Mehmet Dinç, president of Yeşilay, Türkiye's Green Crescent Society, has warned that spending excessive time on shopping websites can lead to uncontrolled spending and may evolve into a form of psychological addiction.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) during a visit to Kırklareli on Tuesday, Dinç said shopping addictions have become increasingly widespread in recent years and could pose serious problems in the future.
“A harmful behavior pattern has started to form in society when it comes to shopping,” Dinç said. “With the rise of shopping websites, people are spending more time on these platforms and making more unregulated purchases.”
He emphasized the importance of limiting time spent on e-commerce platforms and avoiding unnecessary purchases.
“This issue requires serious research and attention,” he said. “There are two critical questions: First, how much time are we spending? Some people say, ‘I’m not buying anything,’ but even if you’re not purchasing, how many hours a day are you browsing? As the saying goes, ‘A lost day is a lost life.’ We are spending our lives here. Even if we’re not buying, this time could harm our work and relationships.”
“Second,” he continued, “how much are we spending on things we don’t need? Many people buy just because there’s a sale or discount. They open the package – or sometimes they don’t even open it – and then leave the item untouched for years. This is not only a financial issue but a psychological one as well, with the risk of forming addictive behavior.”
Dinç called on individuals and researchers alike to pay closer attention to the psychological and behavioral impacts of modern consumer habits.
