In the famous 2012 children’s film “The Lorax,” the power-hungry Onceler from humble beginnings betrays the trust of his fun-sized orange friend. He creates a monopoly on the textile industry, producing his popular and widespread Thneeds from the foliage of Truffula Trees. Thneeds are, subjectively speaking, ugly, but multi-purposed, soft swaths of fabric. As the Onceler’s desire for money grows, the Truffula Tree population shrinks. When he exhausts his resources, the Thneeds are no longer trending, and he is left with a barren wasteland and a failed business.
As viewers of the kids’ movie, it is easy to shrug off this concept, but it is much closer to reality than we think. When you no longer adore your barely-worn, impulsively-purchased Shein sweater, maybe you’ll pass it on to your local Goodwill. If you instead discard it, the sweater could wind up in the ocean, deteriorating into millions of microplastics. These will become integrated in the ecosystem, get consumed by marine wildlife, and turn up on our plate in the form of expensive caviar — yikes. This originally harmless purchase has bled into the rising epidemic of consumerism.
Now, materialism, according to Merriam-Webster, is the idea that material goods take precedence over all else, and overconsumption is that in excessive application. The overwhelming practices of overconsumption and materialism affect youth intensely, which in turn negatively impact both young people and their future. So, it is vital to see what drives materialistic behavior, what problems emerge from it, and finally what can be done to mitigate the issue.
There are a few factors that lead to overconsumption; for the Onceler’s success, it was advertising. Thneedville citizens immediately fell for the silky-soft sweaters after word spread that they were trending. All it took was one lady to express her love for the Thneed for others to follow suit. Similar advertising impacts young people more than adults, due to less developed minds. The National Library of Medicine, or NLM, explained in “Advertising and Young People’s Critical Reasoning Abilities: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis,” critical thinking skills are less developed in adolescents, and aren’t as effective against advertising. This can be seen in energy drinks, where, despite any adverse effects, brightly colored Alanis and Bubbl’rs with unique flavors draw teens to them. When products are endorsed by their favorite celebrities or influencers, of course they buy these items.
Another catalyst of overconsumption, particularly among youth, is the use of social media. The Pew Research Center report on “Teens, Social Media and Technology 2024,” done by Michelle Faverio and Olivia Sidoti, describes how teens use social media often and in high amounts. It listed YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram as the top platforms among youth, which are no strangers to advertising. Creators will endorse the brand that happens to pay them the most money, and the viewer is hooked. Morality doesn’t matter; if my favorite creator is using that, why shouldn’t I? Social media also has the power to change trends practically overnight, moving consumers from one fad to the next. The media has an iron grip, only heightening materialistic values. Furthermore, societal success is determined by having expensive material goods, often whatever is trending at the moment. In the words of Madonna, “We are living in a material world.” These causes are difficult to avoid, and have some consequences.
The problems that arise from overconsumption are astronomical, and have detrimental outcomes among youth. An ethics complication is illustrated when the Onceler decimates the Truffula Trees, and the wildlife population with it, just to maximize his fortune. His defense was “I have done nothing illegal. I have my rights and I intend to keep on biggering and biggering and turning more Truffula Trees into Thneeds.” The Onceler blatantly disregarded the environment and ramifications his actions had, just as many of today’s influencers do in order to enlarge their salary. They promote brands and products regardless of the ethicality of them; if it pays well, they will endorse it. Popular brands on social media like Shein or Temu are the biggest culprits, which use cheap labor and materials, completely ignoring the problems that stem from it.
Materialistic behaviors also impact the social lives and morals of both adults and youth. The NLM’s publication “Effects of Materialism on Adolescents’ Prosocial and Aggressive Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Empathy” emphasizes that adults with materialistic values can exhibit poor behavior. This was seen in the infamous Stanley Cup craze of 2023. There were numerous reports of Stanley fans literally stampeding Target aisles to acquire the brand new metal cup with a tacky theme. Materialism acts as a blinder over consumer’s eyes, often preventing them from seeing the true weight of their actions. Similarly, youth with high materialistic tendencies can be selfish and hold lessened moral beliefs regarding consumption. Adolescents learn by example; is this really the model we want them to follow?
The environment is also severely impacted by overconsumption. Renée Cho, a writer for the Columbia Climate School, published “How Buying Stuff Drives Climate Change,” which explained, “A new U.N. report found that the richest one percent of the global population emit more than twice the amount [of greenhouse gas emissions] than the poorest 50 percent.” Think about that for a moment. Additionally, the more people buy, the more they inevitably throw away. Although an almost outlandish idea, the Pixar movie Wall-E depicts a futuristic reality of an Earth filled with garbage; completely uninhabitable.
But, this idea is far too distant from reality, right? I mean, surely nobody is throwing away that much stuff, at least not enough to affect you and I. But compared to our apparently glamorous lifestyles in America, third-world countries are suffocating in our garbage. The International Center for MultiGenerational Legacies of Trauma article “Fast Fashion is Choking Developing Countries with Mountains of Trash” details how citizens on the coast of Ghana are finding clumps of what they have coined as quote “dead white people’s clothes” because it is too unbelievable to think that anyone wastes that much stuff, not unless they are dead. The same can be said for many other developing countries, severely devastating their environment and quality of life. If overconsumption continues at the rate it’s at, our world will be, ironically, consumed by it, along with our future generations.
The world is clearly swimming in a surplus of Thneeds and many issues that stem from it; so, how can you solve this? The aforementioned NLM report on advertising presents the Persuasion Knowledge Model, which suggests to recognize when you are being advertised something, and be knowledgeable of the advertiser themselves. If they aren’t sustainable, seek out the brands that are.
Additionally, frugality has been twisted into something frowned upon; according to society, if you don’t spend the same amount of money as everyone else, you’re cheap, and stingy. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Interestingly enough, Macklemore only had twenty dollars in his pocket when he sang his hit song “Thrift Shop” — if you don’t know it, look it up — and he still had everyone in the club complimenting his outfit. If he can do it, so can we. So buy your Thneeds secondhand; they will still be just as soft, and just as stylish, and you get extra points for being sustainable.
Another tactic to mitigate overconsumption habits, and improve overall well-being, is gratitude. Simply take the time to appreciate what you do have, instead of constantly remembering what you don’t. After all, comparison is the thief of joy. Most importantly, don’t fall victim to consumerism, and be the change you would like to see. In the words of the Onceler, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Now, the concept of buying things for social status will likely not disappear any time soon; it has injected itself into the nervous system of our society, and consumers drive the economy. But the impact that consumerism has is harmful in many ways, which can be seen throughout the entire Lorax movie. Before it is too late, we must do something so that overconsumption doesn’t consume us.
