Consumption as disempowerment: enduring tradeoffs and eroding social capital in subsistence context

Purpose This study aims to examine how consumption becomes a site of disempowerment for subsistence consumers in resource-constrained settings. It challenges the dominant view of consumption as empowerment by showing how chronic scarcity and structural inequalities produce consumption entrapment and contribute to the collapse of social capital. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative, interpretive approach grounded in social capital theory (SCT), the study draws on in-depth interviews with subsistence consumers. The analysis identifies three interrelated themes – making do with less, unstable intergenerational trajectories and listless existence – through which everyday consumption practices are shaped by persistent scarcity and constrained agency. Findings Subsistence consumers continuously renegotiate essentials, endure recurring tradeoffs and experience emotional exhaustion as aspirations remain deferred. The study develops the concepts of consumption entrapment and collapsing social capital, demonstrating how repeated consumption inadequacies weaken reciprocity, trust and relational support, transforming consumption into a structurally sustained process of disempowerment. Research limitations/implications While based on qualitative data from a specific context, the study offers a foundation for future longitudinal and comparative research examining how consumption entrapment and social capital evolve across settings. Practical implications The findings suggest that marketers and policymakers should move beyond price-based strategies to design inclusive interventions that reduce structural tradeoffs, rebuild social capital and support dignity, agency and long-term well-being. Social implications This research highlights that consumption in subsistence contexts often leads to disempowerment and social capital collapse. The social implications are profound: market-based solutions focusing solely on affordability can inadvertently worsen poverty by eroding community trust and reciprocal networks. To foster genuine social mobility, policymakers and NGOs must prioritize community-driven models, such as cooperative structures and matched-savings programs, that build collective resilience. Addressing consumption entrapment requires shifting the focus from individualized market transactions toward repairing and strengthening the social fabric of vulnerable communities. Originality/value The study advances understanding of consumption in subsistence contexts by theorizing consumption entrapment as a cumulative and self-reinforcing condition and extending SCT through the notion of its collapse. It contributes to macromarketing and consumer research by deepening insights into disempowerment, exclusion and the structural constraints shaping consumption.