Reality Distance: Conceptualization, Measurement, and Consequences

Recent technological advances, cultural trends, and sociopolitical climates have created increasing alternatives and variations of “reality,” making what is reality more blurry and subjective. This research reviews extant perspectives on reality across disciplines and provides a synthesized conceptualization of reality. Moreover, a novel construct—reality distance—is proposed to capture consumers’ perception that their experienced reality is outside of objective reality. The authors theorize the major antecedents to reality distance (i.e., experience rarity, sensory inaccuracy) and develop a six-item Reality Distance Scale to measure the construct. Eleven studies using samples from different populations (N = 3,704) demonstrate the scale’s validity and reliability, situate the construct within a broader nomological network, and showcase the relevance of reality distance in consumer research by documenting how the scale predicts consumer preferences and behaviors in digital virtual consumption (e.g., preference for digital products and telehealth), inauthentic consumption (e.g., interest in counterfeit luxury and cosmetic procedures), self-regulation (e.g., self-control, moral behavior), and risk-taking (e.g., financial risk-taking, sensation-seeking). The authors discuss the implications of the work and suggest directions for future research to unlock the theoretical and practical potential of reality distance in consumer research.