Less Is More: What Is 'Underconsumption Core'?
Less Is More: What Is 'Underconsumption Core'?
02:05
22. Okt. 2024 03:35
Beschreibung
"Less is more," they say. And a new social media trend is supporting this idea by encouraging people to stop buying new things, and use what they already have. "Underconsumption core" content shows people using items and wearing clothes they've had for a long time, instead of buying new things often promoted by influencers. In the last decade or so, social media has become the home of influencer marketing, where popular content creators use their platforms to promote products to their followers. This might be anything from showing clothes they've recently bought to opening — or "unboxing" — new products and reviewing them. According to Statista, 28% of TikTok users bought products influenced by celebrity content in 2022. But some people are growing tired of being told what to buy. Diana Wiebe, a TikTok creator and self-named "de-influencer," went viral in 2023 when she posted a video of herself reacting to an influencer shopping at Target, an American discount retail chain. In the video, Wiebe can be seen calling almost every item she sees "garbage," adding, "You don't need that." Many TikTok users supported her message in the comments. Talking to Atlanta-based Scripps News, Wiebe explained that the new trend is "a direct rejection of overconsumption." Another TikTok creator, Sabrina Pare, is sharing the same message to her 250,000 followers through videos showing her using items she's had for years, as well as reusing old materials and wearing secondhand clothes. The content shows followers how underconsumption saves money and is better for the environment. A 2017 report estimated that 83 million metric tons of shoes and clothing was thrown away in 2015, and that could increase to 134 million metric tons by 2030. While Wiebe told Scripps News that companies making new products may have the biggest impact on the environment, she added, "If we consume less, they're not going to produce as much, and hopefully there will be less waste as well."
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