The return of conspicuous consumption

Frustrated and isolated, the Just Nots are making themselves feel better through something that the rest of us thought had had its day: conspicuous consumption. Just Nots are especially conspicuous in their consumption of expensive technology. Just under half of iPhone users earn less than £20k a year, and one in five iPhone users are always overdrawn at the bank, according to a 2011 poll by YouGov. Naomi Savage, a 24-year-old working mother and Just Not from our tribes report, says that the status these products bring reflects the Just Nots’ aspiration to share the lifestyles of the rich and famous.