Products can force you to buy them, even if you hate them

Economists now have a name for products that harm you just by existing, even if you don't use them. This harm often forces people to buy the product to escape the negative effects, creating a trap.

People often buy products they don't want, just to avoid being left behind or actively harmed by others using them. This paper gives a name to that pressure and explains how it works. It means economists can now model how products create their own demand by making non-use painful.