Online shopping is no longer a new concept and has become a fully integrated part of contemporary Chinese lifestyle, not only as a convenient supplement for purchasing necessities, but also as means of emotional release and self-expression. Websites have adapted means of customization to solicit the most enticing products to individual consumers according to data collected from their browsing history and previous purchases, taking the notion of “contemporaneity” and turning it into a personal experience based on material incentive. The frightening result could be a future society for which solipsism is merely the foundation.

This discussion takes the culture surrounding and supported by Taobao as an anthropological case study, revealing the multi-layered impact online shopping carries on society.

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