Overconsumption is consuming something to excess, and with the prevalence of social media, overconsumption has become a huge problem of Gen Z.
Teenagers feel the need to keep up with the latest trends, thus continuously buying new things.
On TikTok, there is a trend of ‘underconsumption’ called Project Pan. Project pan is encouraging mindful consumption by challenging people to use up existing beauty, skincare and household products before purchasing new ones.
Faith Jennerich is opposed to participating in Project Pan.
“I don’t want to do it because I just love buying more stuff. If I have the money and I love buying new stuff, so I wouldn’t participate,.” said Jennerich.
Overconsumption is a problem because it causes waste and pollution. Products do not last forever, so if you buy more than you can use they will go to waste.
María Schmidt, a junior, believes overconsumption is a bad by-product of our lives.
“I think it’s bad, it’s a negative aspect of our society, it causes alot of contamination and also it’s just wasteful,” said Schmidt.
Along with people buying so many things, companies can not keep up with the demand of products and start to make them lower quality.
This contributes to the waste issue because with lower quality comes more consumption.
For example, after a month of using a water bottle, it breaks. You waste the water bottle, because its bad quality, and you waste your money.
Sales and advertisements make people feel obligated to buy things they don’t need because it’s “such a good deal” or “limited time offer”. It doesn’t allow people to think about their purchases realistically.
It has gotten out of control of how people have 10 of the same items but in different colors and patterns, when they all serve the same purpose.
Currently on trend are Stanley cups. They make different color combinations, with bright attractive colors. There are some people that have gone viral for showing off their Stanley collections, some totalling upward of 50 cups. Not a single person needs 50 of the same type of cup.
Most influencers on social media get products sent to them from specific brands. If they have a large platform, they tend to get so much PR it’s impossible for them to use everything.
One way that influencers are combating overconsumption is to do giveaways to their followers or donate what they receive to people in need.
With the rise of influencers and social media, overconsumption is at an all time high. Hopefully people are becoming more mindful of what they are spending their money on.
