There is an ever-present urge permeating this country to buy more goods. New computers are replaced by newer computers. Clothing is replaced with new clothing for arbitrary reasons, such as a new design from a favorite brand. Many producers have intentionally ensured that satisfaction with what one already has can only be temporary. The replacement of these goods, offered for a higher price, is the only thing that can provide you with new and robust joy. In an increasingly advanced industrial society, I certainly endorse consumerism when necessary. If someone’s phone breaks and shatters into pieces, then it is fair to assume a new purchase is justified. The contention I have with consumer purchases comes when a good is replaced without any damage and discarded into mountains of technological waste. Unnecessary purchases like this are becoming more dangerous as the resources for components turn scarce.
Since we students are now young adults who are preparing to enter the workforce, I believe the importance of deciding which consumer habits are moral or immoral is necessary. We are exposed to the ritualistic practice of buying as a prerequisite to enter desired social spheres of influence. Whether you are a successful, part-time social media influencer or just seeking to join some extracurricular groups, unnecessary purchases may become mandatory. The difference between students who can afford excessive consumption and students who struggle under the pressure to keep up with colleagues or friends creates a class divide within campus communities. Binghamton University should be a place where class does not impact status. So, how did we get to this point? And what actions can be taken to improve this dynamic?
First, I will summarize some of the origins of modern consumerism. Technological progress from the 19th century to the 21st century has played an important role in molding society from a previous form of capitalism based upon monopolized products into modern capitalism, with more product variation and choice. As more private enterprises are created, improvements upon existing products are produced. But I want to point out a turning point that has led us to a divided consumerist society today. In the late 1920s, progress became synonymous with the desire to ascend the social hierarchy, replacing wants with more satisfying wants rather than making purchases solely to satisfy people’s most basic needs. When it comes to the actual origin of unjust consumerism, Juliet Schor, a sociology professor at Boston College, claimed in a guest opinion column for Vox in 2021 that “the key impetus for contemporary consumer society has been the growth of inequality, the existence of unequal social structures and the role that consumption came to play in establishing people’s position in that unequal hierarchy.” I strongly agree with this claim. I will now shift focus to arguing against modern consumerism.
Quickly, I want to mention the environmental impacts of consumerism. I believe that an important part of our job as students in academia is to advocate for environmental conservation and more equitable distribution of resources within the community. Consumerism is the antithesis to this philosophy. Let’s say that I want to go to Dunkin’ every morning because I can afford it, and it’s what my friends are doing. Well, the plastic cups and plastic straws that are wasted build up each time I make an additional purchase. This not only contributes to oceanic plastic issues, but also to a growing microplastics problem. If we are to be responsible citizens, at the minimum, we cannot play a role in environmental damage through overconsumption.
Many economists claim that material goods improve well-being for consumers, and therefore equate to happiness. However, materialists are not happier human beings. It is not the absolute value of the purchased good that is the problem. Rather, the unjustness of overconsumption comes from the role these goods play in one’s life. The purchase of a Canada Goose jacket for $600 or more is not necessary given the environmental impacts it will have when you discard it. If you only want to buy the jacket to glean increased artificial happiness from the relative social status it provides, you should not have purchased the jacket in the first place. As we are students trying to build a better world together, overconsumption is not just a social- and class-based status system being created via consumerism. It breeds jealousy and discontentment with each other, regardless of whether you have the means of making the purchase without harming your bank account. If you support environmentalist causes outside the classroom, deciding to purchase unnecessary goods from large corporations is inverse to your moral goals.
The surplus that we generate as students from internships or work can be extremely important in savings and investment. Producers want you and your friends to spend this money — they want to gain a surplus for themselves. The only way to prevent ourselves from falling into this predatory trap is to advocate for ourselves and our community to remain as abstinent as possible when it comes to obscene purchases of material goods. We must resist social media’s embedded advertisements and, more generally, be careful about influencer culture. As much as I like photography, I should resist the urge to purchase a ridiculously expensive camera that my favorite influencer is advertising on their page.
I’d like to conclude by suggesting some methods of reducing overconsumption. First of all, making an effort to reduce your consumption of plastic items throughout campus is an important and doable first step. Additionally, reusing clothing brands through thrift shopping or pushing yourself to pause large purchases for most of the year can be a significant contribution. If you have clothes to donate, giving them to donation centers can be a strong indirect incentive for other consumers to get clothing in more eco-friendly ways. Finally, we must resist the strong urge to associate consumerism with improvement.
Sean Reichbach is a freshman double-majoring in economics and philosophy, politics and law.