Nowadays, it feels like our society has begun to confuse the word “collection” with hoarding.
There’s a clear difference between a collection of pins or figurines and a collection of a popular reusable water bottle.
Pin collections are harmless, whereas a collection of thousands of dollars’ worth of makeup and skincare products is not.
Overconsumption and overproduction have been greatly popularized on social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. It’s here that influencers use keywords like “trendy,” “adorable,” or “must-haves” to influence you into buying something that will likely end up in a thrift store or a landfill within the year.
In addition to the numerous keywords, influencers tend to play on aesthetics, matching their lifestyle to a certain trend. Recent examples have to do with the bow trend, or “clean girl” minimalistic aesthetic, influencing people to purchase either new items or new clothing to match that aestheticized lifestyle that’s trending in the moment.
Social media influencers have glamorized overconsumption much more in recent years.
TikTok is largely marketed towards teenagers and young adults, a highly influential age group. It’s no wonder the latest fads and fast-fashion trends have turned into the newest must-haves.
If you don’t participate in the trends, you aren’t cool. You don’t fit in.
But just like the tide, trends rise and recede. The Labubus and yearly “trendy” water bottles end up at a Goodwill collecting dust, and the monthly Shein hauls end up in a landfill where it will take the polyester clothing up to 200 years to break down.
Influencers are called influencers for a reason. They influence you into trying a new aesthetic or buying the latest Summer Fridays Butter Balm.
They romanticize almost every inch of their lives—their skincare routine, their makeup, the meals they eat, their night routine, and the clothes they wear—everything in order to make it appear as though they are the best version of themselves, and with these items, you could be too.
In many ways, consumption preys on people’s insecurities. I’ve lost count of the number of people I’ve seen on TikTok admitting that they believed that, through buying all this makeup or the most viral Sephora products, they would finally feel confident and beautiful.
TikTok and the people who popularize overconsumption are predatory. It preys highly on the younger generations, the minds of teenagers and young adults who are still maturing. Why else would a six-year-old own an entire line of Glow Recipe products when they don’t even need to think about a skincare routine yet?
It’s predatory because it plays on people’s fear of missing out or their own insecurities. Children and teenagers have this need to fit in with their peers, something that is commonly exploited nowadays in order to promote the consumption of trending products.
Another common way that social media promotes overconsumption is through hauls and gifts. These range from thousands of dollars worth of Christmas and back-to-school hauls to creating boo-baskets and burr-baskets filled with needless themed junk that will be forgotten by the holiday’s end.
Videos are made, and people watch them. And because the videos get views, more are made. The prevalence of these trends leads to others wanting to participate, viewing this level of consumption as a goal to match, if not pass, the popularized level set by social media. It’s convincing these people that overconsumption is normal or even encouraged.
Our society has become far too easily influenced, and it’s ruining our community and world. With one Google search, you can see where this junk ends up.
Take Chile, for example. Each year, 59,000 tons of clothing, much of which still has tags, are dumped in Chile’s Atacama Desert. The majority of this clothing is cheaply made polyester crap that can take up to 200 years to break down.
Then you have Kenya’s Dandora Dumpsite, just outside of Nairobi. Once again, another place where microplastics and polyester land. This is pollution, a direct result of the overproduction and overconsumption craze. And of course, with increased pollution comes an increased risk to the climate. As if climate change wasn’t bad enough.
Now, I’m not saying that all consumption is bad. As a college student myself, and one who is often online, I can admit that I’ve fallen victim to some of the trends.
I own a Stanley Cup and an Owala. I own a couple of trendy lip products and a JellyCat, but there’s a difference between owning one or two of something and owning so much that you will never be able to truly appreciate what you have, or the money spent on that item.
It’s okay to consume, but be more thoughtful about purchases.
You can buy clothes from Hollister, but consider if it’s something you will actually wear. Will you wear it in a year? In two? Does it fit your style, or is it outside of your comfort zone? Is it good quality, or will it disintegrate after two washes?
Consider thrifting more or purchasing more ethically sourced clothing.
Think about purchases instead of pressing the “add to cart” button the second you see something cute or trendy. Make a list. If you still want the product after a month, then buy it. If you don’t, you saved yourself the money.
The social media glamour of these overconsumptive trends has gone too far.
Now it’s our turn to break away from it and make the decisions for ourselves, not because we want to follow a trend.
It’s a difficult but necessary step in preserving our society and our world and keeps us from becoming even more mindless consumers. We don’t have to be perfect, but we do have to try.
