Mirror, Mirror on My Feed: Future Self-Images and Consumer Choice in the Digital Age

Source: Taylor, A. and Carlson, J. (2025), Comparing Who We Are to Who We Could Be: How Future Self-Images Influence Consumer Choices. Psychology & Marketing.https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.22196

Ever clicked through your old snapshots on your mobile device and were struck by a wave of nostalgia, a moment of pride, a spark of hope, or, alas, even a twinge of deep regret? Consider that the act of judging past and current versions of yourself is known as "temporal comparison." Now consider this: What occurs if we turn that act around to create a world in which "then" (past) and "now" (present) meet and mix with that ever-elusive time called "the future," where your aspirational self not only beckons but starts "influencing" your consumer behaviors, especially in this curated society where your future self is already "living" and well online? This week, we will extract some lessons for ourselves and lessons, perhaps, for marketers. In fact, we will share with you how that image may well be more powerful—and more lucrative—than some reality that might not arrive until tomorrow.