On April 22, 2016, 175 global nations signed The Paris Agreement, aiming to strengthen the global response to climate change.
“Earth Day” was created in 1970 to bring environmental protection onto the national political agenda following the American public’s concern, mainly over industrial pollution. The Santa Barbara oil spill happened in 1969, the environmental impact killing thousands of sea animals and causing widespread ecological damage.
However, before the incident happened, there had been numerous occasions where the concern over the lack of environmental protection increased. The Industrial Revolution in the late 1700s marked the beginning of large-scale pollution due to increased use of burning fossil fuels factories necessitated. Key periods of mass consumerism sparked in the 20s, the 50s, the 80s and now in the 21st century.
But how did consumerism arise throughout these time periods? A booming economy, of course. Americans have always “consumed” in the physical sense—it’s a necessity for life. Food, water, shelter and clothes are all key, and these aspects are also the base for Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: survival. Now, it seems that “necessity” has shifted in the modern day to a psychological sense, perhaps due to cultural and social pressure and advertising done by companies. The idea that modern-day consumerism has shifted from necessity to satisfaction suggests a trend within consumerism: people are often drawn to novelty.
Scientific research was actually conducted over this phenomenon. Our brains respond stronger to things we’ve never experienced before, releasing dopamine when it deems something as good, according to Dr. Sylvain Moreno, a professor of neuroscience at Simon Fraser University.
That release of dopamine is what typically drives mass consumerism, especially in the recent decades. The “#haul” tag has been used over 24.4 billion times on TikTok, a mixture of fast-fashion, beauty and home goods hauls. Fast-fashion hauls are the most prominent, with brands like Temu and Shein being the masterminds behind the fast-growing trend.
On the other hand, a different kind of haul has been resurfacing these past few decades: thrift hauls. Traditionally, thrift stores aimed to provide affordable, easy-access clothing to the needy and to aid in funding charitable missions.
With the increase of thrift haul videos across multiple social media platforms like Instagram, Tiktok or Youtube, the rapid popularity rise of thrifting stems from its cheaper, more diverse aspect. Some may say thrifting is a sustainable way to help minimize our carbon footprint associated with manufacturing.
According to Capital One Shopping research, thrifting has grown 143.5% in popularity since 2018.
But with the excitement of cheap prices and never-ending clothing, people tend to purchase more than they can use—that’s when overconsumption can occur. Rather than benefitting and helping the environment, it may circle back to square one. In an attempt to underconsume and help the environment, you may end up overconsuming instead.
You may have heard of underconsumption, specifically underconsumption core. But what is “underconsumption core?” Underconsumption core is an ongoing Tiktok-driven trend in which influencers or anyone posting on the internet showcase the benefits of buying less and using more. Not only does it emphasize minimalism, sustainability and financial savings, many users appear to be drawn to this eco-friendly lifestyle. However, some critics could argue that underconsumption can have downsides such as financial hardships or personal challenges in certain contexts.
What about underconsumption’s polar opposite?
“Overconsumption core” highlights the excessive and rapid production of goods that are usually non-essential to consumers, usually showcased through “haul” videos. However, overconsumption can also be linked to economic growth, job creation and occasional stress-relief for some consumers.
Underconsumption and overconsumption are much more similar than we think. When they’re both viewed through the perspective of social media, they both are often driven by a conscience to be keeping up with the latest trends, whether it be buying a lot or buying very little.
However, with the creation of Earth Day, it transformed from an American-based protest to a global movement. It educated the public not only on pollution and climate change, it also drove policy changes beyond America. In 1991, a Swedish Inventor named Thomas Lindhqvist, invented the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR, in order to hold companies accountable for potential waste.
In 2022, the EU Strategy for Sustainable Textiles was created to make wasted textiles durable, repairable and free of hazardous materials by 2030. This approach targets microplastics and holds producers accountable for waste.
To get to the core of this, Earth Day’s impact expanded far beyond protests and shopping sustainably. Various policies and laws were created in order to better protect the Earth and to better reduce pollution and waste caused by humans. Whether it’s buying less or buying “green,” Earth Day is a holiday celebrated beyond April 22. Environmental efforts are happening daily, it could be someone creating eco-bricks for houses in third-world countries or someone simply thrifting. Earth Day sheds light on sustainability, action and awareness—rethinking not only what we do or buy, but why we do or buy it at all.
