This entry presents drivers of mass/excess consumption by drawing on classic and contemporary sociological concepts and research. Mass consumption is understood as the totality of consumption of commoditized goods and services, which is increasing in a fundamentally unsustainable way. The entry relates mass consumption to concepts such as consumerism, excess, and sufficiency. It argues that consumption, including needs/wants/desires, needs to be studied as social and symbolic, that is, part of a communicative act expressing identity, status, social roles, belongings, etc. It furthermore argues there is a need to combine macro- (e.g. institutions, infrastructure, consumer culture, social stratification), meso- (e.g. social practices) and micro-perspectives (socialization, identity, social relationships) to explain and understand the phenomenon. Temporal and spatial aspects are also considered.