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The Plague of Consumerism

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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.

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Tazeen Fatima
Jun 30, 2024

One of most prominent negative effect of consumerism on environment is wastage of plastic. The companies use excess amount of unnecessary packaging to make products attractive and high end. These excessive packaging add to the wastage of material which ends up in the land and waters which are essential reservoirs for the survival for humans and other organims. The media should play a role to control this trend of consumerism and do not associate certain products to the standard of living. It should promote simplistic lifestyle to avoid overspending and exploitation of masses.

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25020388
Jun 30, 2024
Replying to

Absolutely! You have highlighted an important issue. Consumerism has also made choosing to be environmental friendly an expensive option. For example using plastic bags is free but using paper bags or bags made with recyclable material cost money. 


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Nimrah
Nimrah
Jun 30, 2024

Your blog post highlights crucial issues about consumerism and its impact on the environment and society. It's eye-opening to see how our consumption habits can lead to such significant consequences. The example of the Stanley Cup collector illustrates how consumer culture can promote excess beyond necessity. Similarly, the popularity of fast fashion brands like Shein, despite their environmental toll, raises questions about our priorities.

Considering the environmental damage and social inequality exacerbated by overconsumption, what steps do you think individuals can take to reduce their consumerist tendencies and promote more sustainable practices in their daily lives?

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25020388
Jun 30, 2024
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Some steps that could work is promoting a minamisltic lifestyle. Since nowadays, people like to follow what is trending on social media, if a trend or video encouraging a minimalistic lifestyle goes viral, it will help with a sustainable lifestyle. Along with that, choosing quality or quantity and an overall shift in purchasing patterns can go a long way!

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Rida Salman
Rida Salman
Jun 30, 2024

This blog offers an insightful analysis of consumerism, emphasising its negative impact on both the environment and our well-being. It efficiently discusses how our desire for material goods frequently outweighs our actual requirements and so fuels social injustice and environmental destruction. I like the examples given, like the fast fashion industry and the Stanley Cup collection, which really go to show the adverse impacts of excessive consumption. Although you have presented a compelling case against consumerism, I think you could also explore how ethical consumer behaviour and industry advancements may mitigate the harmful effects of consumerism. How do you think businesses and individuals can work together to support sustainable consumption and still reap the rewards of economic growth and technological innovation?

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25020388
Jun 30, 2024
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Businesses should adopt sustainable practices and also invest in research and development to come up with sustainable alternatives to existing products. Since carbon emissions can not be completely stopped, businesses should make green investments and give back to the environment throught the profits they make from consumerism. 

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raomahmed26
Jun 27, 2024

While I agree consumerism has detrimental effects on the environment and the natural resources, a bigger matter of concern which infacts facilitates consumerism is the unequal distribution of wealth across the globe. The global distribution of wealth is heavily skewed. According to a report, the top 1% of the worlds population owns over 45% of the global wealth, whereas the bottom 50% owns less than 1%.  While on one side an american woman has enough funds to buy over 40 stanley cups, on the other side there are communitieis over communities that don’t even have access to clean water, what to talk about stanley cups. When an individual has more capital then they needs is when the notions of compulsive…

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25020388
Jun 30, 2024
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Your point that links inequality to consumerism is a crucial observation. Excessive consumption by the wealthy leads to grave consequences for the poor as they have limited access to basic necessities which can be avoided if this excessive wealth is transferred appropriately. 

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Kainat Saif
Jun 27, 2024

The fact you provided that it would need 5.2 planets to sustain us if everyone led an average American life is astounding and alarming! As someone who loves economics and how the global economy works, this piece was an interesting read. It is absurd how in the same world where a woman is matching Stanley cups to her outfit and a kid struggling to get a single glass of pure water exist together. I was a big fan of shein myself but their unsustainable practices and damaging the environment gave me an ick towards their products. This is taking us towards climate change and pollution and harming our environment.

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25020388
Jun 30, 2024
Replying to

I absolutely agree. Fast fashion needs to be avoided and boycotted because it is extremely wasteful considering there are people who lack basic necessities. Shifting from Shein to more sustainable options can be better for the environment. 

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