Undoing Overconsumption

In this day and age, where consumption of goods and services is linked to happiness, we can clearly see individuals overconsuming unnecessary items for short-term dopamine hits. This overconsumption habit has only been enabled by social media apps, especially TikTok and Instagram, where influencers are seen with items, resulting in a sharp upward trend in bulk purchasing of those items. One leading example was the Labubu craze from Popmart. Their sales skyrocketed after Lisa from Blackpink was seen with the keychain, but after a few months, the trend dissipated, and many of these keychains were either discarded or sold at lower prices. This demonstrates one effect of overconsumption. 

With the rise of overconsumption and its effects, there has been an influx of articles and videos by creators and environmental activists working hard to address it. However, without understanding the true reasons we unnecessarily purchase items, the actions we take will be ineffective, and the cycle of excessive consumption will continue. 

One simple way of understanding why we overconsume is to understand the short hit of dopamine linked to the items that you purchased. Being constantly overstimulated with quick and short dopamine hits can give us short-term happiness whenever we buy something on impulse, but the feeling would end once we got the item. The result is the constant chasing of this ‘pleasure chemical’ feeling. Therefore, we have to reset what drives the ‘dopamine hit’ with more challenging and effort-intensive activities like exercising or crocheting, so the need for instant stimulation from activities like shopping or social media will decrease. This lets us reflect and be aware of the necessary and unimportant things we need in our lives, reducing the behaviour of spending more than we need or want. Reflecting can be asking yourself:

• Would I use this in the future?

• What benefits would it bring to me other than happiness?

• Do I have the budget for this, or do I need to set aside this amount for something more important?

These questions are rather simple, but they get you thinking and finding out whether you truly need these items. This will nip the overconsumption problem in the bud.  

Another way is to utilise the items to their potential. This can be done by creating useful products with the item that you want to discard. With the internet, you can use it to your advantage, as there are a ton of accounts and websites showing you how to transform your old or useless items into something special and useful, reducing the need to buy them since you made them. For instance, many people create a tote bag from an old pair of jeans and sell the remaining fabric in thrift shops to make a buck or two. This prevents wasting and actually reuses the item for multiple purposes. In addition, there are many thrift shops in Singapore, such as Refash, that allow customers to drop off their unwanted clothes for a fee, and these second-hand clothes are sold at lower prices to other customers, enabling the recycling and reuse of these items. 

Overall, it takes time and effort to undo overconsumption. Social media has made it the norm to spend money to feel happy, but many people are fighting back by taking matters into their own hands to educate and resist overconsumption. As people are becoming more aware of the effects of excessive consumption, like worsening global warming and deforestation, they are trying their best to play a part in fighting for the environment, but it will be a long time before any of these actions take effect. 

Writer: Renise

Published: 08/06/2026

References:

Guest. (2022, February 25). Reduce. reuse. and then, when all else fails, recycle. State of the Planet. https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2022/02/25/reduce-reuse-and-then-when-all-else-fails-recycle/

Singh, R. (2025, July 9). The innocent victims of the dopamine economy - the flaw. The Flaw. https://theflaw.org/articles/the-innocent-victims-of-the-dopamine-economy/

Goldfield, G., PhD. (2025, May 5). The role of dopamine in pleasure, addiction, and true happiness. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/no-more-fomo/202505/driven-to-excess-the-role-of-dopamine

Bonneau, A., & Bonneau, A. (2024, February 27). How to Turn Old Jeans into an Awesome Denim Bag. Zero-Waste Chef. https://zerowastechef.com/2024/02/27/turn-old-jeans-into-awesome-denim-bag/

Rainforest Action Network. (2025, December 3). Global consumer brands continue to fall short on deforestation and human rights - the understory - Rainforest Action Network. https://www.ran.org/the-understory/brands-fall-short-deforestation-human-rights/