In the age of social media, it’s common for people to buy items mindlessly and throw them away after one use. This essay will explore the underlying reasons of consumerist culture and effective ways to bring awareness to society, how it’s affecting our planet.
The reason why consumerist culture is huge nowadays is due to technology. It has become normal to purchase a large amount of items and not use them again, instead treating them as souvenirs. Influencers on social media platforms are making it usual to go shopping every single week. Therefore, the ordinary people who are consuming this kind of content, develop a mindset of thinking that overshopping fine. Then, they feel like the clothes or the electronic gadgets that they already have are not enough and have an urge to purchase more. Moreover, it’s important to note that buying things uncontrollably has become the symbol of showing your own wealth to others. In that way, individuals can feel satisfaction in their life through the attention others have given them.
Numerous people have been showing their dislike of throw-away culture and bringing awareness to how it could negatively affect our planet. Our Earth has tons of garbage that cannot be recycled. The harm that we do is disturbing the ecosystem and accelerating the rate of climate change. In recent years, there’s been a trend going around on TikTok, which is “frugal chic”. “Frugal chic” refers to a kind of woman who is not easily influenced by trends and refuses overconsumption. As the trend got popular, there have been numerous content creators doing that as a challenge. Moreover, there’s been a “let me de-influence you” trend where creators would share their own opinions on popular items that are trending at the moment. Therefore, you won’t buy products just because they’re popular, and throw them away after one use.
In conclusion, if the rise of throw-away society was due to social media platforms, it could also be a reason of why it fell. Content creators should use their huge platform to bring awareness to how overconsumption ruins our planet, and influence others to live a normal lifestyle.
