Underconsumption: An illusion of progress or a necessary evil?

Underconsumption is a new term people are using to try and reverse the damage of overconsumption. We're all so used to seeing massive hauls and shopping sprees that we just want to see the opposite; we want bare minimum lifestyles being portrayed on the internet. Or, at least, that's what I thought I would see. But it seems that underconsumption is really just...regular consumption. What has overconsumption done to our perception of shopping? Is underconsuption really helping with our shopping habits, or is it just another trend that will soon be forgotten? What actually counts as "underconsumption", and who makes that distinction? Today, I explore the interesting new trend that is underconsumption core, and touch on the psychological process humans have when it comes to the comparison and contrast of extremes, and how that alters our perception of value.

Music: Mint Leaves
Musician: Jeff Kaale

Music: Finding Movement
Musician: Kevin MacLeod

Music: This is life
Musician: Xuxiao

tags:tiktok, tiktok celebrities, tiktok influencers, social commentary, internet analysis, video essay, analysis video, consumerism,underconsumption, underconsumtioncore, minimalism, overconsumption, hello kitty, crumbl, consumer, addiction, substance, philosophy, hyppereality, shanspeare, jordan theresa, cj the x, tiffany ferg, alice cappelle, contrapoints, philosophy tube, madisyn brown, npc, npc trend, main character, main character syndrome, tube girl trend, that girl, filming in public, it girl, social psychology, psychoanalyze, psychology, overconsumption, stanley cup, skin care, aesthetics, social media, capitalism, trends, business, marketing, consumer psychology, valentines day, spring blue stanley cup, psychology facts, micro trend, trends

[marysjournal]

I agree with you. Sometimes I think if we delete social media, there won’t be any cores etc. and maybe everybody will focus on his own life.

[phoenixfritzinger]

I remember mid to late 10’s minimalism/zero waste stuff, been there done that made sure that nobody saw me throwing away all my not beige or grey T-shirts because they didn’t fit the aesthetic

[marynorton]

Maybe the real issue here is that the internet is hypercritical and people will nitpick at everything.

[MS-nigj]

Great thought points! I agree that healthy behaviors trending can be a good thing to raise visibility when it might not be seen otherwise. The common pitfalls I’d usually lay at the feet of our hyper competitive culture that social media eggs on to extremes. Consider how “minimalism” was co-opted into competitive extremes, with gatekeeping and shaming others for having more than an arbitrary number of items. All of it missing the point that consuming less is generally a good thing. How it manifests across the lives of different people with vastly different needs is less important.

[magicallgirll]

Great video! I haven’t seen anyone approach the topic through price anchoring, and it’s a very interesting take. I wish all the underconsumption girlies made no buys or challenges to use your things (like project pan) trendy. Videos that just show people’s old things just feel very self righteous. Besides, making something a trend really doesn’t address all of the inner issues that lead to FOMO and craving mini hits of dopamine. Can we make therapy a trend?

[Jackie-clqe]

My problem with trends like this is the gatekeeping. Its like a club for granola girls, and if you don't do it right, you can't sit. It's more judgemental than the minimalism trend, Marie Kondo is a girls girl. Some disabled people need plastic straws or single use hygiene products. Some can't afford plastic free organic stuff. Sometimes bullying works, but most times it doesn't.
Underconsumptioncore feels so liberal. Like, using products completely and things until they break is a trend to you?
Love your videos 💗

[Silentstillwater]

That intro omg if I did this it would be how to encorporate nature into crafts and about nature and would be free on yt-
Also I am very familiar with overconsumption where they buy thousands of items nobody needed and does a restock of them in boxes or shelves if I ever did these “restocks” it would be normal amounts of items I usually run out of on my craft list like erasers keep losing them refills of 1 paint box full of paint colors craft kits paintbrushes to replace old crusty musty ones I couldn’t save a few markers to replace dried markers some paper watercolors and that’s it if I did anything else it would be normal amounts of items I need on a daily basis I run out of a lot if it lasts for a while i probably won’t restock it if I do it would be literally just a second version of the item no other things I would also do a nature bin restock ( a bin I use for nature related crafts) where ya go outside get rocks cool leafs pinecones animal fur leftover flowers grass a few insects for I want a new pet I promise I’ll take care of reasons (insects will happen rarely if I do it probably it’ll be a millipede ROLY poly or praying mantid) and ye dats it

[onethousandwords]

Wow, this was really thoughtful. I was immediately struck by your intro and then got that first ad that was exactly like what you parodied. I remember first looking for minimalism videos to see how I could emotionally learn to want less, or to understand how to balance a desire to den up my home. Those feelings come from the force of advertising sometimes, but also from the scars of ever being in a place of need (poor, debt, loss of a loved one). I found a lot more creators who espouse purchases I would never make (replace all your cutlery with this one expensive super tool!) as the cornerstone of their methods, than those who really talk about what they had to confront and overcome in a vulnerable way. Is it just too difficult to be that vulnerable in a medium that is never NOT public? Maybe. I think when thinking about underconsumption as a trend, the focus is about creators trying to profit from creating, not the casual poster. And you can't separate creating for profit from the rubric for profit: product placement, funneling leads, optimizing content for residuals. It doesn't mean these creators are ill-intentioned. It does mean they're in a box, and can only see how to share with their audience in that box. As the audience, the more we become aware of these limitations, the more we can consume information with a grain of salt. That's what will really educate consumers - understanding more of the business of how content is created.

[natt]

0:30 plot twist it was actually an MLM

[yeeyeeyeeye]

I guess my problem with it is that much like de-influencing and minimalism before it, the trend does not actually fix the core reason why we overconsume in the first place, which is a mixture of other problems that social media has exacerbated such as FOMO; ads being shoved down our throats 24/7; app developers hiring psychologists to help make their users become addicted to the app to make them stay longer; or social media influencers putting a false and unattainable version of themselves online and not disclosing it; or just even depression and mental illness. Making it a trend is like putting a bandaid on a clogged faucet.
Also, where DO all the mugs come from? Is there a fairy that hides a mug in your cabinets when you sleep, like the tooth fairy?