I think you hit the nail on the head with this vid! Covered all of my initial thoughts and questions haha. It does feel frustrating as a "normal" consumer that everything is setup for you to throw all of your money away on random stuff you dont need or want long term
As one of those poor people that don't have a choice about this, it does not offend me. Ironically, "underconsumption" makes me happy. It is the overconsumption that is offensive.
overconsumption...underconsumption...is there a normal consumption? In the world we live we need to consume to survive but that doesn't mean we need to prescribe to either extreme.
I agree. I feel that underconsumption sometimes villainizes ANY excess at all when I think that maybe having one thing you collect or buy too much of as a hobby is normal. Like if you really enjoy makeup then buying several different shades of blush or mascara or whatever is fine, but if you do that plus 10 shampoos and conditioners, plus 10 water bottles, plus 10, I dunno, phone cases to match your water bottles, that's where the problem is.
I really like the woman who called it "mindful consumption". It feels less pressured to have like...a limit or something on what you can buy. I have for sure seen some people doing underconsumption who also have a superiority thing, though. One in particular had little captions with snarky lines under it, like how she had a regular single pot coffee maker because she only needed regular coffee (I'm not explaining that very well...), when in reality a simple coffee maker versus a Keurig, one is not more moral than the other. It's only having one that makes it not overconsumption.
in an era of overconsumption when absolutely every platform you use is constantly marketing to you, influencing you and essentially normalizing continuous consumption, consuming normally is obviously going to be viewed as underconsuming. the pendulum swung hard in one way and has to swing hard in the other to potentially normalize a middle again
Overconsumption has started to give me a major ick. I have nothing wrong with collectors and think people should be able to do what they want with their funds. HOWEVER, shilling so many items, telling people they just NEED new items, or making others feel bad for not having so much is terrible. They only care about the money they can get. There are so few influencers I trust 100% these days.
Tbh even collecting can veer into just downright hoarding at some point. Like the people who were collecting every color of Stanley cup? I’m not gonna give them a pass.
Saying you only need one shampoo at a time is like saying you should only own one box of tea at a time. I usually have 2-3 different shampoos depending on what my hair's been like recently and I always have at least 3 kinds of tea at a time. I don't think there's anything wrong with that as long as you use it all before it goes bad 😉
Agreed. There can be balance. I have a cute tumbler cup collection different colors. I have many sneakers in different colors To match my outfits. I won't purchase duplicate colors. I wear each one until it wears out and then I will buy a new one of that color to replace it. Lol I'm also that person with towels I've had for years. Some of the problem is people needing to be trendy and competing with other people. It can make you look at what you have and feel less than unless you "upgrade"
On the various video essays I've seen on this topic I think yours was my favorite take. Social media is a jungle, and younger people might feel like they need to name trends, lifestyles, etc to be able to navigate it and find their crowd. Searching for hashtags, topics, etc is after all how we find things in this day and age. So what if it's a "trend"? It will open the eyes to what overconsumption is and make people more aware, and I think that's a good thing. :)
i feel like over/underconsumption has more to do with how frequently you buy things rather than how much stuff you own. i own ten lip products which feels like a lot but ive only bought 2 products in the last 3 years. overconsumers may have less decor but they are stuck in a buy/donate cycle
I hate how just acting normal needs to be a trend for people to do it... What happened to people actually having set morals and worldviews that don't fluctuate this drastically with time. People act like mindless drones nowadays it's seriously scary. People, get off of TikTok.. please...
I really don’t think this is any different than people following any other trend in history, it’s just the fact that the internet makes things change so much more rapidly by its very nature, because the communication is instant and worldwide.
I get that influancers consume for work reasons but a women's shelter or transitional house programs would really be able to make a lot of women in truly hard places feel a little bit better about themselves. Donating some of that pr could give another woman in need a major confidence boost and thats just what they need when putting themselves out there to secure housing and employment
Thanks for sharing because overconsumption is a huge problem we have in America
I think you hit the nail on the head with this vid! Covered all of my initial thoughts and questions haha.
It does feel frustrating as a "normal" consumer that everything is setup for you to throw all of your money away on random stuff you dont need or want long term
As one of those poor people that don't have a choice about this, it does not offend me. Ironically, "underconsumption" makes me happy. It is the overconsumption that is offensive.
overconsumption...underconsumption...is there a normal consumption? In the world we live we need to consume to survive but that doesn't mean we need to prescribe to either extreme.
From the videos I’ve seen. Under consumption is just regular consumption.
