Media-Driven False Need and Family Consumer Behavior in South Asia: Revisiting Zaretsky’s Framework in the Digital Consumer Culture

This study applies Zaretsky’s Theory of False Need to explore the influence of digital media on consumer behaviour of families in South Asia. Through a survey of 375 families in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, and econometric modelling, the results indicate that digital marketing experience, social media use, advertisement exposure, and gender craft discretionary consumption, while age acts as a protective factor. Younger and female consumers emerged as the most impacted groups, illustrating how platform-mediated capitalism reinforces symbolic consumption and identity construction through algorithmic advertising and aspirational digital lifestyle. The study provides empirical evidence linking media exposure, family consumption and identity construction. Therefore, the study emphasizes the need for digital awareness, ethical advertising policies, and consumer education to achieve the consumption and production goals of SDGs.