As you walk through any high school hallway, you’ll see the same brands stamped across shoes, hoodies, clothes and water bottles. Scroll through social media and you’ll find essential “must haves” trending daily on your For You Page, promising happiness and satisfaction if only you click “Buy”.
This is the reality of consumer culture: a cycle that convinces us that who we are is defined by what we own. The problem is this isn’t just targeting the American Generation Z population. Consumerism has become a global phenomenon that reaches far beyond the younger generation.
Recent internet trends, such as the obsession with owning Pop Mart’s Labubu figures, which range in price from $46 to $299, and are now completely sold out are clear evidence of how consumer culture has gotten out of hand. People wait in long lines or pay double the resale prices just to say they own the latest collectible, only for the hype to die down a few weeks later.
According to Associate Professor Chip Colwell at the University of Colorado at Denver, a range of factors help explain why people accumulate so much stuff. These include disposable income, the internalization of an ideology of abundance, the physical limits of home space, religious values and personal aesthetic preferences. However, the rate at which consumer products are taking over the internet and shelves at stores is beyond imaginable.
A recent study conducted by McKinsey & Company, published on August 29, found that consumer habits shift with the seasons and vary across age demographics throughout the year. This proves that the market knows how to adjust its tactics to keep buyers engaged year round. The market will always find a way to grab your attention and, in many ways, it already has a grip on the world.
Another way one might view this issue is through the lens of status signaling. In a study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, the concept of the “Status Signaling Paradox” was defined as a modern social phenomenon where individuals attempt to display wealth or social standing through the things they own.
I’ve felt this myself first hand. The momentary excitement of getting something new and only to realize it didn’t change much. What lasts longer is the pressure to keep up, the fear of missing out and the emptiness when the next trend arrives and you feel the need to spend again.
Beyond just controlling the market, consumerism also has a major environmental cost. Fast fashion alone contributes to tons of textile waste and pollution every year. Many of the products we buy are made cheaply, only to be replaced within months. This constant demand fuels unsustainable manufacturing. In chasing the next trend, we’re not just hurting our wallets, we are also harming our planet.
By July 24 this year, we had already spent and depleted nature’s entire budget of ecological resources for the year. There is no doubt that consumer culture has played a huge role in this.
We have to start asking ourselves: Are we buying what we love or just buying into the illusion of belonging?
But here’s the truth: no purchase can buy belonging. The latest sneakers, tech gadgets or beauty products might deliver a quick rush, however, they barely offer lasting fulfillment. Instead they urge us to chase the next trend, piling up debt and measuring our worth against material things.
