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How to avoid the social media trap of buying more, more and more!
Finance Dee tackles the pervasive issue of excessive consumerism exacerbated by social media.
If you are one of the 57 million Britons who have a social media account, I don’t doubt that you are inundated with ads promoting endless offers that you simply should not and cannot miss out on!
Many of us have become excessive consumers, always feeling that what we already have is not quite good enough. Unless you’re willing to completely disconnect from social media, it gets increasingly more difficult to not get sucked into the trap of wanting more, more, and oh yeah – MORE!
I am on a journey to battle against my excessive consumer ways. It’s not easy, but I know it’s necessary.
As aptly stated by Joshua Becker “Excessive consumption leads to bigger houses, more expensive cars, trendier clothes, fancier technology, and overfilled drawers. It promises happiness… but never delivers.”1
Powerful, right?
So let’s get to it. Here are a few things that you could consider implementing if you also have the desire to consume less:
Curate your social media feed intentionally
Social media is a big part of my life and the vast majority of millennials and Gen Z’s I know of. I spend at least (ashamedly) an hour or two on it a day. So if there is so much of our time spent digesting what social media is literally ‘feeding’ to us, it is imperative to be very intentional with what we’re watching and listening to on a daily basis.
One of the ways I am intentional is no longer following accounts that make me feel bad about myself or the life I live. I have also unfollowed accounts that are constantly focusing on the negatives of the world around us – it was so mentally draining.
I have personally found that when I am feeling happy and content in my daily life, I am a lot less likely to spend impulsively. I don’t need to buy things to make me feel happy.
The ‘everyday’ isn’t social media worthy
It always seems that everyone but you is out there living their best lives 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Despite us knowing deep down that is far from reality, our brain sometimes tricks us into thinking it should be our reality. But seriously, who can actually afford to live like that except the much loved one-percenters?
If you are someone who posts to social media, have a look at your own account. Isn’t it just showcasing the best or most memorable moments of your life? Probably! And that’s the case for everyone else as well.
All of us live in the ordinary and mundane the vast majority of time, but it just doesn’t tend to make the feed. The ‘everyday’ is not a bad thing, it’s actually something I have learned to fully embrace. The regularities of life make the extraordinary times that much more special!
Living within your means sets you up for the future
As I clearly like talking about money, I couldn’t forget this one. If the primary focus is on buying more than we need for today, it’s our future that sadly takes a hit!
The amount of money we have coming is finite, and so with the limited amount of resources we have, we must be wise enough to one – handle our responsibilities, two – have a bit of fun now, and three – put some away for future you.
References
Phot Credits: Unsplash
