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https://doi.org/10.62836/emi.v4i5.531
Zang, R. (2025). The Transformative Impact of Digital Media on Consumption: A Case Study of the E-Commerce Platform the RED. Economics & Management Information, 4(5), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.62836/emi.v4i5.531
Volume 4, Issue 5, October 2025
Copyright (c) 2025 Renjie Zang
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The Transformative Impact of Digital Media on Consumption: A Case Study of the E-Commerce Platform the RED

Digital media has greatly influenced modern consumption patterns, transforming traditional purchasing behaviors into a multifaceted experience that combines culture, emotions, and social interactions. Traditional consumption consumers engaged with products directly in physical stores. However, with the rise of digital platforms, user-generated content has become a key part of the process. This change is especially evident in e-commerce platforms. The Red is a leading e-commerce platform in China that integrates user-generated content with online shopping, merging entertainment, community interaction, and shopping into one system. It demonstrates how digital media has constructed a consumption culture that goes beyond simple transactions, extending into lifestyle creation and emotional satisfaction. The Red encourages consumers to move through a dynamic cycle: from developing a purchase desire to achieving consumption satisfaction and then sharing their experiences, leading to more interactions. This process involves not only the purchase of commodities but also the construction of a unique social and lifestyle. This Essay focuses on the e-commerce platform The Red and explores how social media reshapes the relationship between digital and material consumption to change consumer behavior. It also examines how the diversity of platform content breaks the limits of traditional consumption, as well as The RED build emotional connections through user-generated content and guides consumers to change their minds from basic product needs to lifestyle pursuits. shaping a lifestyle-centered consumption pattern. And reflecting on the issue of over-consumption brought by the new consumption pattern. Finally, this essay aims to analyze how e-commerce platforms construct a new consumer culture.

digital media consumer culture the Red App sign consumption lifestyle

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Supporting Agencies

  1. Funding: This research received no external funding.