Johannesburg - With South Africa currently battling a devastating third wave of Covid-19 infections, more and more people are turning to the internet to do their shopping.
While this could prove vital in avoiding crowded places like shopping malls and physical stores, some experts are concerned that excessive online shopping might be doing more harm than good.
Online shopping addiction has increased across the globe since the novel coronavirus erupted last year, causing consumers more anxiety, depression and some putting their families at a financial risk.
This includes in South Africa as a recent study conducted by international corporation Nielsen found that by just April last year, there was already a sharp uptick of South Africans shopping online, with 37% of the respondents saying they tuned to the internet to purchase goods.
“Available online shopping platforms, especially for groceries, medicines, and other necessary items, have seen a surge in usage over the last few weeks as consumers prefer not to venture into stores and have increasingly opted for these reduced touch-point alternatives,” Nielsen South Africa Retailer lead Gareth Paterson said at the time.
“We can therefore expect a permanent uplift in online shopping numbers - albeit off a small base in South Africa - even after the pandemic has ended, since many behaviours adopted during the Covid-19 period are likely to translate into more permanent long term habits.”
But as more people turn to the internet to do their shopping, a clinical psychologist at the Akeso Group, Ashley Daniels, believes that this evolution could result in excessive and harmful behaviour.
“The seductive thrill of browsing for desired things, whether online or in shops, is a rarely-acknowledged form of addiction,” he said.
“Known as compulsive shopping, buying or spending, this form of impulse control disorder can be destructive for individuals and financially devastating for families.”
The ease of getting almost any item delivered to your location with just a simple click is particularly harmful, Daniels explained, to those who suffer from impulse control and that matters have only been made worse for those affected as they search for a way to blow off some steam during these unprecedented times.
“Social isolation leading to loneliness, stress and a shift to online shopping since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic has created fertile ground for compulsive buying,” he explained.
“Online shopping is a very accessible enabler to the habit, allowing people to indulge 24 hours a day from the convenience of their cell phones or computers and technology, and the recent widespread shift towards e-commerce has only increased the temptation.”
But online shopping additions are not just exclusive to this country.
Recent research revealed that six percent of the US population may have compulsive buying disorder and that a poll conducted in America showed that a whopping 72% of respondents said they bought something impulsively during the pandemic to help lift their mood.
Meanwhile, Daniels believes that while many use the internet as a means of not leaving their homes to get their desired items during the pandemic, online shopping is extremely dangerous for others and that more needs to be done before more damage is done.
“Compulsive shopping usually goes undiagnosed and unacknowledged until a crisis point is reached, often with dire consequences for the individual in both their home and working lives,” he said.
“As the addictive behaviour becomes more deeply rooted, the individual tends to dedicate more time, thought and resources to shopping, and people with this compulsion often become more secretive about their buying habits as debts accumulate.”
Daniels explained that in terms of the underlying processes, the brain chemistry and neural pathways are very similar for people who suffer from behavioural addictions like compulsive shopping, and those suffering a substance use disorder such as an addiction to alcohol or drugs.
“The brain’s reward system is stimulated with the release of serotonin and dopamine when the person partakes in the addictive behaviour, making them feel good and reinforcing the association.
“This only further strengthens the compulsion to keep buying, even when the person can no longer afford to do so.”
While an online shopping addiction might not appear to be as dire as those addicted to substances like alcohol and drugs, Daniels insists that they should seek help if they find themselves unable to kick their destructive and expensive habits.
“It takes courage and perseverance, but it is possible for compulsive shoppers to change their lives, particularly with professional help and social support,” she believes.
Other approaches to kick an online shopping addiction is to simply take a step back and analyse if the desired item is really needed or if it is just a smokescreen for other life stresses.
“The next time you find yourself browsing online for a sudden must-have thing, take a moment to reflect on what you truly need. Do you really want a new sweater or a sports toy for your child?” Monique Moore, a Washington DC clinical recently told The Financial Times.
“Step away from the computer, it could be that what you are searching for is more connection, excitement, normalcy and joy.”