We are surrounded by advertising. Whether you realize it or not, every ad on your Instagram or Facebook feed is personalized to you in hopes that you’ll purchase it. Companies identify niches (smaller groups of people) based on geography, demographics, social class, geodemographics (the assumption that the same type of people live in one neighborhood), and psychographics (which use demographics, lifestyle, and product usage variables to target audiences). Influencers on TikTok and YouTube show up on your feed based on your likes, comments, and views of other videos. This is why it’s extra important to be media literate and actively focus on deinfluencing yourself. I know it’s easier said than done but I’m going to share some things that helped me focus on what was really important in life.
First, I took a look around me and wrote down three things that I couldn’t live without. To nobody’s surprise, I put family, friends, and nature. This proved to me that all of the material items I had really meant nothing to me, and I was only buying things to follow trends and spend money. I deep cleaned my room and gave away half of the items I bought that I “couldn’t live without” and realized that I loved my clean, emptier room.
I knew that I would miss the temporary high of getting new things and spending money so I proceeded to write down three things that gave me the same feeling: new experiences with friends, spending time in nature, and eating good food. With all the money I’m saving from cutting back on consumption, I can put it towards trips, festivals, and savings! Nothing can beat a weekend trip with your best friends and not having to worry about whether you’ll have enough money to do everything you want. Some of the best times of my life have been exploring new cities and eating local food while throwing myself into the culture. I’ll end up forgetting what TikTok made me buy on a random Tuesday but I’ll always remember screaming my heart out to my favorite artists live with crowds of people doing the same. Material items don’t create memories, experiences do.
Lastly, I’ve grown to enjoy decluttering things in my life. Moving away to college brought a lot of feelings up, especially the feeling of missing home. I scavenged my room trying to find a tangible item that reminded me of San Jose but I couldn’t find one with enough relevance. Instead, I was shifting through boatloads of things I forgot I even had and served no purpose to me other than to crowd my room up. My mom suggested I take a Polaroid picture of my family and me (dogs included, duh!) and put it in the back of my phone case so I’ll always have something to remind me of home. Then it clicked. I didn’t NEED a physical item to remind me of home, I just needed a picture of what was most important to me to appreciate everything I had.
All in all, I hope this helped somebody out there look back at their life and prioritize the important things. To recap, start by writing down three things you can’t live without, then three things that make you the happiest, and then something that will remind you of home. Consumer culture is getting out of hand and the only way to save yourself from it is to perfect the art of minimalism.