Overconsumption is a socio-cultural and economic phenomenon characterized by the continuous and excessive purchasing of goods and services beyond what is necessary or sustainable.
Today, Americans own twice as many cars, eat out twice as often, and own twice as many clothes as those in the 1950s, and according to the American Psychological Association, maintaining this lifestyle has had a high cost for the environment.
According to a report from the National Academies Press, each person generates about 287 pounds of plastic in the United States, gravely contributing to this environmental crisis.
Social media platforms, such as TikTok, are one of the key ways to promote overconsumption due to consumer dissatisfaction, allowing a capitalist society to thrive, according to a student report from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
“I see a lot of promotion on TikTok, and I’ve noticed that when people see things they like, they just buy them even though they don’t need them. I have even fallen victim to influence,” said Kaylin Leong, a business student at Carlmont High School.
TikTok is one of many social media platforms that have gained popularity in recent years. It runs on a short video format, featuring all media genres and encompassing 1.5 billion users globally.
“I have definitely bought things on TikTok after I saw them being promoted. I think overconsumption is a huge problem because we are so easily influenced these days by strong marketing tactics that we fall into the trap of addiction to these trends and always wanting the next new thing,” said Averie Chu, a marketing student at Carlmont High School.
TikTok first made its international debut in September 2016.
“One influencer tactic is an exchange tactic. Influencers give something in return for something else from their audience, such as giveaways for likes and engagement, or promoting discount codes for consumer goods in exchange for the revenue they gain from the companies they are partnering with,” Chu said.
The emergence of social media and its growth allow billions of people to share their content, and in doing so, they influence others and are being influenced themselves. According to Open Universiteit, social influence metrics include maximization, mobilization, word-of-mouth, and online reputation.
“Influencers make people think that they need to have materialistic items, making people think that if they have them, they will be happy,” said U’i Wailani Lobato, a sophomore at Carlmont High School.
A recent trend that has emerged on TikTok is the giant Elf Halo Glow lip gloss trend. This is where people empty their foundation tube to fill it with lip gloss, creating a larger lip gloss.
“It is a huge waste for people to buy things that most people end up not using. This is a common occurrence for almost every trend that pops up. People buy it, don’t use it, and then go and buy the next new thing,” Lobato said.
According to The Open University of Sri Lanka, influencing significantly impacts overconsumption rates, as a strengthened online brand-consumer relationship will ultimately affect their purchase behavior.
“Overconsumption is a problem because it is creating a lot of waste. It is unsustainable, and TikTok is a huge factor in creating this issue. Being a super fast-paced app, it is so easy to find and get hold of new products and follow new trends,” Leong said.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the fear of missing out (FOMO) is the human phenomenon of feeling or perceiving that other people are having fun, experiencing new things, or living a better life than one’s own.
Influencers on social media use certain words to touch on people’s FOMO, leading many people to fall victim to overconsumption.
“Some words influencers use are phrases such as: ‘I’m obsessed,’ ‘run don’t walk,’ ‘limited edition,’ and other appealing adjectives,” Leong said.
The literature piece “Scarcity Brain” by Michael Easter states that people fall into a scarcity loop that leads to many addictions, such as gambling, overeating, binge drinking, and overbuying. The loop stems from opportunity, unpredictable rewards, and quick repeatability, which ultimately triggers a scarcity mindset.
“Overconsumption is due to a lack of self-control and feeds off human insecurity. It is killing our planet,” Lobato said.
