Walking around school, Gucci and Supreme clothed students are seen mingling and sauntering past their JCPenney and Target clad peers. Whether it’s tiny whales or the Adidas logo, it’s impossible to escape the presence of brands. So many students today indulge in these items that it leads one to wonder of the strength of materialism and its implications in today’s society.
According to the Merriam-Webster, materialism is defined as “a preoccupation with or stress upon material rather than intellectual or spiritual things,” or in other words caring too much about things over values.
The psychological side to materialism at first glance appears dangerous. People who feel insecure about themselves may purchase these items for a need to fit in and be accepted. Especially for young people, materialism can be all the more alluring. Young people are often still searching for their sense of identity and identifying with certain brands gives them a group, an identity to belong to, and ultimately, a feeling of acceptance. Yet what it does not aid is someone’s sense of self worth.
Tim Kasser, a professor of psychology at Knox College who specializes in materialism, analyzes its causes.
“First, people are more materialistic when they are exposed to messages that suggest such pursuits are important, whether through their parents and friends, society, or the media,” Kasser said. “Second, and somewhat less obvious — people are more materialistic when they feel insecure or threatened, whether because of rejection, economic fears or thoughts of their own death.”
Ed Diener, a University of Illinois psychology professor, believes that those who are less materialistic are happier.
“Those who value material success more than they value happiness are likely to experience almost as many negative moods as positive moods,” Diener said. “Whereas those who value happiness over material success are likely to experience considerably more pleasant moods and emotions than unpleasant moods and emotions.”
Obviously, with technology’s presence affecting all aspects of life today, its impact on materialism does not go unnoticed either. Scrolling through Instagram and other social media platforms, students are constantly reminded of the latest styles and what everyone else is wearing. The popularity in these name brands is only heightened because of social media’s overwhelming influence.
“One study of American and Arab youth found that materialism is higher as social media use increases,” said Kasser. “That makes sense, since most social media messages also contain advertising, which is how the social media companies make a profit.”
I’m not suggesting to avoid buying these items, for I own clothes or other items from brand-name stores, and even find myself sometimes looking at the brand of something before anything else. To a certain degree, materialism can be kept as a part of one’s life.
In this day and age, materialism has gotten such an unfairly bad reputation. Materialism is looked on with disdain because of its implication about character and choice. It comes down to that people have the choice to buy these items, and when they do, they are considered shallow.
Some ways people combat their materialism are by generally owning fewer possessions, by possibly donating more, and finding other means of buying their clothes or items, like by thrifting. Valuing objects on the basis of meaning and practicality can also be a way to measure something’s necessity in one’s life.
Being swept up with the need to update with the latest fashion or constantly look to others for validation, is only a recipe of diminished self-satisfaction. To maintain a healthy balance, keep in mind what the purpose of buying these items is and what pleasure they give. Pleasure defined by outside, materialistic, worth will lead to ultimate dissatisfaction. However, consciously being aware of your thinking, will lure you away from that path.
