Exhausted from the rising cost of living in the United States and non-stop advertisements, some young adults on TikTok are pushing back. “When every moment of your life feels like you’re being sold something and the price of said item keeps going up, people will burn out on spending money,” Kara Perez, an influencer and financial educator, says. Known as “underconsumption core”, it spotlights living sustainably and using what you have, a reversal of the excess and wealth that dominates ad-heavy Instagram and TikTok.
A video with over 100,000 views from TikTok user loveofearthco critiqued the tendency towards overconsumption often amplified and encouraged on social media, saying: “I spent money I didn’t have on things I didn’t need.” Another account, nevadahuvenaars, shared what “normal” consumption looks like: used furniture, a modest wardrobe, decor upcycled from glass bottles, meal prep and a downsized skincare collection. Despite financial hardships felt particularly by Gen Z and millennials, the US economy is thriving, with record corporate profits and high prices on shelves.
In a way, “that feels almost ‘gaslighty’ to consumers” amid a period of economic and geopolitical uncertainty, culture and consumer marketing analyst Tariro Makoni says. But years of inflation have forced many to the conclusion that they cannot keep up with the spending habits of those on their social media feeds. A Google Trends analysis shows US searches for “underco.