[News Terms] "I'm on a Different 'Geup' Than You"... The Panoply Effect

Illusion Effect of Identifying with a Specific Group
Widespread Grading and Ranking Trends in Korean Society
Academic Background, Occupation, and Marriage Market 'Class Division'

The Panoplie Effect refers to the phenomenon where purchasing or consuming a specific product creates an illusion of identifying oneself with the consumer group of that product.

Recently, a popular online price comparison site released the ‘2024 Running Shoe Hierarchy’ content, which has become a hot topic. This running shoe hierarchy attracted attention amid the running boom and growing interest in the quality, functionality, and price of running shoes. The hierarchy ranks and recommends running shoes in six tiers, from the top 'World Class' to 'National Representative,' 'Regional Representative,' 'Neighborhood Representative,' 'For Casual Use,' and at the very bottom, 'Entry Level.'

A YouTube video posted with the intention of helping exam takers choose a university. It claims that universities on the same line should be considered of the same rank.
[Photo by YouTube capture]

The company did not disclose the criteria for the rankings, but it is presumed to be based on price and performance. As this hierarchy sparked controversy such as “Do shoes really have classes?” the Panoplie Effect has once again drawn attention.

The Panoplie Effect is a concept introduced by French philosopher Jean Baudrillard in the 1980s. Panoplie is a French word meaning ‘collection’ or ‘set.’ Originally, it referred to a set of armor and helmet worn by knights. However, in today’s consumer-centered society, it is used to describe products consumed to display solidarity with a particular group.

Baudrillard analyzed that “people buy expensive goods because of their desire to become part of the upper class.” In other words, it explains the consumer psychology related to humans’ social desire to feel a sense of belonging to a specific group or to aspire to social elevation through the items they purchase. A typical example is a child playing doctor who feels as if they have become a doctor, or the confidence one gains from buying a luxury handbag at a department store as if they have joined a wealthy group.

2024 Running Shoe Hierarchy. Running shoes ranked and recommended from world-class to entry-level.
[Photo by Danawa]

Two theories often mentioned to explain consumer psychology behind purchasing luxury or high-priced products are the Panoplie Effect and the Veblen Effect. While their concepts are similar, they differ. The Panoplie Effect is the desire to appear ‘the same’ as others, whereas the Veblen Effect is the desire to be ‘distinct’ from others. The Veblen Effect describes consumption behavior aimed at flaunting one’s unique social status, explaining why demand for luxury goods increases even as prices rise.

Modern society does not formally codify class. However, most people want to belong to a small upper class and feel a sense of affinity with them. The previously mentioned ‘2024 Running Shoe Hierarchy’ stimulates purchasing desire by making people feel like elite athletes when wearing top-tier running shoes. It fuels not only the desire to belong to a higher class but also the competitive psychology that one must be different from others.

2023 Ideal Spouse Image
Photo by Duo

This kind of running shoe ranking reveals a bitter aspect of Korean society. The trend of ‘grading and ranking’ is already widespread in Korean society. It is not new for grades and rankings to form based on various factors.

Examples include charts shared online that rank academic backgrounds from college entrance exams to social experiences, as well as occupational hierarchies related to companies and job types. Marriage agencies are known to thoroughly screen people based on appearance, age, occupation, and wealth, then arrange meetings by dividing them into classes. Sometimes these are called ‘ranking charts for fun,’ but the reactions of those who see them are far from pleasant.