Agence France-Presse

<img src="https://news-image-api.abs-cbn.com/Prod/editorImage/1723427831688the-blowup-TDOQPhq631s-unsplash.jpg" style="width: 950px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span id="isPasted" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">the blowup, Unsplash/File&nbsp;&nbsp;<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Exhausted from a rising cost of living in the United States and non-stop ads, some young adults on TikTok are pushing back.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&quot;When every moment of your life feels like you&#39;re being sold something and the price of said item keeps going up, people will burn out on spending money,&quot; Kara Perez, an influencer and financial educator, told AFP.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Social media has long had room only for picture-perfect homes, lavish closets and an abundance of beauty products. But a new trend is sweeping the other way -- urging repurposing, more frugal lifestyles and prioritizing quality over quantity.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Known as &quot;underconsumption core,&quot; it spotlights living sustainably and using what you have, a reversal of the excess and wealth that dominates ad-heavy Instagram and TikTok.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&quot;When you get 300 videos on TikTok about people who have 30 Stanley cups, you want to have as many as you can afford. People want to fit in,&quot; said Perez, who repurposes jars as cups.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">CONSUMER FATIGUE&nbsp;<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">A video with over 100,000 views from TikTok user loveofearthco critiqued the tendency toward overconsumption often amplified and encouraged on social media: &quot;I spent money I didn&#39;t have on things I didn&#39;t need.&quot;<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Another account, nevadahuvenaars, shared what &quot;normal&quot; consumption looks like: used furniture, a modest closet, decor upcycled from glass bottles, meal prep and a downsized skincare collection.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Despite financial hardships felt particularly by Gen Z and millennials, the US economy is thriving, with record corporate profits and high prices on shelves.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">In a way, &quot;that feels almost &#39;gaslighty&#39; to consumers&quot; amid a period of economic and geopolitical uncertainty, culture and consumer marketing analyst Tariro Makoni told AFP.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">She argued that Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) plans commonly adopted by many young adults&#39; budgets exacerbate consumption and represent a distortion in access to wealth.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">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.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">A Google Trends analysis shows US searches for &quot;underconsumption&quot; hit a high point this summer, surfacing alongside queries about &quot;overproduction&quot; and the &quot;Great Depression.&quot;<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Many young adults have developed a &quot;compulsive behavior to spend down to their last pound on a fashion item,&quot; said UK-based influencer Andrea Cheong who recently shared an &quot;underconsumption core&quot; style video of her mending old clothes.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">It is an addiction tied to a pressure &quot;to articulate who we are through possessions,&quot; Cheong noted.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">In contrast, &quot;underconsumption core&quot; breaks from traditional core trends promoted by influencers, who often sell an ever-changing purchasing blueprint embodying the latest trend and aesthetic, according to Cheong. She and Makoni agreed that the shift also reflects increased calls for authenticity from content creators.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Now, &quot;conserving is cool&quot; said Makoni -- &quot;we saw very similar patterns after 2008&quot; during the financial crisis.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Over half of Gen Z adults -- age 18 to 27 -- polled in a 2024 survey by Bank of America stated the high cost of living as a top barrier to their financial success, adding that many do not make enough money to live the life they want.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/30/23/and-the-worlds-most-expensive-cities-are">And the world&#39;s most expensive cities are...</a><p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">SUSTAINABILITY CONCERNS&nbsp;<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&quot;The social media trend of &#39;underconsumption&#39; is another way for Gen Z to make the most of their money and be environmentally friendly at the same time,&quot; said Ashley Ross, head of consumer client experience and governance at Bank of America.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">While younger generations worry about making sustainable choices, a lack of financial autonomy drives their decisions.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&quot;Let&#39;s be honest, no one&#39;s gonna change their GDP for sustainability. We don&#39;t live in that world ... The motivation for people to do these things has always been to save money,&quot; said Cheong.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/08/14/23/are-se-asians-facing-a-cost-of-living-crisis">Are SE Asians facing a cost of living crisis?&nbsp;</a><p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">But she told AFP &quot;underconsumption&quot; trends ultimately provide the most accessible approach to sustainability for those who seek it. The message is simple: &quot;Buy less, buy better.&quot;<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Low consumption brick-and-mortar initiatives cast a wider net of profiles and generations.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Anjali Zielinski, 42, joined a &quot;Mending 101&quot; workshop in Georgetown, DC in the hopes of acquiring new skills. She brought her daughter, Mina, seven, along with her.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">In addition to providing an outlet to her daughter&#39;s creativity, she hopes the craft will teach her the &quot;value of our possessions and the work that goes into them.&quot;<p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&copy; Agence France-Presse

