In an ideal world, the cheaper option that works the same will always be the best. However, we don’t live in an ideal world. From ten thousand Stanley cups to too many steps in your skincare routine, over-consumption. has become an expensive problem. The craze of having a surplus of one item blew through social media apps and landed into people’s homes. Now, critics are wondering is over-consumption is really worth the price?
What is over-consumption?
To put simply, over-consumption is having one too many of one thing. If you walk into someone’s room who has one too many candles, then you would probably think they have a problem. But when you see everyone doing it. It might seem like it’s becoming the norm. Over-consumption has always been an issue, but now it’s being celebrated. Now that we’ve talked about the definition, let’s talk about what’s encouraging it.
Why does it happen?
Social media. Okay fine, I can’t blame this for everything, but I can blame it for over-consumption. For me, like many others, I love scrolling on social media to see new things. I see influencers trying new products that I eventually buy. This is where the problem starts. Influencer culture allows certain products exposure and a new audience. However, when you are being influenced to buy multiple of one thing for an “aesthetic” this is where it becomes a problem. (Or could say for an “aesthetic”)
Where’s the creativity?
One effect of over-consumption is that it allows for almost no lack of diversity. Everyone wants the same thing and has the same thing. Over-consumption leads to uniformity, lack of innovation and no newness.
Money, money, money.
Just like pretty much everything else, nothing. is free. Buying a new perfume that everyone has is one thing, buying 12 is another. Some people can’t financially keep up. And making it common to buy a surplus of one item might leave them out of the loop.
How do you protect yourself?
I’m not going to leave you on a cliffhanger. There are ways for you to save yourself some extra cash. One, you can desensitize yourself to trends. Seeing new items doesn’t mean you have to have them. Wait a two-to-three-month period before buying to see if you still really want it. Another way is only getting one. The most important way to shield yourself is making sure, at the end of the day, you only get one. Unlike many other problems, over-consumption is a problem that can easily be solved by self-control. Although it might not seem like it, over-consumption is the least of our worries.
