Some of my favorite commentary channels on YouTube talk about weird social media drama and how influencers tend to have a little bit too much stuff.
Influencers began receiving PR, which started us on this train.
social media made collections aspirational
I always found collecting to be personal. As a child, I collected spoons. You know those little spoons you find at rest stops? Yeah, I collected those.
Now, Denver and I collect quite a few things together: vinyl records, Magic: The Gathering Cards, comic books, and steelbooks. The collection itself tells a story about us as people and our love for media.
Collecting now often feels like it’s part of an aesthetic rather than telling a story.
Bookshelves aren’t just bookshelves of things you like, they’re color-coordinated backdrops for book recommendations.
Make up drawers aren’t just storage, they’re tours on YouTube. Vanities aren’t places to get ready, they’re primed and ready for content.
This isn’t to say it is inherently wrong. I love a good looking bookshelf as much as the next, and I have dreamed of having a bookshelf organized by color.
But somewhere along the way, it felt like collecting started becoming performative and for moneteziation.
influencers taught me to want everything
I grew up watching beauty influencers on YouTube. I mean, who didn’t? I also dreamed of being one of these beauty influencers with the insane amount of products.
For years, I watched these creators test new foundations, beauty trends, compare dupes to the real deal, and recommend products that quickly became a “must-have.”
I never really questioned it before. I need to have the Sugar Bear Hair vitamins, I need to have the Charlotte Tilburry Pillow Talk lipliner. I need, I need, I need.
And of course they’re going to promote hundreds of products. They’re not just a beauty influencer, they’re also a piece of the promotional package. It’s their job, even if they hate it.
Somewhere along the way, it’s like these influencers forgot what they were here to do: love their favorite products and show off their cool make up skills.
I started comparing the amount of make up I have to those whose careers depended on reviewing new releases or pushing a sponsorship every week. Instead of asking whether I really needed a new product, I started questioning how can I get the money to get it immediately.
then booktok did the same thing
It didn’t take social media long to include the bookish community with them on the overconsumption train.
Every week there’s a new “this is the best book ever.” Or “this is the prettiest book every.” Or “this is the only subscription box you need.”
It’s never ending. And something it feels like buying books has become just as big of a hobby as reading them.
I’ve caught myself, on multiple occassions, adding a book to my cart jujst because everyone else is talking about them.
Not because I knew anything about the plot, or I simply loved them. It was strictly because I didn’t want to feel left out.
Since coming to this realization, I’ve started reading them on my Kindle rather than buying hte physcial and letting it collect dust. If I truly love the book and it’s a 3-5 star read, I’ll put it on my wishlist to get. Denver does the same.
collecting isn’t the enemy
Collecting isn’t the problem. Collecting is intentional. Overconsumption is not.
There’s a huge difference betwee building a bookshelf filled with stories that mean something to you and buying every populat release because you’re afraid of missing out.
The same goes for make up.
There’s nothing wrong with having a collection of products you truly enjoy and use.
But when products start piling up faster than you can use them, or books are arriving faster than you can read them, it might be worth asking why.
maybe our collections should tell a story
I don’t think the goal is to stop collecting.
I love physical media.
I love makeup.
I enjoy surrounding myself with things that make me happy but I also want those things to reflect me and not the algorithm I’ve been fed.
I’d rather own a book that made me feel something rather than a book I won’t even touch.
I’d rather have make up I reach for than drawers full of products that are expiring.
At the end of the day, the best collections aren’t the biggest ones. They’re the ones that tell a story.
let’s chat!
What’s something you genuinely love collecting and how do you keep it from becoming overconsumption?
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