O·ver·con·sump·tion: the act or fact of consuming something to excess. In the year 2024, it has become extremely prevalent that many people purchase products to an unneeded extent. Social media has played a massive role in causing overconsumption, resulting in unnecessary waste.
On TikTok, what seems like every week, a new trendy product will go viral on the platform, pulling people to buy it. This is known as a microtrend. Many are blindsided by the fact that micro-trends won’t last and it turns into a cycle of buying new things each week. Aesthetics such as “clean girl”, “cool girl”, and “old money” appeal to viewers to stay on trend. “I find a lot of things that I buy online and if I see certain people wear certain things, that influences me to buy it,” sophomore Megan Lamers said.
As an example, popular brands such as Rhode, Parke, Madhappy, LoveShackFancy X Stanley, and Roller Rabbit have recently dropped products that suddenly sell out within minutes of being released. The normalization of waiting at your computer to buy the next trendy product has become a reality for many. The obsession with products and purchasing the new trendy Stanley or the Alo sweat-set has become a constant routine for many.
These trends can influence a big group of people, nowadays over 1 billion people use TikTok actively. Of those 150 million, live in the United States. With that number being a mix of viewers and creators, users on the app are being hit with ads, promoted videos, and paid partnerships to advertise a product for the sole purpose of getting money. Whether it’s your favorite celebrity wearing a new expensive dress or yet another unnecessary cup, it’s hard to avoid the advertisement. TikTok influencers’ rise and receiving PR (public relations) packages ranging from small businesses to big-name brands has played a central role in overconsumption. With the persuasion that social media influencers have over their viewers, it’s easy for them to gain control over you. When these influencers have a big enough platform they are a target for brands. When brands can send influencers their products they get those people to promote the product to get money even if the influencers don’t like the product. They both have the same common goal. Money. “It’s a systemic issue across the whole world, when influencers receive PR it doesn’t go to good use, it’s just thrown away,” junior Mazlow Moquist said.
Advertising fuels our desire to buy more. The battle against advertising isn’t an easy one to win. With the rise of influencers, it has become even easier to get sucked into their marketing scheme. The powerful force that good advertising plays the biggest role in the overconsumption of unneeded products. While we used to get inspiration for products through our friends, classmates, and colleagues, nowadays social media is the way brands advertise their products to get you to buy them. In a West Michigan Environmental Action Council Blog written by Lindsey Schmidt, an Eco-Journalist and Blogging Intern, she found that neuromarketing enables social media to customize content and ads based on users’ interests and preferences. They present products that viewers are more likely to buy without relying on other methods, such as surveys.
Within modern culture, the normalization of purchasing a new trendy product without thinking is a repeated behavior. Nowadays, people don’t realize how much “stuff” they have, and they only focus on what they want to have. Once a product isn’t on-trend anymore, there is no hesitation to get rid of it. From clothes ending up in landfills, or going to a thrift store, the fast production of products is too much for the planet to handle. The planet becomes a dumping ground for unwanted clothes. Even though people realize that they own too many “things,” it doesn’t stop them from buying more. The constant desire to buy products is the reason for destruction itself. When a new trend enters the door another one flies out the window, with the rapid change of aesthetic and desire to fit in, it causes people to buy an unnecessary amount of clothes.
As a result, overconsumption is a silent force destroying our planet. With unwanted clothes and items filling up our landfills, it’s a contributor to climate change. But it’s possible to break the cycle. If we all bought products mindfully, such as checking the reviews first, then questioning if it’s a want or a need. We could lower the rate at which we buy things, resulting in not only healthier spending habits for us but also the planet with thank us. The constant use of social media has created a systematic problem of overconsumption. This has resulted in unnecessary waste, but now is the time to stop it.