Mixed drinking glasses in the kitchen cupboard, worn-out shoes in the hallway. For many people, this is a completely normal situation in the household or wardrobe. However, the world looks different on social media. New products are held up to the camera and aesthetically furnished apartments are presented. Buy, buy, buy – almost every post conveys this message.
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A new Tiktok trend is now rebelling against the consumer craze on social media. It’s called “Underconsumption Core” and, in contrast to the trends usually presented there, it has nothing to do with new products.
Counter-proposal to overconsumption
The word core refers to a type of aesthetic style and concept. Clothing, furnishings, hobbies but also a certain lifestyle can be described in this way. Underconsumption Core acts as a kind of alternative to overconsumption, the excessive and wasteful behavior that is primarily experienced in Western societies. On the other hand, there is underconsumption, as it is referred to here.
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Unlike the minimalism trend, which is often focused on aesthetics, the influencers involved show unaesthetic Tupperware and almost empty makeup jars in their videos. The motto: Use what you already have until it breaks or runs out. Only then will something new be bought. Many users feel caught up in this trend because these influencers are finally showing what normal consumer behavior can look like beyond the Tiktok world.
But what does consumption actually give us? And can less of it also have positive effects on our well-being?
Why we like to consume so much
“In our society we are driven to consume,” explains Ingo Balderjahn. The professor of economics at the University of Potsdam researches renunciation and consumer behavior. Even as children, says the expert, we learn that consumption is something good and important. By the way, you can use it to impress others. Excessive purchasing behavior has become the norm in our society. Greenpeace Ocean Germans have around 5.2 billion items of clothing in their closet, 40 percent of which are hardly or not worn at all. “If someone consumes a lot, he or she doesn’t have to justify it. I have to explain myself more if I consume less,” says Balderjahn.
Consumption is an important part of our lives because, according to Balderjahn, it has more than just a functional use, as the example of clothing shows. “Our clothes not only keep us warm, they also say something about us.” Personal identity can thus be expressed. “With clothing I always communicate to the outside world who I am or what I want to be,” says Balderjahn.
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Consumption only increases happiness in the short term
And then the individual’s consumption behavior always has a positive effect, albeit a short one: “Buying gives us a small moment of happiness,” says Balderjahn. Happiness hormones are released – but it doesn’t make us permanently happy. The more often we feel this short-term joy when purchasing, the less it triggers us.
In his book, Ingo Balderjahn deals with the contradiction that many people see climate protection as a problem but still do not change their own consumer behavior.
Quelle: Oekom
In addition, ownership can also be stressful because you have to take care of your property. “If I sell my car, I no longer have to worry about repairs and pay for fuel and insurance. “That all goes away,” says Balderjahn. That can be liberating.
Only those who have money can do without
In order to become permanently happier, general well-being must be increased. The focus is on having the feeling that you are leading a meaningful life and finding fulfillment in it. Consciously abstaining from consumption can support this directly and indirectly. “When I voluntarily decide to consume less, I feel self-determined and independent. “I think it’s important what my friends say and think, but ultimately I want to form my own opinion,” explains the scientist. This strengthens your own self-empowerment. “Many people feel an additional boost in well-being and happiness as a result. They can identify better with their own lives and the meaning of their lives,” says Balderjahn.
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“When I voluntarily decide to consume less, I feel self-determined and independent.
Inog Balderjahn,
renunciation scientist
If you want to limit your consumption, it is important, Balderjahn emphasizes, that you do so voluntarily and consciously. “I can only do without if I have excess money. People who don’t have much money either way cannot be asked to do without. These are usually people who try to use their things for as long as possible because they simply don’t have the money to buy something new.”
Less consumption, more time
Those who consciously do without have a decisive advantage – namely more money to spend on other things. Well invested, donated or invested in leisure time, it increases well-being in the long term.
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Another positive side effect can be: “If I no longer need all the money to consume, then I no longer need to work as much,” explains Balderjahn. Because if I forego consumption, I need less to finance my life. You can then decide for yourself about this free time.”
Will the Underconsumption Core trigger a far-reaching rethink of consumer behavior? Probably not. But the Tiktok trend may make you think about whether your next purchase is really necessary – and what makes you happy, too.
