The art of the minor inconvenience has been lost to Sephora subscriptions, must-have tools and every influencer’s “holy grail” product that claims to fill hyperbolic voids in life.  

While spending is experiencing pitfalls due to high inflation rates influencing consumer sentiment, American consumers are still spending their money at unprecedented rates. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average household spending increased by 25% from 2019 to 2024. West High AP Economics teacher Tyson Smith believes that this trend can be mainly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“There was what economists refer to as pent-up demand, and that means people had money saved up because they had spent less during COVID for the most part. They were itching and eager to go spend money on experiences that they’d missed out on,” Smith said.

Rooted in modern capitalism, a system where economic production is in the control of private owners, overconsumption is the excessive purchasing of commodities. Cheaper production rates lead to product surpluses, prompting consumers to spend more than necessary. Not only have technological advances led to accelerated production and increased consumerism, but these goods are targeted and tailored to attract audiences through online advertisements.

While stable consumer spending is necessary to avoid economic decline, its implications are prevalent through environmental degradation, long-term economic instability and loss of identity as short-lived trends dictate spending.

Overconsumption occurs when product consumption exceeds the norm for a society. Dr. Rob Rouwenhorst, the Director of Marketing and Associate Professor at the University of Iowa, highlights how marketing targets the dynamic cycles of consumer spending.

“Overconsumption is [a] cultural norm. If everyone decides, ‘Let’s upgrade our phones monthly,’ that [would be] overconsumption. But if I’m an Apple or Samsung shareholder, I’d be like, ‘Awesome! People are upgrading their phones all the time,’” Rouwenhorst said. “Advertising can change norms, [and it] can lead to overconsumption, or material accumulation.”

Smith agrees with Rouwenhorst on the influence of advertising on purchasing habits. Smith cites a decreasing national savings rate as a marker of a culture that prioritizes spending. 

“The U.S. average household income is high compared with a lot of countries, and the percent that we spend is pretty high. Our national savings rate has diminished over the past several decades, and firms’ spending on advertising has increased along with it,” Smith said. “Big corporations spending on advertising causes us to buy more stuff and then embeds that expectation in our culture.”

The average American only saved 4.4% of their disposable income in 2025, compared to the European Union citizens’ average of 14.5% in 2024. Smith theorizes that by prioritizing immediate spending, Americans are risking financial stability. 

“For some people, [that] involves living a little beyond their means, or practices involving borrowing and spending for big products in ways that can get them into financial difficulty,” Smith said.

With recent technological advancements and strategic marketing, there has been an increase in compulsive buying. One 2024 study found that higher social media and television use among teenagers is correlated with an increased likelihood to compulsively shop. Rouwenhorst describes how advertising is highly strategic and is often driven to appeal to specific audiences.

“One of the things that we talk about in marketing class is figuring out the right groups of customers that you want to go after. If I’m selling beef in the industry, vegans are not a market I want to go after,” Rouwenhorst said.

Targeted advertisements are a driving force in overconsumption. In 2024, the American automated technology, or programmatic advertising industry, was worth $197.22 billion, a $42.12 billion increase from 2023. These advertisements are sold automatically to target audiences, using data collected from their browsing habits and other personalized information. Rouwenhorst observes that advertisers are leveraging digital advertising through various social media algorithms. 

“[Gen Z is] spending hours on the most powerful social media platforms. So if I’m trying to generate a response in high schoolers, then I’m putting my ads on TikTok and YouTube,” Rouwenhorst said.

Technology-driven marketing shapes many teens’ personal experiences on social media. Ines Rahmouni ’26 cites her social media feed as a major influence on her shopping habits. 

“My most-used apps [are] Pinterest, TikTok and Instagram. When I’m bored, I’ll go on Pinterest, and that influences [me] a lot,” Rahmouni said. “[I] see a lot of pictures of cute outfits or makeup looks, and it makes me want to buy what they’re wearing or using.”

Rahmouni’s sentiment is shared across a generation. Between classes, students scroll through TikTok Shop, where advertisements ranging from White Fox’s polyester-cotton blend hoodies to the newest Snoopy Owala water bottle fill the screen. Video feeds packed with new releases make their way into teenagers’ lives and easily grab their attention.

