Adam Hayes describes consumerism as ‘the tendency of people living in a capitalist economy to engage in a lifestyle of excessive materialism that revolves around reflexive, wasteful, or conspicuous overconsumption.’ Hyper-consumerism, then, is this lifestyle exaggerated to a detrimental degree. This reflects the post-capitalist society many believe we are living in. Thorstein Veblen (a 19th-century economist) wrote that consumerism is a symbolic show of status within society; This is being amplified and reflected in the new age of social media. We are shown people living idealistic picturesque lives, we desire to achieve this, and so we buy whatever they show off. The dangers of social media consumption are becoming clear in their impacts on children; 10-year-olds with skin care routines (that they really don’t need) are becoming more and more commonplace. Personal motivations aren’t the only factor encouraging consumerism. Consumer spending makes up the majority of GDP, and so we are being directly encouraged by our governments, through policy, to consume more and more.
Although the reasons for hyper-consumerism are not simple and clear, the impact is. The damage being committed to the environment from constant production and consumption is detrimental. Single-use plastics are used in the majority of shipments of products, if not in the products themselves. Additionally, microplastics are found throughout the ocean and now within our bodies. The emissions of greenhouse gasses created during the production and shipping of material goods are also driving climate change.
Environmentalism isn’t the only concern when it comes to hyper-consumption. Slave labour and exploitation run rampant to facilitate cheaply made goods to be produced. Sweatshops are at an all-time high; $38b in profit has been generated by slaves as of this year. This is a social epidemic which is being exploited for our own comfort.
I would say I am about an average consumer. I don’t have a shopping addiction, but I do get a dopamine rush when I hit ‘checkout’ (we can blame the ADHD for that one) and I do enjoy owning and being surrounded by stuff. I know a few people, my boyfriend especially, who do not enjoy stuff. Minimalism has never been attractive to me; I like being surrounded by things that are expressions of my inner self and my taste. However, I can admit that environmentalism and social issues are not at the forefront of my mind when I make purchases. I don’t consider whether I should buy something every time that I do.
Being aware of all these impacts of my consumption, I wanted to make a conscious effort to lower my consumeristic habits. I decided to embark on a month-long challenge, to not buy anything unnecessary, with some exceptions; I was allowed to buy food and drink in a social context as I didn’t want to sacrifice my social life. Additionally, I gave myself 2 ‘takeaway tokens’ to utilise throughout the month. Other than that, I couldn’t do any shopping for material items, couldn’t buy clothes or accessories, and couldn’t buy any books.
Things began with a bit of difficulty. I found myself able to recognise more acutely when I was beginning to mindlessly consume. Scrolling social media, I was affronted with advert after advert of things tailored to attract me, many of which I clicked on to consider purchasing. Additionally, the number of creators in my feed who have video after video of their ‘Amazon essentials’ and whose entire wardrobe was linked in their bio was surprising. I could see more clearly the extent to which we are encouraged to consume. Adverts are more obvious, allowing us to skip past them, but when the content itself that we consume is designed to make us buy, it can be harder to resist.
As the month went on, not buying became easier. I had succeeded in adding the extra step in my consumption; thinking to myself ‘If you want this you can get it in April’ gave me the time and space to analyse whether it was truly going to be useful in my life. You also realise the absurdity of your thoughts when you intentionally disregard them; no, I do not need a honey dispenser, I never eat honey. It also massively helped my bank account. By halfway through the month my spending was down by 40%. Another benefit of the challenge was it encouraged me to have conversations about consumerism with my friends and family. My boyfriend ended up joining me in the challenge, first inadvertently but then more intentionally. He loved it so much he wants to keep reducing his purchase habits (although, being a minimalist, I think it was easier for him than it was for me). One of my closest friends spoke of how she likely consumes more than the average person but also went on to say she mainly consumes second-hand.
Ethical consumption is said by many to not be possible under capitalism; everything we do negatively impacts someone due to the systems we have put in place. However, second-hand purchasing helps prevent clothes from going to landfills and helps keep unwanted goods in circulation for longer. This is an area I struggle in. I usually buy something because I know exactly what I want, and this can be hard to find second-hand. Purchasing second-hand relies more on keeping an open mind about what you will be purchasing. These conversations helped me realise I should be more focused on second-hand purchasing in the future.
I did fail my challenge in one area. I did not buy only 2 takeaways in the course of the month. I knew when I began this challenge that this would be the most difficult area for me. I rely on takeaways pretty heavily at times when I am too exhausted and burnt out to cook. I also don’t buy many easy, ready-to-eat things. I am very hopeful when I do my weekly shop that I will be cooking lots of delicious meals, and then it comes to it, I can’t be bothered. It is a recipe for disaster (pun intended). I ended up buying 4 takeaways in July, pretty much the usual amount for me. Although this was a failure, the lesson learned is that I need to focus more on creating easy alternative meals to takeaways, for those days when I simply cannot cook.
I don’t have a figure for exactly how much I saved completing this challenge. My general spending however was down by about £250. I think, although the monetary benefits were positive, I’m appreciating more the level of introspection I gained from this challenge. I am more aware of my consumption, and the thought patterns that lead to it. I also value greatly the perspectives I gained through conversations surrounding this challenge. I know myself better, and I am more confident in my ability to spend purposefully and mindfully, striving to be more considerate of the world and people around us.