Fed up with the rising cost of living in the United States and constant ads, some young adults on TikTok are protesting against it.
“When every moment of your life feels like you’re being sold something and the price of that thing keeps going up, people will get tired of spending money,” influencer and financial educator Kara Perez told AFP.
Social media has always been about beautiful homes, luxurious closets and beauty products galore. But a new trend is moving in the other direction — repurposing, more frugal lifestyles and the urge to prioritise quality over quantity.
Known as the “Underconsumption Corps,” it highlights sustainable living and using what you have, which is the opposite of the excess and wealth that dominates ad-heavy Instagram and TikTok.
“When you get 300 videos on TikTok about people who have 30 Stanley Cups, you want to buy as many as you can. People want to fit in,” said Perez, who repurposes jars as cups.
Consumer fatigue
In a video viewed more than 100,000 times, TikTok user loveofearthco criticizes the trend of overconsumption often exaggerated and encouraged on social media: “I spent that money on things I didn’t have, that I didn’t need.”
Another account, nevadahuvenars, details what “normal” consumption looks like: used furniture, a modest closet, decor made from glass bottles, meal prep, and a small skincare collection.
Despite the financial difficulties being felt, particularly by Generation Z and Millennials, the US economy is thriving with record corporate profits and higher prices.
In a time of economic and geopolitical uncertainty, “it almost feels like ‘gaslighting’ consumers,” culture and consumer marketing analyst Tariro Makoni told AFP.
He argued that the ‘buy now, pay later’ (BNPL) schemes adopted by many young adults drive consumption and distort access to money.
But years of inflation have forced many to come to the conclusion that they can’t keep up with the spending habits of people on social media.
Google Trends analysis shows that searches for “underconsumption” hit an all-time high in the US this summer, alongside searches for “overproduction” and the “Great Depression.”
Many young adults have developed a “compulsive behaviour of spending every last pound on fashion items,” said UK-based influencer Andrea Cheong, who recently shared an “underconsumption chore”-style video of herself repairing old clothes.
Cheong said it is an addiction that is linked to “the pressure to articulate who we are through possessions.”
In contrast, “underconsumption core” is distinct from traditional core trends, which are promoted by influencers who often sell an ever-changing shopping blueprint incorporating the latest trends and beauty, according to Cheong. She and Makoni agreed that this shift also reflects a growing demand for authenticity from content creators.
Now, “protection is good,” Makoni said – “we saw similar patterns during the financial crisis after 2008.”
More than half of Generation Z adults — ages 18 to 27 — surveyed by Bank of America in 2024 said the high cost of living is the biggest barrier to their financial success, adding that many don’t make enough money to live the life they want.
Sustainability concerns
“The ‘underconsumption’ trend on social media is another way for Gen Z to get the most out of their money while also being environmentally friendly,” said Ashley Ross, head of consumer customer experience and governance at Bank of America.
While the younger generation is concerned about making sustainable choices, lack of financial autonomy impacts their decisions.
“To be honest, no one would change their GDP for sustainability. We don’t live in that world… the motivation for people to do these things has always been to save money,” Cheong said.
But he told AFP that “underconsumption” trends ultimately offer the most accessible approach to sustainability for those who want it. The message is simple: “Buy less, buy better.”
The low-consumption brick-and-mortar initiative casts a wide net across profiles and generations.
Anjali Zielinski, 42, attended the “Mending 101” workshop in Georgetown, DC, hoping to learn new skills. She also brought her seven-year-old daughter, Meena, along.
Besides providing an outlet for her daughter’s creativity, she hopes the craft will teach her “the value of our possessions and the work it takes to create them.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
