In a capitalist society, buying and consuming products is an essential part of daily life. Yet, when consumers purchase products or services in quantities they cannot use in time, it leads to overconsumption (Millstein, 2025). If there is more consumption than production, it affects the availability of the product or service, as well as the natural resources and the labor used to create it.
Framing & Perspectives
While the consumption of goods dates back to the beginning of civilization, overconsumption appeared after a few millennia. Early humans focused on the production and consumption of goods for their subsistence. This practice eventually evolved into the barter system, where one could trade useful items with another (Kenton, 2024). Subsistence cultivation and barter trading ensured that people fully utilized any goods produced. However, with capitalism, the current spending habits of people, and the possibility of happiness that comes with these purchases, overconsumption has become a common phenomenon.
Disposable income allows people to spend their money on items apart from their necessities. These items or goods can be clothes, cars, beauty products, food, or services. Overconsumption occurs when people buy more cars than needed, more food than they can finish before it goes bad, or more clothes than they can wear in the appropriate season (Millstein, 2025). While some may collect items of good quality that can last them several years, overconsumption occurs daily when food, such as groceries or fast food items, is bought without finishing them on time before expiring.
Humans tend to thrive on novelty items and experiences as well as the possession of materials. The innate nature of collecting shiny new toys is further encouraged by social media and industries looking to increase their profits. As people enjoy showing off their newly acquired materials with ‘retail therapy’ (Sanders, 2024), brands and industries enjoy a boost in sales. This practice in moderation is how the economy works and how the money cycle turns (Geissdoerfer et al., 2016). However, when the consumption of these goods exceeds the time taken to produce them, or when they expire or go bad before they are properly used, it leads to overconsumption.
Relevance
In the late 2010s, mukbangs (derived from the clipping of two Korean words for eating and broadcast) became a social media phenomenon. The video content originated in South Korea, where people streamed themselves while eating food. While it began innocently enough, many people who film mukbangs nowadays film and showcase large amounts of food, more than an individual can eat alone (Kim & Kim, 2025). The absurd amount of food is a way to attract an audience and garner intrigue. People will wonder if the person can finish the food, marvel at the variety of food items, and then stick around till the end of the video to see the empty plate, allowing the creators to monetize this curiosity (Chen, 2020). Many videos on social media also show the creator wasting excessive amounts of food or condiments while preparing dishes. Creators use wasteful amounts of ingredients, such as pouring a bucketful of maple syrup on a single plate of pancakes (Donaldson, 2024). As a countermeasure, many countries, like China, have begun to track food waste and consumption, often charging fines to social media creators who boast of expensive or excessive food hauls (Tone, 2020). In many countries, such as the U.S., one person cannot finish a single portion size alone, which often leads to either overeating (or disordered eating habits) or throwing away the excess, causing food waste (WRAP, 2023).
Similar to the food industry, the fashion and beauty industries are also known for overconsumption. To counter the push of products every year, Project Pan began in 2025. Social media users were encouraging each other to ‘hit the pan’ on their already-owned makeup and refrain from buying new products till they finished their existing stock (Garrison, 2025). Such trends not only focus on anti-consumption and overproduction but also on increasing price hikes on makeup and skincare products, and help people feel less left out when they do not buy new products going ‘viral’ on social media.
On YouTube, videos where women buy and try on trendy outfits every month to show off the new catalog of fast fashion websites have become popular, called fashion hauls. It allows viewers to assess clothing before they buy it, while also allowing them to daydream about being able to purchase a bucket load of clothes (Gan, 2021). What many do not know is that the poor quality of clothes sold on such fast fashion websites means that they tend to be thrown away more quickly. This results in growing piles in the landfills with items that are often more plastic and polyester than cotton, making them harder to recycle. The backbone of these fast fashion websites is the workers in the manufacturing. These workers are underpaid and work under questionable OSHA (Occupational, Safety, Health, and Administrative) Standards and human rights conditions. Many brands also falsely advertise their campaigns to seem more eco-friendly, a tactic called greenwashing (Sierra, 2022). Due to unclear laws and regulations, companies and brands can get away with it unpunished, but the environment always suffers as a result (Millstein, 2025).
