Far be it from me to shame someone for getting themselves a little treat. Life is tough and little treats can be amazing. But I know the main problem we’re all facing right now is a lack of money and unprecedented inflation. I have never in my life witnessed inflation as drastic as it has been these past two years. And usually, when inflation is high and income isn’t matching, people cut back to make ends meet and to avoid debt. But one thing I have noticed lately is that almost nobody is cutting back. Not just my younger and more naive generation, but those older than us as well.
The reason so many people are still spending so much despite financial strain is because consumer culture has gotten ridiculously out of hand, especially in America. The “bigger and better” mindset has been cultivated in Americans throughout the years simply because it’s kind of the American way. Other countries have always found our levels of consumption strange, but with the invention of TikTok and Instagram and Facebook Reels, things have gotten much worse.
That’s because with these new apps or app features came a whole new genre of advertising: the influencer. An influencer is a person on social media apps who creates content and gains followers with hopes of getting sponsorships from brands that they will then showcase products from in their videos and posts. Although this is not true for every influencer, sometimes it feels like their sole purpose in life is to convince you to buy more junk than you could ever possibly need in your whole life.
My least favorite sentence in any commercial, ad, TikTok, or Reel has got to be, “Run, don’t walk to buy [insert product you don’t actually need here].” It’s a clever phrase used by advertisers and influencers to make the viewer feel a sense of urgency, to make them feel like there’s a life-changing product that they need to have right this very second.
And this method is working. They are successfully tricking us. They’re using our algorithms to present content that they know we will be interested in. I’m a woman in her late 20s, so I get lots of content about skincare, books, and home decor. And though I have gotten much better at catching myself, I have bought products due to these videos before. My little brother sees a lot of video game content that persuades him to buy certain games, and my mom is guilty of buying the trendiest cleaning product that influencers swear will make her life so much easier.
Because these algorithms are so individually targeted, I understand why people just buy, buy, buy. But I think many are overlooking the long-term consequences of these small, seemingly harmless, purchases.
For one, there’s the individual financial consequence. $25 here, $10 here, seems like nothing. You can’t even get a full tank of gas with that, right? But the fact is, you simply do not need the product at all, and who couldn’t use 35 extra bucks? A good savings account, the feeling of a little bit of security when things go wrong in life, is worth more than the small and temporary mood boost you get by ordering the latest trending product. I promise.
But there’s an even bigger financial impact being made. Usually, when inflation gets too far ahead of wages, people cut spending, and corporations miss the money and decide to give pay raises to their employees, revive the economy, and encourage spending again. But this time I feel like we’re just continuing to put money into these company’s pockets, and they’re not seeing any consequences for their price gouging greed. They are all too happy to see so many people putting themselves into debt for their products. They see no pressing need to raise employee wages this time, because this system is working out splendidly for them. If more people don’t start trying to cut back and correct their financial situation, this greed is just going to continue to grow, making things even harder on the regular guy in the future.
And finally, there is the most obvious and most alarming problem caused by overconsumption: waste. I’ve seen videos of women who have floor-to-ceiling shelves lined with expensive skincare products, perfume, clothes, you name it. More product than one person could ever use in their entire life. And sure, some of it may be donated some day, but most of it is going to end up in the landfill. If waste and plastics were a problem before, they are reaching nightmare proportions now. The earth and the oceans are suffocating.
So now we’re all broke, encouraging greed, and polluting the planet. All because a couple of people on the internet told you that you absolutely had to have the newest anti-aging moisturizer, that you should reinvent your life by buying a whole new wardrobe and just tossing your perfectly intact clothes. That person is trying to make a career out of selling a brand’s products. Don’t trust them.
I’d like to help de-influence even just one person with my ending paragraph. You look great. The things you do for yourself, your kids, your home, they are working and they will continue to work. You don’t need these products they are trying to sell to you. You have enough and you are enough without them.