I agree. I feel that underconsumption sometimes villainizes ANY excess at all when I think that maybe having one thing you collect or buy too much of as a hobby is normal. Like if you really enjoy makeup then buying several different shades of blush or mascara or whatever is fine, but if you do that plus 10 shampoos and conditioners, plus 10 water bottles, plus 10, I dunno, phone cases to match your water bottles, that's where the problem is.
Normal is different in different parts of the world. American consumption is not normal to someone living in say, rural Bulgaria.
Most of the “underconsumption” IS normal consumption. It’s just a word in response to overconsumption.
So true!
I really like the woman who called it "mindful consumption". It feels less pressured to have like...a limit or something on what you can buy. I have for sure seen some people doing underconsumption who also have a superiority thing, though. One in particular had little captions with snarky lines under it, like how she had a regular single pot coffee maker because she only needed regular coffee (I'm not explaining that very well...), when in reality a simple coffee maker versus a Keurig, one is not more moral than the other. It's only having one that makes it not overconsumption.
Definitely! Its not bad to want something if you like it and it brings value to your life (even if they value is good coffee 😅)
in an era of overconsumption when absolutely every platform you use is constantly marketing to you, influencing you and essentially normalizing continuous consumption, consuming normally is obviously going to be viewed as underconsuming. the pendulum swung hard in one way and has to swing hard in the other to potentially normalize a middle again
Overconsumption has started to give me a major ick. I have nothing wrong with collectors and think people should be able to do what they want with their funds. HOWEVER, shilling so many items, telling people they just NEED new items, or making others feel bad for not having so much is terrible. They only care about the money they can get. There are so few influencers I trust 100% these days.
I don't trust influencers even 10-15% anymore. I grew up online when the internet was fun, not a product placements job. That's what I enjoy more.
Tbh even collecting can veer into just downright hoarding at some point. Like the people who were collecting every color of Stanley cup? I’m not gonna give them a pass.
So true! I think it has really led to this icky feeling
Saying you only need one shampoo at a time is like saying you should only own one box of tea at a time. I usually have 2-3 different shampoos depending on what my hair's been like recently and I always have at least 3 kinds of tea at a time. I don't think there's anything wrong with that as long as you use it all before it goes bad 😉
I only use one shampoo at a time but I agree with you.
Agreed. There can be balance. I have a cute tumbler cup collection different colors. I have many sneakers in different colors To match my outfits. I won't purchase duplicate colors. I wear each one until it wears out and then I will buy a new one of that color to replace it. Lol I'm also that person with towels I've had for years. Some of the problem is people needing to be trendy and competing with other people. It can make you look at what you have and feel less than unless you "upgrade"
Fair! I think I was talking to myself in that example because I always think about the next hair product I want 😅
Love this video. Thanks for always keeping it real and relatable
On the various video essays I've seen on this topic I think yours was my favorite take.
Social media is a jungle, and younger people might feel like they need to name trends, lifestyles, etc to be able to navigate it and find their crowd. Searching for hashtags, topics, etc is after all how we find things in this day and age. So what if it's a "trend"? It will open the eyes to what overconsumption is and make people more aware, and I think that's a good thing. :)
That compilation of the overconsumption was scary
Right!
i feel like over/underconsumption has more to do with how frequently you buy things rather than how much stuff you own. i own ten lip products which feels like a lot but ive only bought 2 products in the last 3 years. overconsumers may have less decor but they are stuck in a buy/donate cycle
So true! And if you are using what you have or the buying makes you forget what you already have
Came for the discussion about overconsumption. Subscribed for the cute dogs
The cute dogs say thanks 🐺🐶
I hate how just acting normal needs to be a trend for people to do it... What happened to people actually having set morals and worldviews that don't fluctuate this drastically with time. People act like mindless drones nowadays it's seriously scary. People, get off of TikTok.. please...
I really don’t think this is any different than people following any other trend in history, it’s just the fact that the internet makes things change so much more rapidly by its very nature, because the communication is instant and worldwide.
I get that influancers consume for work reasons but a women's shelter or transitional house programs would really be able to make a lot of women in truly hard places feel a little bit better about themselves. Donating some of that pr could give another woman in need a major confidence boost and thats just what they need when putting themselves out there to secure housing and employment
Such a good point and doing something like that I think would have so many other positive effects
Has anyone ever told you, you look the actress that plays Jo in The Vampire Diaries. (Alarics wife).
Jodi Lynn O’Keefe
Omg no! What a compliment!! 🫶🏻