Picture this: a little girl is scrolling through TikTok in her hand-me-down pajamas while drinking out of a cup she bought from Walmart. She scrolls upon a video of an influencer showing off their collection of Stanley cups in every color of the rainbow. She clicks on their profile and is met with videos of clothing hauls from expensive brands and skincare videos using ten serums with five face masks. She thinks to herself, “this person looks beautiful and successful, so clearly I need all of the things they have.”
This thinking process unfortunately plagues the minds of people all around, especially those on social media. The buying and hoarding of unnecessary products that occurs in these videos is called overconsumption. It’s when someone uses or owns more resources than they need. This leads to problems with the environment, inflation, and the mentality of the people participating.
No one needs their cups to perfectly match their outfit. Too much skincare and makeup will only make their skin worse. These products expire, same with food and other commonly hoarded items. This creates so much unneeded waste when their owner inevitably has to throw these unused products away.
When an excess of products is bought, a rise in price is likely to occur. This is why some Stanley cups are being sold for prices in the hundreds. Add on the price of all of the cup accessories TikTok influencers are claiming everyone needs, and buyers can quickly find themselves with a substantial lack of money.
There are videos of shoppers fighting and racing for Stanley cups. They push, trip and punch just to buy multiples of these cups so no one else can get them. It’s absolutely obvious that they already own a Stanley, they just want to collect even more. Their injuries and tears are absolutely not worth a cup that they already have, especially when there are better and cheaper options out there.
Some people say this happens because buying these products makes them feel successful. These collections are a modern day status symbol. It can also make them feel included because they can connect with other people through their love for these types of items. Shopping becomes their only hobby, especially because they’ll no longer have the funds to participate in anything else.
It’s important to remember that moderation is key. Shopping and collecting can be fun, but too much of it does more harm than good. Some people rely on these huge hauls of items for sponsorships and money, but that’s because it’s their job. For the average consumer that does not make money from showing off products on the internet, there is no excuse for this overconsumption.
The mentality of feeling like these large amounts of products are ideal will lead people to a lifestyle of hoarding. Shopping can become their main comfort and it will lead them down a dangerous path. People enforcing this type of consumerism should be criticized and the videos should not be engaged with. The next time someone is about to buy an overabundance of anything, they should take the time to ask themselves, “do I really need this?”
