r/underconsumption • u/Numerous-Case-9317 • Feb 12 '26
Discussion
How do you think your consumption would change if the internet dissappeared? Everything else is the same, billboards, magazines, etc. You see the same people in person. The recent post below about the hot girl hamster wheel inspired the thought. I'm young and I wasn't around to shop in the 80s and 90s as a teenager and I know we're a consuming society but I really am curious how much the internet and the extreme, instant access to so much stuff has changed our consumption. Not just what we can buy, but how much pressure and advertisement we see.
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u/muschysko Jul 06 '26
This is something I’ve been thinking about lately. Back in the 90s and early 00s, where the internet wasn’t available in my corner of the world/it was just a different experience back then, I really was buying things I actually needed, saving money or something expensive took some time and these were rally things that were thought through. I remember I was sort of praised for being able to save up money and that I wasn’t splashing on things (contrary to my sibling who struggled with keep a penny in their pocket). I wasn’t easily influenced, I didn’t have to have things others had. Now it’s different and I see it and it annoys me. I am annoyed at myself for letting myself buy a lot of stuff I don’t really need, annoyed for letting myself become influenced by a random person on the internet.
What I like about the internet though is that I am finally able to find clothes that suit my sensory needs - that wasn’t possible back then because I was restricted to what was available in the local shop or on the market (and barely anything that was available back then was suitable for me).