Let's Talk About “Underconsumption-core” | analyzing the tiktok trend and its discourse

"under consumption" is a bit icky to me given so many people live at or below the poverty line and couldn't "overconsume" even if they wanted to

Love your voice and content. With my neurodivergence couldn’t stop starting at the vent behind you. :( You lighting is beautiful. Appreciate your definition of ‘core’. Hearing it always caused me to miss the point.

It's just being more sustainable in my opinion...but their 'consumption' is probably slightly lesser then the average person who isn't actively trying to be sustainable (i.e. but not reusing stuff and buying 'convenient' products - like one use products).x

I think you were a little harsh on the over consumers, its very hard to change your habits, we all receive tonnes of insidious marketing, and are constantly told we need to buy more, it can also be a compulsive or impulsive habit to buy things out of insecurity or anxiety. My point is these people might be be in control of their choices, they may just be starting to realise they need to change but don't feel able to or feel shamed in some way, everyone has a different starting point. 💁‍♀️🤷‍♀️

ME BEING IN THAT VIDEO HAD ME DEAD WTF😂

a potential negative is whenever marketing starts to utilise this trend to push their products on you. and if you think it is impossible bc this trend is the opposite of consumption, I can absolutely see this happening - imagine an influencer talking about their simple makeup routine they kept the same for years, buying only the products they know they will love and use till the end and than advertising a specific product as a dependable basic, same with skincare, same with idk any high end product advertised as a classic and build to last etc

I just want to say I have seen people with dangerously broken things — hairdryer with wires hanging out, broken mirror shards, and more things that are just broken.

Maybe the "underconsumption" content could get us away from all the content that shows how obsessed we've become with things. And that is not only overconsumption content, but also minimalist content which is heavily focused on curated and often expensive products.

Maybe it's good to just show how you live, without going for any esthetics, being creative with what you have, playing - but not focusing on the products themselves. Translated to fashion, in your videos you show styling options, more than pointing out individual pieces of clothing.

this trend reminds me a bit of 2017 minimalism online communities, i'm glad this time around people aren't going as far as they used to (ie. "everything i own fits in a backpack") and how it's more about using what you already have instead of replacing things to fit the aesthetic's look

I think the difference between how poor or rich people are seen is very relevant in many cases, not only overconsumption core.
Cottagecore with having old houses, old furniture, living in small villages, baking your own bread etc. Also having many children is very “fashionable” for rich people and with poor people it’s seen as classical poor people behaviour. Also speaking different languages, for rich people it’s sooo educated but with poor people it’s not seen as a positive because well, you “just” immigrated.
These are all not my views and beliefs but I feel like the gap between how poor and rich people are seen becomes very evident in these cases…

Honestly i have not come across underconsumption-core before but a lot of this and the discourse around it is giving me flashbacks to when minimalism was trending, even if they're not 100% the same thing

What is that thing on your mic?

My beef has always been that underconsumption-core has seemed less like a call to action and more of an exercise in virtue signaling. Y'know, less shedding light on the importance of sustainability and more so a way to show "Hey everyone look what a great person I am!" I hear your argument about people projecting though, maybe it's just the videos I come across, maybe I'm just a grumpy millennial, who knows.

It's not new. It's a new term for the same problem. It's called being frugal. It keeps getting reinvented. It's kinda dumb. Would you like to be a millionaire? 75% of millionaires are millionaires because they live like they are broke. True statistic look it up.

Core just references the "root" of the problem.

One underside of this trend (is the same that was with zero waste) is a lot of people throwing away good and useable stuff. I have seen many people who are overconsumers simply declutter and bin things in the name of underconsumption instead of useing it up or gifting it to others.

I love this trend AND as a therapist, any trend like this (like minimalism, etc.) gets me a bit worried for those struggling with food. We just need to be careful not to apply this too strongly to our diets 😅

i feel so out of my mind talking to people who love Temu and Shein and such tbh. i try to tell some of my relatives about the many awful impacts of this kind of consumption and they just…don’t care ☹️

Sounds like a repackaging of frugality

I totally agree about people projecting self-judgement onto the content creator. I consider myself to be a very eco-conscious, thrifty person, but even I felt a little bad about myself the first time I saw underconsumption tiktoks. I like your perspective that it's something to aspire to, but it isn't inherently judgmental because of society constantly advertising to us and telling us to consume. The more people see this type of stuff, the better. We all have to learn to be conscious of our habits, and it doesn't happen overnight!

I like the underconsumption core trend. To me it's something positive and makes being mindful with consumption cool and enjoyable.

People are having a hard time. There is no shame in that, most people have been there, myself included. But I think it makes some feel better to think they are capitalizing on a trend and what is cool rather than admit we have to scale back. It's not a bad thing, but flaunting it seems weird to me.

