The Plague of Consumerism

In this consumerist social era, many people want to acquire more things and services than they need for survival or to conform to conventional status symbols. To suggest that the desire for material gain inevitably leads to unhappinesswould be oversimplified, given the state of the research to far. While the most joyful individuals are those who are least materialistic, some research suggests that materialists may be almost as happy if they are wealthy and their materialistic lifestyle doesn't interfere with other soul-satisfying activities.

Do you know that we would require 5.2 planets to sustain us if every person on Earth led an average American life? One glaring example of consumerism is the Stanley Cup craze. An American woman has collected over 40 Stanley Cups. Why does anyone need that many cups? Stanley Cups were designed to be durable, so they can be used for as long as one wants. But somehow, it managed to fall victim to Western consumerism. This woman literally coordinates her outfits with a similar coloured Stanley cup.

Another example is that of Shein. An affordable brand of fast fashion that is littering the world at an alarming rate. In terms of online sales, Shein has surpassed industry titans like Zara and Macy's and surpassed Nike and Adidas as the most Googled apparel brands. However, a number of stories over the last year have exposed the company's startling history of using an environmentally unsustainable business model, causing many to question how its customer base is still so overwhelmingly popular. 

The 20th century saw the rise of the fast fashion sector as production costs fell down as synthetic textiles like nylon and polyester gained popularity. Customers gain from fast fashion as they may frequently get the newest, stylish clothing at reasonable costs. Fast fashion, however, is beset by issues that affect both people and the environment, including as poor pay, forced labour, and a disregard for the environment.

Climate change is happening faster now because of our unsustainable consumption patterns and expanding population. In other words, we are overindulging. The quantity of waste we produce and the amount we continue to buy overwhelms our landfills. Overconsumption can lead to excess waste and contamination in the environment. Serious environmental effects from this might include loss of habitat, air and water pollution, and climate change. Excess consumption has the additional drawback of potentially escalating social and economic inequality. Pollution and the loss of natural resources are two detrimental outcomes of consumerism. The consumer society cannot continue to operate in this manner. Over 70% of Earth's natural resources are now being overused by humans.

In the end, consumerism has detrimental effects on the entire world by entwining itself with the typical, perhaps oblivious global citizen. Users' screens are illuminated by advertisements and influencers, who employ aesthetic appeal to promote compulsive buying. Spending like this fuels devastation to the environment and abuse of the resources and labour of poor nations halfway around the globe. Although one person cannot fix this situation, they may increase awareness of the long-term effects of an instant-gratification lifestyle by stepping back from online influence in the form of social media postings and advertisements.