While the benefits and variety of products are enjoyable, as consumers in a capitalistic society, it is crucial to practice conscious consumerism. Being mindful about purchases helps to avoid debt and is more environmentally friendly. Controlled purchases would show brands and companies that consumers do not participate in constant trends, possibly causing them to slow down the production of goods. While an individual alone may not hold much power in a corrupted system, many individuals can band together to bring about change.
Keywords: Capitalism, Free Market, Resource Exploitation, Ecological Responsibility, Food Waste, Environmental Justice, Greenwashing, Waste Capitalism, Fast Fashion, Labor Exploitation, Child Labor, Consumption Addiction, Economic Inequality
Connected terms: Woke, Zero-Sum Thinking, Housewifization, Trigger, Trigger Warning, Data Activism, Pink Tax, Job Polarization
References
Chen W. (2020, August 13). State media slams popular mukbang for food wastage KrASIA. LINE TODAY. https://today.line.me/hk/v2/article/j8Kpjz
Donaldson, K. (2024, April 9). Why is there so much rage bait food content online? Pajiba. https://www.pajiba.com/web_culture/why-is-there-so-much-rage-bait-food-content-online.php
Gan, T. (2021, June). Why are massive Shein hauls so popular on TikTok? Green Is the New Black. https://greenisthenewblack.com/shein-ultra-fast-fashion-consumerism-tiktok-influencer/
Garrison, A. (2025, February 26). What is Project Pan? 2025’s response to overconsumption. Green Matters. https://www.greenmatters.com/community/project-pan-2025
Geissdoerfer, M., Savaget, P., Bocken, N. M., & Hultink, E. J. (2016). The Circular Economy – A new sustainability paradigm? Journal of Cleaner Production, 143, 757–768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.048
Horton, K. (2018). Just Use What You Have: Ethical Fashion Discourse and the Feminisation of Responsibility. Australian Feminist Studies, 33(98), 515–529. https://doi.org/10.1080/08164649.2019.1567255
Kenton, W. (2024, September 26). Barter (or bartering) definition, uses, and example. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/barter.asp
Kim, S., & Kim, S. (2025, February 25). Once global sensation, mukbang fades amid controversy. The Chosun Daily. https://www.chosun.com/english/travel-food-en/2025/02/25/OS3AV7VINRFCHDMIUKUFVZ3FRU/
Millstein, S. (2025, January 17). How overconsumption affects the environment and health, explained. Sentient. https://sentientmedia.org/overconsumption/
Phillips, S. (2024, October 11). Opinion – I’m sick of seeing people waste food on social media. Thred Website. https://thred.com/culture/opinion-im-sick-of-seeing-people-waste-food-on-social-media/
Sanders, N. A., PhD. (2024, December 6). The Psychology of Shopping: A deep dive into why we really buy. Medium. https://medium.com/@nicolearnettsanders/the-psychology-of-shopping-a-deep-dive-into-why-we-really-buy-089c02370d8f
Shoaff, Samuel J., “Fast Fashion, Honor, and the Value of Overconsumption” (2020). KUCC — Kutztown University Composition Conference. 14. https://research.library.kutztown.edu/compconf/2020/2020/14
Sierra, B. (2022, September 8). H&M is Being Sued For “Misleading” Sustainability Marketing. What Does This Mean for the Future of Greenwashing? — The Sustainable Fashion Forum. The Sustainable Fashion Forum. https://www.thesustainablefashionforum.com/pages/hm-is-being-sued-for-misleading-sustainability-marketing-what-does-this-mean-for-the-future-of-greenwashing
Tone, S. (2020, December 22). In Anti-Food waste push, China to outlaw Binge-Eating ‘Mukbang’ videos. SixthTone. https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1006612
WRAP. (2023, February 23). Portion size is the main reason for plate waste when we eat out. https://www.wrap.ngo/media-centre/press-releases/portion-size-main-reason-plate-waste-when-we-eat-out
