The dark side of consumerism
- Pola Galińska
- Oct 27
- 4 min read
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 status and feel good with themselves.
The mechanism of consumerism
A lot of people know what consumerism actually is, but how many of them are able to present its mechanism? Well, the answer for this question is not specific. It highly depends on personal experiences, one’s critical thinking, education or even economic & cultural context. For example, people in well-developed countries are more likely to become victims of consumerism because they are more implicated in its culture. However, societies with lower levels of education are less aware of the harmful consequences of consumerism.
Consumerism creates a tricky economic system that encourages people to buy more items. The whole process wouldn’t be possible without advertising, manipulation and social pressure. “You will be happier if you own a particular gadget.”- This is the motto of consumerism.
Pros and cons of consumerism
Consumerism is often regarded as an unambiguously negative term. Nevertheless, it also has some advantages. Let’s take a look at them.
Reduces unemployment rate
Producing new products as well as advertising them requires workers. Consumerism can fill market gaps, and consequently create more jobs for people.
Creates fair prices
Nowadays, there is a competition among different companies for customers. Since the purpose of consumerism is to encourage people to buy various products, it creates a market where you can search for better prices.
Allows companies’ development
Consumerism increases sales, making profits for businesses. It leads to the increase of the nation’s wealth.
Among the positive effects of consumerism, there are also a few shortages. The most major of them are listed below.
Negative impact on the environment
Producing goods requires resources. While a lot of them are renewable, there are some which you cannot use again (e.g. coal or oil). Excessive resource mining unfortunately leads to climate changes and pollution.
Superabundance of waste
Since lots of products are disposable or obsolete, people keep on buying them multiple times which leads to the surplus of waste.
Emotional manipulation
The most harmful goal of consumerism is to manipulate people in order to make them purchase particular products. It is often used in commercials. Happiness is associated with material goods. This tricky technique hurts you emotionally and financially.
The most common examples of consumerism
The examples of consumerism can be seen in everyday situations. Here are some of them.
Have you ever known a person who had a new model of an iPhone every year? This is probably because they were deeply immersed in consumerism. The electronic industry is a developing sector of the world’s economy. For this reason, it is very easy to promote consumerism through it. And who wouldn’t like to own the newest devices?
The car industry is another sector where consumerism is very common. Vehicles have always been in extremely high demand, after all. Varnished luxury cars are mesmerizing which makes people desire them. It is a perfect opportunity to manipulate others.
And last, but not least, the food industry is the one which is the most preoccupied with consumerism. We are deceived by marketing experts every day. Colorful, vivid packages almost force us to buy different products, even if we do not need them. It happens because we connect food with pleasure. In this case even the meanest people become wasteful.
Labubu - the most up-to-date example of consumerism
Labubu (in some cases Lafufu) is the most current example of consumerism. This seemingly casual plushie is one of the most demanded products on the market. According to ‘Demand Sage’, in 2024, Pop Mart’s revenues have increased to 1.8 billion USD just from selling Labubu. What is the most surprising is that 60% of Labubu shoppers are women aged 25-34.
Summary
Consumerism is a rather harmful social attitude which hurts you emotionally, financially and psychologically. While it can fill market gaps and create fair prices, it has definitely too many drawbacks. That is why we should avoid it as much as we can.
Page design: Asya Chub
Bibliography
Paul Krugman, Master Class, “Consumerism Definition: Examples, Pros and Cons” (accessed on 4th October 2025) Consumerism Definition: Examples, Pros and Cons - 2025 - MasterClass
Adam Hayes, Investopedia, “Understanding Consumerism: Impact, Benefits, and Drawbacks” (accessed on 4th October 2025) Understanding Consumerism: Impact, Benefits, and Drawbacks
Naveen Kumar, Demand Sage, “Labubu Statistics 2025- Global Sales Data & Trends” (accessed on 4th October 2025) Labubu Statistics 2025 – Global Sales Data & Trends
Oxford Languages (accessed on 4th October 2025) Oxford Languages | The Home of Language Data
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