We are all just chronically online material girls searching for our next source of retail serotonin. And who can blame us when we could get anything we want at the click of a button? The possibilities are endless and so are our imaginations. From phone sterilisation devices to oversized water bottles, we are living the dream! Not to mention that we have never looked better. Platforms such as Shein and Temu have given us the opportunity to quickly and effectively search for items, skipping the tedious process of endlessly searching aisles in stores to find them. It is difficult to deny the element of convenience attached to these platforms.
Social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube go hand-in-hand with these online retail stores. As soon as something goes viral, you can almost guarantee that you will find it on your feed. We live for these trends. The satisfaction of owning a viral item compares to few other feelings. We would rather settle for quantity over quality any day of the week if it means that we can own a status symbol. Even if you are certain that you are not easily influenced, the algorithm within these apps will do anything to convince you otherwise. An item will flood your feed until you have been convinced that you cannot live without it. And thus, a massive problem arises. Trends come and go much faster than in the past, and the need to keep up with these trends has caused a catastrophic consumer ripple effect.
According to the news outlet, Business Insider, social media has created a culture of overconsumption. We are taught that in order to be happy or successful, we need to keep buying new things. The truth of the matter is that you do not need a R1 000 water bottle in order to drink water, or 16 different pairs of leggings to be able to exercise. Shein alone is responsible for 6.3 million tons of CO2 emissions per year. The brand also consumes an astonishing 7 billion cubic metres of water every year in order to produce their items. This is not to mention the amount of waste that overconsumption causes when we throw out the clothes we do not see as “trendy” anymore.
However, there has been a noticeable shift in the collective mindset of consumers. An anti-overconsumption movement has been taking over TikTok. Thousands of #De-influencing, #UnderconsumptionCore, and #minimalist videos with millions of views are convincing viewers that less is actually more. Vogue Business said that the anti-overconsumption movement stems from the fact that people have realised that material items do not make us happier. If something is good for the planet, it will also be good for our mental health. Thus, if we buy less and more mindfully, we should become happier.
More influencers are focusing on brands that are sustainable, locally made, and will last a lifetime. The #WhatsInMyBag trend has taken social media by storm, with various celebrities and influencers showcasing their minimalist lifestyles to viewers.
Joseph Merz, the chairman of the Merz Institute and senior fellow at the Global Evergreening Alliance, says that human behaviour is at the root of the global environmental crisis, and what better way to combat this behaviour than by targeting it at its core through social media. Consumers are breaking their shopping addictions and leaning towards things such as “capsule wardrobes”, which consist of a few quality items that will last longer than a single season. The American magazine In These Times calls anti-overconsumption this season’s “hottest trend”. The fact that various multi-millionaire influencers are saying “no” to expensive products is encouraging the middle class to follow suit.
Of course, the #De-Influencing influencers will not be able to put a stop to overconsumption on their own, but they can start a brilliant movement. By teaching the younger generations that one can buy more consciously, the financial and emotional stress of keeping up with the latest viral trends can be minimised.
One can only hope that “Underconsumption Core” will be the norm for social media users in the future, but as it stands, the future looks promising. Let us all consume consciously together!