<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Known as &quot;underconsumption core,&quot; it spotlights living sustainably and using what you have, a reversal of the excess and wealth that dominates ad-heavy Instagram and TikTok.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&quot;When you get 300 videos on TikTok about people who have 30 Stanley cups, you want to have as many as you can afford. People want to fit in,&quot; said Perez, who repurposes jars as cups.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">CONSUMER FATIGUE&nbsp;<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">A video with over 100,000 views from TikTok user loveofearthco critiqued the tendency toward overconsumption often amplified and encouraged on social media: &quot;I spent money I didn&#39;t have on things I didn&#39;t need.&quot;<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Another account, nevadahuvenaars, shared what &quot;normal&quot; consumption looks like: used furniture, a modest closet, decor upcycled from glass bottles, meal prep and a downsized skincare collection.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Despite financial hardships felt particularly by Gen Z and millennials, the US economy is thriving, with record corporate profits and high prices on shelves.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">In a way, &quot;that feels almost &#39;gaslighty&#39; to consumers&quot; amid a period of economic and geopolitical uncertainty, culture and consumer marketing analyst Tariro Makoni told AFP.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">She argued that Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) plans commonly adopted by many young adults&#39; budgets exacerbate consumption and represent a distortion in access to wealth.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">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.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">A Google Trends analysis shows US searches for &quot;underconsumption&quot; hit a high point this summer, surfacing alongside queries about &quot;overproduction&quot; and the &quot;Great Depression.&quot;<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Many young adults have developed a &quot;compulsive behavior to spend down to their last pound on a fashion item,&quot; said UK-based influencer Andrea Cheong who recently shared an &quot;underconsumption core&quot; style video of her mending old clothes.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">It is an addiction tied to a pressure &quot;to articulate who we are through possessions,&quot; Cheong noted.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">In contrast, &quot;underconsumption core&quot; breaks from traditional core trends promoted by influencers, who often sell an ever-changing purchasing blueprint embodying the latest trend and aesthetic, according to Cheong. She and Makoni agreed that the shift also reflects increased calls for authenticity from content creators.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Now, &quot;conserving is cool&quot; said Makoni -- &quot;we saw very similar patterns after 2008&quot; during the financial crisis.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Over half of Gen Z adults -- age 18 to 27 -- polled in a 2024 survey by Bank of America stated the high cost of living as a top barrier to their financial success, adding that many do not make enough money to live the life they want.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/30/23/and-the-worlds-most-expensive-cities-are">And the world&#39;s most expensive cities are...</a><p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">SUSTAINABILITY CONCERNS&nbsp;<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&quot;The social media trend of &#39;underconsumption&#39; is another way for Gen Z to make the most of their money and be environmentally friendly at the same time,&quot; said Ashley Ross, head of consumer client experience and governance at Bank of America.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">While younger generations worry about making sustainable choices, a lack of financial autonomy drives their decisions.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&quot;Let&#39;s be honest, no one&#39;s gonna change their GDP for sustainability. We don&#39;t live in that world ... The motivation for people to do these things has always been to save money,&quot; said Cheong.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/08/14/23/are-se-asians-facing-a-cost-of-living-crisis">Are SE Asians facing a cost of living crisis?&nbsp;</a><p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">But she told AFP &quot;underconsumption&quot; trends ultimately provide the most accessible approach to sustainability for those who seek it. The message is simple: &quot;Buy less, buy better.&quot;<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Low consumption brick-and-mortar initiatives cast a wider net of profiles and generations.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Anjali Zielinski, 42, joined a &quot;Mending 101&quot; workshop in Georgetown, DC in the hopes of acquiring new skills. She brought her daughter, Mina, seven, along with her.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">In addition to providing an outlet to her daughter&#39;s creativity, she hopes the craft will teach her the &quot;value of our possessions and the work that goes into them.&quot;<p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&copy; Agence France-Presse

<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&quot;When every moment of your life feels like you&#39;re being sold something and the price of said item keeps going up, people will burn out on spending money,&quot; Kara Perez, an influencer and financial educator, told AFP.<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Social media has long had room only for picture-perfect homes, lavish closets and an abundance of beauty products. But a new trend is sweeping the other way -- urging repurposing, more frugal lifestyles and prioritizing quality over quantity.

<img src="https://news-image-api.abs-cbn.com/Prod/editorImage/1723427831688the-blowup-TDOQPhq631s-unsplash.jpg" style="width: 950px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span id="isPasted" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">the blowup, Unsplash/File&nbsp;&nbsp;<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; -webkit- text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Exhausted from a rising cost of living in the United States and non-stop ads, some young adults on TikTok are pushing back.

Exhausted from a rising cost of living in the United States and non-stop ads, some young adults on TikTok are pushing back.

Exhausted from a rising cost of living in the United States and non-stop ads, some young adults on TikTok are pushing back.

Do I need it? 'Underconsumption core' trends on TikTok | ABS-CBN News

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Do I need it? 'Underconsumption core' trends on TikTok

Do I need it? 'Underconsumption core' trends on TikTok