Companies often try to drive up sales by capitalizing on younger audiences via social media, resulting in over 17% of total e-commerce today deriving from social media links. In addition, 84% of consumers tend to view a brand’s social media page before making a purchase. Omnia Ali ’26, an employee at American Eagle, describes how she has witnessed these trends taking over stores.

“We had sweaters [at American Eagle] that were filled with pink bows,” Ali said. “The time they put them in stores was far after the trend. It was not as popular, and people didn’t buy it as much because the trend had already passed.”

Many of these trends — ranging from pink bows to eight-balls and cherry patterns — are short-lived. Others, however, become iconic staples for many students, blurring the line between social fad and timeless fashion. Ali experienced this when UGG footwear regained popularity several years ago.

“It makes someone feel like they fit in if they see a lot of other people wearing something [similar],” Ali said. “For example, I never saw [Tasman UGGs] and [never] thought it was something that I’d want to buy. But then, when I saw a lot of other people wearing it, I [was] like, ‘Oh, it’s cute. I should buy it.’”

However, unlike the UGG boots, some brands don’t stay in the limelight as long. Water bottles have recently become a contested item. Social media influencers film videos flaunting their extensive collections of Stanley Cups as they strive to collect as many colorways as possible. Others, such as Rahmouni, aren’t as loyal to the brand but instead want to keep up with the new “it” bottle. Owala water bottles are surging in popularity, particularly among teenagers. With strategic brand marketing and prices, Owala is able to sell its water bottles without having to mark down products.

“I have an Owala, and I also have a Stanley at home. I used to have a Hydro Flask when it was a thing, and now no one has it anymore. Seeing more people having an Owala made me want an Owala. My Hydro Flask works perfectly fine, but I just want to stay on the trend,” Rahmouni said. 

Rouwenhorst acknowledges how technology promotes overconsumerism through storytelling and by leveraging consumer desires to stay on top of evolving trends.

“Our motivations don’t change that much,” Rouwenhorst said. “We always want to fit into the crowd. We want to show [our] status. We want to be happy. These things have not changed, it’s just the way in which we engage with consumers [that] is changing.”

Rouwenhorst argues that this drive to constantly buy goods stems from a psychological need to control one’s outward perception. 

“The thing driving human behavior is always going to be a ‘superior’ product, but [that’s] always going to be changing — it’s based on all kinds of different psychological needs,” Rouwenhorst said. 

Ali echoes Rouwenhorst, noticing that trends often override students’ identity.

“Everyone’s wearing the same things when a trend takes over the school,” Ali said. “You just see it everywhere. Everyone loses their individuality.”

Elsie Gross ’27 fosters a new perspective by purchasing consciously, countering the movement of avid teen shopping.

“I try to steer clear from [those trends], because they always [emerge], then go out of style. It’s not bad to wear things that everyone else wears, but I’d rather not show up in a jacket that half the school has,” Gross said.

Gross is currently enrolled in AP Seminar, where she researches the harmful effects of plastics from fast fashion clothing. Fabric of Change, a project combating the effects of unsustainable fashion, finds that synthetic materials make up 70% of clothing items. These materials are made up of microplastics that don’t degrade, causing health effects that include cancer and certain diseases, according to a study published in Environmental Research. Before taking the class, Gross was unaware of the impact unsustainable fabrics have on one’s health. 

“We read this article about microplastics coming from clothing, and how it would enter our water. Once we did that, it was hard to not change how you think about it,” Gross said. 

Christopher Murdock, West’s AP Environmental Science teacher, corroborates Gross’s description of microplastics polluting waterways via fast fashion. Murdock cites the nonbiodegradable fabric polyester as a major contributor to resource extraction and microplastic pollution.  

“Most of our clothes nowadays are made out of some form of polyester, which is an oil-based product, which means that we have to extract fossil fuels out of the earth to make those things. As we are demanding more and more, we are not only having to dig the resources out, but we’re also having to find places to put the things that we are no longer using,” Murdock said. “Plastics never fully decompose. The plastic itself gets smaller and smaller until it becomes what we call microplastics, where you can’t actually see the plastic, but it is there, and those never go away.”

