It is inevitable that we live in a world of extremes as well as abundance. When it comes to what we are exposed to through the Internet, a hidden message is passed on to us that we need more. More clothes, food, everything. This illustrates that there is a void that no amount of goods can fill, even though we have much more than we did in the previous decades. Psychology as well as neuroscience reveals that this is not just a simple mishap and it is the way it is for a specif

In the years of literature and art, beauty has been called many. It’s been called a truth, a youth, a goal, a terror. Today - in the times of capitalism, consumption and the Internet - the way humans perceive beauty, what comes to their mind when they hear this word - it’s changed. Beauty does not seem to be assigned to something artistic or creative anymore. How and why has this mutated? by_lamees, Pinterest https://pin.it/2FQ3OvVMI  In one of her novels, Sally Rooney has wr

Have you ever seen influencers making videos of those enormous shopping hauls? It is almost certain that you have more than once at that. Those posts may seem harmless at first glance. People have money so they spend it, right? Unfortunately the issue is far more complex than you think. Alonso, Miriam. 26 Jan. 2021, www.pexels.com/photo/ethnic-blogger-showing-sweater-while-recording-video-on-smartphone-7585797/ . Accessed 24 Oct. 2025. Social media quickly became the main str

What is consumerism? According to ‘Oxford Languages’, consumerism is a preoccupation of society with the acquisition of consumer goods. This social attitude is based on a constant belief that items are a source of joy. It results in buying new goods very frequently in order to increase the quality of life. People suffering from consumerism do not search for advantages in intangible aspects of life and are very likely to purchase too many gadgets so as to improve their social

A Parable The dreaded time of year is nigh. The guests are to arrive in a little over an hour. You begin to stew in your own thoughts and examine everything around you from ten different angles. Little by little, doubts start to spring into your mind about your surroundings. Does that show I am sophisticated enough? Is that too gaudy? Shouldn’t I have picked out something more original? The thoughts morph into a downward spiral. What if they consider me tacky? Will they think

Why do trends nowadays disappear within a week? Why are microtrends destroying the meaning of fashion? Then and now There was a time when fashion had only two seasons —spring/summer and fall/winter. New collections of clothes were coming out twice a year, so designers had much time to refine new pieces. Access and demand for trends increased throughout the 21st century, so the rise of fast-fashion production made it possible to create and sell a much larger volume of clothing

The Roaring Consumption The 1920s were a decade of glitter and excess, an age of jazz, dancing, and newfound freedom. After the First World War, America was booming. Factories produced more than ever, cities grew, and people believed there were no limits to success. It was a time when wealth became a symbol of happiness, and consumerism turned into a new religion. The more you owned, the more you were. This was the age of the “American Dream,” when everyone wanted to be someo

Feels too personal? In recent years, we have observed skyrocketing numbers of people ordering things they do not even need. Every day, we encounter influencers presenting their shopping hauls. Tempted by eye-catching packaging as well as the wonderful benefits of the products, these almost instantly appear in our carts. Why do we do that? There are many factors that cause this never-ending cycle. Let’s look through them and see how it can be prevented.  Pyper, Brittanie. “How

The definition Consumerism is generally considered to be a socio-cultural phenomenon of the modern industrial societies that is:  “[Consumerism] characterised fundamentally by commodification and the excessive preoccupation of society with the purchase of goods and services, spawned by the creation of unnecessary needs and excessive advertisements. Marketers entice consumers to increasingly purchase such commodities even though the need for such products may not necessarily e

When familiar places become a prison rather than a pleasure Home is supposed to be a place of genuine comfort, but why has it been assumed it is more like a mirror of everything that we are expected to be? We may be illustrated as the emotionally intelligent human beings who listen and soothe. The reliable friend who always shows up, or maybe even the disappointment who never quite measures up despite doing everything that can be done, but still somehow is not enough. These r

“Hit the road” they said. Explore. See the world. But what if the world I’m interested in isn’t the one with flights or mountains or seaside towns, but a place where the streets are made of paragraphs and the skies are filled with metaphors? What if my journey didn’t begin with a suitcase, but with a library card? That’s how I ended up in Maycomb, Alabama. A town where summer is endless, justice is unpredictable, and children ask better questions than adults do. Harper Lee’s

Have you ever travelled to an utterly unfamiliar place or country? Is there any proper way to prepare for such a trip so as to lift some...

Language is simply more than just a principal method of human communication - it is the genuine key to understanding culture, building relationships and expressing identity.  It is one of the most crucial facets when it comes to shaping our thinking, feelings and interactions. Frankly, there is no getting away from the fact that it is both a bridge and a barrier. Although I personally haven’t struggled with language barriers to a significant extent, I have seen the suffering 

Culture is an inherent part of humanity. Along with biological evolution, we started to evolve socially, creating various cultures...

„雞同鴨講 ” (jī tóng yā jiǎng)    - This phrase describes miscommunication between people, due to their differences, such as language...

© 2008, by Gouvernement des Canaries What do Asturian cider, Nôgaku theatre, and Arabic calligraphy have in common? They have all been...

Majority of people travel to discover cities, visit museums or take photos of various well-known monuments. Nature is so often omitted in...

Whales, the majestic creatures roaming the oceans of the Earth. What if I tell you it was not always like that? Unlike sharks, who’ve...

In the face of the progressing climate catastrophe and the increasing number of armed conflicts around the world, which are the evidence...

Have you ever wondered why your life seems so dull compared to the pop culture icons? Well, the life of teenagers in films tends to be...