Chapter 7 explores horizontal social relations – with peer, family, and community ties – and their influences on consumption, drawing on social action, interactionism, and social exchange theories to explain how shared symbols, interpretations, adaptations, rewards, and costs shape everyday market practices. It distinguishes reference groups – normative, comparative, and indirect – and shows how they guide brand choices through modeling, social comparison, and conformity. The chapter then examines social reference and contemporary consumption, including the role of influencers, media, and social networks in fostering trends, while also highlighting how marketing can intensify social pressure and fear of missing out. Finally, it introduces social connection and mindful social relations, emphasizing self-awareness, reciprocity, and community-building as foundations for more balanced, reflective patterns of consumption.