Whilst taking AP Environmental Science this year, Gross learned about the long-term detriment of lifestyle choices. Furthermore, she has implemented small, manageable habits into her everyday routine in an effort to mitigate the microplastics’ harmful environmental effects.

“I try to [do] small things — like washing clothes with cold water, not hot water — that are really helpful for [the environment],” Gross said.

For corporations, the detrimental effects of polyester are not a concern, as their focuses lie in pushing their products to consumers. When customers first walk into a store, they are greeted with the expensive and popular items. As they move throughout the store, they will find sections with clearance items and low-demand products located in the back. Ali observes how this strategic placement leads shoppers to maximize their spending, boosting corporate profit.

In-store purchasing thrives during Black Friday, which Ali cites as the day of the year with the most shoppers. Held the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday ushers in the holiday shopping season with widespread markdowns to items, prompting millions of consumers to spend. Ali has witnessed the Black Friday craze firsthand, and understands spending habits during seasonal sales.

“When [customers] see the deals, they definitely think they’re spending [their money] in a better way because they feel like they have more money when there are sales going on,” Ali said. “I definitely notice it in myself, too. I feel enticed to buy more and use my discounts.” 

Although American stores and social media are riddled with advertisements and trends, one of the most notorious forms of overconsumerism is online fast fashion. E-commerce platforms like Shein and Temu mass-produce clothing, thriving on their low prices that bring in shoppers. Gross notes that teens in the United States are especially affected by these fast fashion companies, due to their facade of convenience and affordability.

“It’s cheap and easy for them to access,” Gross said. “It’s ingrained into the kids, because so many students [think], ‘Why would you buy a $30 shirt when you can get it for five bucks on Shein?’”

Rahmouni agrees, admitting that her limited financial independence had attracted her to vendors that market cheap products.

“I used to shop at Shein a lot before I had a job. I would use my allowance on Shein because it’s cheap,” Rahmouni said. “But now, I don’t like polyester [clothing] and I don’t like supporting Shein. Once I got older and had more control over what I could afford, I stopped [engaging in] fast fashion.”

Ali has also noticed that discounted mass-produced products often result in compromised quality. 

“[When] I buy [from Shein] and I see the quality in-person, I leave it in the back of my closet. I end up donating it or throwing it away,” Ali said.

The suboptimal quality isn’t the only reason fast fashion brands such as Shein have been raising concerns among consumers. Shein has a laundry list of allegations that range from deceptive greenwashing attempts — where companies display their products as more eco-friendly than they are — to sweatshop allegations, including poor working conditions. In 2023 and 2024, the company also faced claims of forced Uyghur labor and multiple disputed cases of child labor. Once Rahmouni was informed of these allegations, she decided to rethink spending money on the site.

“I learned how bad fast fashion is, how it doesn’t decompose well, and how the workers get treated, so I stopped buying from [those stores],” Rahmouni said. 

Murdock believes that people’s desire to purchase the latest product deteriorates the environment as industries are driven to produce more goods to keep up with the high consumer demand.

“What that leads to is more pollution [and] more waste. Fast fashion is probably the best example of that, [because] we’re making things faster and cheaper, not better,” Murdock said. “Things aren’t lasting as long as they used to, because we know the consumer doesn’t hang on to things as long anymore, and the more that we are having to dig precious metals or other materials out of the Earth, the worse it’s going to be.” 

Regarding ecological footprint, measured by the amount of land required to support human use of natural resources, Murdock gives insight into how much the average American consumes.

“It’s easy to look at overpopulated places in the world [where] billions of people live [and think] they’re the ones that are leading to a lot of these impacts. [In] reality, the average U.S. citizen consumes 10 times more resources than the average Chinese citizen,” Murdock said.

The recognition of one’s consumption is the first step to making attainable progress in combating overconsumerism. 

“We have to reflect on the impacts that we’re having, and instead of jumping to blame someone else, it’s important that you’re self-reflective,” Murdock said. 

Murdock explains the future implications of human activity on the environment if people don’t make changes to their lifestyle choices. He urges everyone to take action, whether it be through small sustainable practices or education.

“Thousands of years from now, there will be layers of plastic in the Earth indicating human activity,” Murdock said. “We’re the only organism that has that ability to manipulate the Earth that we do, and it’s so important to educate people on how easy it is to consume less.”