Two years ago, Maddie Ziegler went on Cosmopolitan and was prompted to guess how much a bag of Cheetos cost. Her answer, "$8…$10...more?" prompted dialogue surrounding how out-of-touch celebrities are. However, now even regular TikTok users seem to be losing their grip on how much money they should spend or items they should own, causing an uproar in the "underconsumption" trend. The trend begs the question, is the average consumer on track to change their spending habits, or is this another blip of "minimalism" that will soon be overshadowed by new adverts and marketing?
A morbid curiosity of mine has always been shopping addictions. My Mother used to always have the show "Hoarders" playing in the living room, and I quickly became fascinated with it, specifically the houses themselves. Despite being messy in my teen years, one day, the switch flipped, and a mess in my room would cause me to lose sleep. Though I no longer watch the show, I occasionally get suggested the r/shoppingaddiction page on Reddit and browse it occasionally. On the forum, there are hundreds of stories of people burdened by thousands of dollars in debt; however, something interesting is that many people say that paying off their debt is only half the battle. TikTok user @yourinnersparkpod often speaks about her $40,000 in credit card debt on her page; however, she is also open about the fact that she has been in debt multiple times and has managed to pay it off. She has amassed over 50k followers, with a huge spike after her initial video went viral.
Despite the wave of overconsumption that social media and influencer culture have fueled, there is now a push for underconsumption. Underconsumption-core is a social media phenomenon that encourages TikTok users to share their sustainable spending habits. It peaked this past summer and served as a countermovement to the overconsumption of influencer spending. The trend includes videos of people listing off ways that they shop or buy products. Some of the rules include the following: finish the bottle of perfume before buying a new one, have 5 or fewer makeup products at a time, and repair clothes rather than throw them away. It was a refreshing moment when it was suddenly cool to live below your means; however, the question is whether this will inspire genuine change or fade into the background like other minimalist fads.
Many of Gen Z's conceptions of minimalism begin with Marie Kondo and her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing; however, minimalism is not a newfound countermovement. Instead, it is a long-held belief that "less is more," is integral to religions, lifestyles, and even architectural styles. Minimalism finds its roots in Buddhism. The Four Nobel Truths, which is the central feature of the religion, all encourage mindful and content living. Minimalism is framed as a path to find meaning and contentment in life. Other religions even frame minimalism as a moral goodness, the opposite of greed. It is essential to understand that even though the commodification of an organized life was packaged in an aesthetic of 'minimalism' in the 2010s, its cultural importance and relevancy far outlives Tumblr, TikTok, and the internet itself.
Returning to the trend itself, it feels very hollow. Most people in the world are not living like influencers, and those who try to learn very quickly know how unrealistic it truly is. So, though on a small scale, it is encouraging to see regular people take to social media, displaying their normal lives as something 'trendy' and therefore desirable, and the movement itself fizzled out quickly. In the end, the trend collapsed in and on itself, with influencers parodying regular people's lifestyles. That is the core of why trendiness will never make a substantial change in internet culture – influencers profit off of trends. As long as we, as a collective, romanticize the lifestyles of influencers and celebrities, the majority of people will not find full contentment; however, what I can appreciate from the trend is how it highlights the craziness of constant consumerism. In the comments of the videos, many people even claim that the rules stated are just regular 'consumption.'
Though the trend itself did not seem to target the dismantling of influencer culture, it is the only real way to target these issues. Though shopping additions, debt, and living above your means have always existed, now it is glamorized and sold to regular people. When thinking about "Hoarders," I imagine most watchers' takeaway would be that it is dangerous to buy too much stuff; while on social media, this overconsumption is inevitable to face and is seen as something to work towards. Even now, micro-influencers post their PR hauls, saying that everyone should just start posting like an influencer to live like them. By searching for 'lifestyle inspo' online, we are robbing ourselves of the sacredness of present living; instead of looking to influencers to tell us how to live, why don't we ask our parents, our siblings, our friends, or even our partners?
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