a dress code that requires wearing a ‘Nike T-shirt’ and ‘Nike sneakers, Air Force 1.’ Furthermore, if they haven’t purchased using the previous methods, they keep them for secondhand use for tens or hundreds of times the cost.
In the Case of Idol Fans
The scene of YTN NEWS
The next case is idol fans. Their consumption habits reveal that digging consumption is the most prominent. They buy most of the goods related to their favorite singers as well as albums. Their goods have a wide variety of types such as albums, dolls, dresses, and stationery. In January, an idol team ‘MONSTA-X’ opened a pop-up store selling new albums and related goods at a department store in Yeouido. Idol fans waited in a long line to enter the pop-up store even before the department store opened. They bought various goods such as photo cards, key chains, and bags as well as albums. Also their digging consumption is a bit special. They not only buy various goods, but also produce goods, video content, etc. on their own. It expands from consumer to producer. Looking at this aspect, digging consumption is not just consumption, but the culture that represents themselves through it.
In the case of clothing collectors, absurd resell prices, in the case of idol fans, too expensive idol goods prices, so some people take a negative view of senseless consumption. Therefore, when you enjoy the digging culture with healthy consumption habits rather than spending unconditionally just if it is your favorite field, you will be able to have a richer consumption life.
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