Adding -core is also an easy way to find others that are interested in what it is you are doing, thinking, etc.
Most people just want to connect with like minded people. We are pack animals by nature. And historically we had that in communities, religion, clubs for sports or hobbies, but now we do that online.
Having a word for something makes it ‘up-look-able’.

It is just like Batman said, "If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change. Whoo!"

The only "dangerous" stuff I've seen is old laptop chargers and falling apart heat tools, and all the comments are begging them to get a new one.

Great analysis. My unpopular opinion is this "underconsumption core" trend is so "western perspective" because for some normal people like me (from developing countries) I will say this is "normal daily life" because here, you don't consume what you can't afford (you live within your means)
....
Also, I see this underconsumption core as just another marketing scheme same as "minimalist, cottage, mason jars" trends; And what it does to us on the other side of the world is (as a serial second hand/thrift consumer) we get a lots of these things they get rid of (so it's over dumping on our side).. If you go in the markets now you will find lots of Stanley's and all that stuffs they got rid of at a penny price (so we buy nice thermo cups and second hand flexin.. 😊).
....
Maybe what this underconsumption core group needs to learn is the discipline to make do with what was made available to you, living within your means and not otherwise (which is not an easy task because the higher the income, the higher the consumption, it's a psychology thing).. Even I, am in a journey to change, to bring back order in my life, because I have accumulated too much stuffs, it's overwhelming but unlike underconsumption people, am going to clean out in this sense, hand over things/clothes that I don't need or use to the next person who needs or will make use of them and not dump them somewhere, and the remaining ones I will make use of them (this is how you save the environment unlike getting rid of all that stuff to the junkyard and remaining with one plastic cup and record a video saying you're underconsuming, that's hypocritical because you just had to that dumping pile, and when underconsumption is no longer in trend you will get rid of your underconsumption things and dump them again for another aesthetic that's in? Interesting 🤔)

Hi! I'm Calista from KOLSup. Have you thought about having your own website?

I am kinda worried people are missing the point by making it an aesthetic. Everything that is produced is using resources, energy, and often underpaid labor. It’s upsetting to see people throw away perfectly good furniture, clothing, and house items when they could have been donated and it’s confusing that people aren’t aware of the work and resources that go into these objects. It’s not about who can do “underconsumption” the best, it’s about being mindful of the impact your purchases have on the environment and the people who make them. Also you’re totally right that when you don’t have a ton of money, you’re doing these things anyway because you automatically are more aware of your consumption. That’s part of why these videos always felt a bit off to me. Great video!

I like this

i’ve seen a lot of people making their own candles in glasses that aren’t heat safe, thus causing the glass to heat up and explode. animals and kids get hurt by this, it’s not an uncommon thing.
:( i’ve also seen people using their old chargers that are sparking and just taping them up. the comments on these videos do tend to be forewarning to the creator and urging them to not promote this specific idea since it can be dangerous (house fires)

i agree with everything else you mentioned though :)

I would love for a content creator to do a video on something that keeps rattling around in my head. As an individual who likes to create and learn new things, how does one balance the desire to create for the sake of art or learning with one’s desire for conscious consumption and sustainability? Sometimes these things feel at odds. I think some mediums, like visible mending, unravelling garments, up-cycling, etc., all scratch the creative itch, but there are so many other ways I desire to be creative that just feel wasteful! I would love to hear someone else’s thoughts!

as someone who grew up poor and in a very small house, i LOVE underconsumption. i grew up in a household that always valued using what you have over buying new, even if that means fixing it. i’m in college now, but im currently staying with my parents for the summer and i am currently using a duct taped broom to sweep the floor, and we make coffee in a french press pitcher without a handle.
another thing that i think really contributes to overconsumption in society is the need for convenience, and as someone with ADHD i get it, but at the same time people are tossing things that have something “wrong” that doesn’t actually hinder the serviceability of the product, just makes it need a little more effort or to use it differently. take our french press pitcher for example - the actual press part of it is still perfectly usable, but there’s just no handle, so we literally just make coffee as normal and then use pot holders to pour coffee. i think a lot of people would start looking for a new one, and i’m not saying i judge those people for that, but i think with how capitalism is really pushing to buy new all the time and pushing for convenience as a societal value, i think a lot of peoples knee jerk reaction is to buy new at the slightest bit of “unusability”.
Growing up in the house i did, we have always really valued being thrifty and using what we have before we buy new, and that mostly came from literally not being able to afford new, but it’s really shaped my values of consumption. Also, with the house being so small, it’s literally sometimes counterintuitive for us to buy everything new because we don’t have the space. Overall, though we didn’t have a lot growing up, I wouldn’t change it for the world because it has made me value underconsumption, independence, and fixing over buying.

Dr.Blight enters the chat 💬

The only dangerous ones I have seen is people making the active choice to not replace bloated lithium batteries or exposed wires

Living a normal life is not a trend. Wasting your time on Tik Tok, blindly following every made-up trend is truly bizarre. Also, caring what strangers online think of you is truly bizarre.

I agree with your comments about the over-critical angry comments being projection and guilt based honestly. They feel bad when they see influencers living with less, the feel bad when influencers have more. There's no way to win except not comparing yourself or the things you have to what other people have

I care about the planet too. And i still overconsum sometimes, that doesnt mean i dont have good values , it means im feeling stressed asf, and need to buy myself somthing for the dopamine , and guesse what i am working on better ways to cope but that takes lots of time and its not easy

It wasn't cool to thrift years ago, I got bullied for it, I got made fun of for my shoes I thought were cool but were actually out of style and obviously used. I whent home and would cry, I would feel ashamed that I couldn't afford things others couldn't, and now I see these ppl, who can afford a HOUSE (which is somthing my parents have never been able to afford ) saying they are underconsumers and pretending like they are cool. Cuz guesse what... ppl can imply stuff on the internet...making it into a trend makes it seem "cool" , I think it's great that ppl are being sustainable...but ur not better than anyone for having "values " cuz my family does too. If we didn't live where we live we couldn't afford anything. But since our rent is 188 dollars a month we are able to shop, and my mom has been in a cult before and so have I, we were constantly Givin under the bare minimum of what we needed , and lots of used stuff, so now that we can shop we shop! Not everyone comes from a family like yours. My mom calls it retail therapy, and it's better than us doing drugs or killing ourselves! Not everyone is so "pefect" like you. But ur not even perfect anyways, u just wanna pretend u are, ofc I feel worried I overconsum, but then again I didn't invent landfills and I didn't choose my truama, I'm working on better ways to deal with it, but sadly my mom hasn't had the time or money or access to therapy ever!

I mean the whole projecting thing about judging other people's consumption habit saying that it's useless/it's "normal" consumption/etc. is giving pick me energy and is not very demure or mindful

the underconsumption trend scratches the same itch for me that deep cleaning videos scratch: being organized and intentional with my home and the products that I use gives me a sense of control and feels nice

About the overconsumption core: I think it has to do with class. Most middle class people I know are living like the underconsumption core implies. But most middle class people I know have a background in/ or work in academics which makes them technically "low income" but because they had access to education their whole life, they are NOT "working class". Middle class children may grow up with thrifted books, but they grow up with books nonetheless. Middle class wealth lies mainly in education, not in material possessions. Meanwhile, I observed a lot of working class people trying to accumulate a lot of stuff because owning 17 lipsticks signals wealth to them. It's like the classes learned a different set of signifiers.

I also think that cultural background matters a lot. What is considered "poor" in germany is totally different than US poor or brazilian poor. For example: I come from a german middle class family and everyone I know thinks the Kardashians are poor. Not in money ofc but they are poor in values and in education (which might not be true, but this is how we perceive them). They use heavy makeup, have fake nails, extensions and altered their body to fit into weird trends. The only people I know who (try to) look like that are all from low income families. I don't think that this is a german thing - even though germans might be more frugal than other nations - I think that this is the same thing the "old money asthaetic" adressed. New rich and old rich have a different set of signifiers and they clash in the over/underconsumption core "debate"

Thanks for sharing your always thoughts on the subject. Super interesting and I think you are right about people projecting 🙂

funny, i grew up experiencing it as "poor" when did the things we struggle through become "trendy" 🤦

i loooovvveee you doing an analysis style video! you did such a great job teaching and analyzing!!

I've been recently trying to be more conscious and sustainable with my consumer habits after realising my habits (ps. I hate that everything atm seems to involve spending money and you need to actively look for something to do thats free or where you arent tempted to spend money- just think of your town highstreet). But the thing that gets me about it is just the fact that even though I like to buy second hand or want to make do with what I have first, it doesn't change the amount of stuff being produced. I sort of feel like if it's not purchased and used by the consumer then it will just go to landfill anyways- and then in that way underconsumption core and mindful buying doesn't matter. I still want to since it aligns with my values but it's something I think about. Feel free to comment more about it- interested to hear people's thoughts (prove me wrong please!)

This is such a first world discussion it feels like a comedy sketch 😂😂😂 (love your content, btw. And as someone who follows a lot of minimalist, thrifty, environmental conscious people, this was my thought every time I saw someone talking about it).

loved this video! Came across underconsumption-core for the first time today and assumed it was a tongue in cheek response to typical influencer videos. Had no idea of the intricacies of the discourse!

on another note, do you mind sharing how you've turned your DJI mic into a handheld mic? :)