Living in a Material World: An Examination of the Epidemic of Materialism Among Teens

Owalas, Sambas, UGGs slippers, tiny collectables, right now it feels like every highschooler needs to have these things. But last year it was Stanley Cups, Converse, and Lululemon. Why are trends changing so quickly and so drastically? Every time they change, everyone has already hopped on the new bandwagon, leaving the shoes or water bottle of the last rage to collect dust in favor of a new $40 product. 

The need for the newest trend is an indicator of a deeper problem among teens: materialism. Being more focused on material objects, financial success, and popularity rather than emotional connections with family members and peers at this age can change the trajectory of a teen’s outlook and relationships for the rest of their life.  

Perhaps this phenomenon can be written off as simply teenagers being teenagers, but if you listen to anyone’s parents talk about their teenage years, it sounds a lot slower paced. Think about it; they were informed by magazines and ads on TV about what was trending, not an algorithm carefully tailored to make them more likely to buy a product. Psychology suggests that each generation is becoming more materialistic than the last, with ours becoming the epitome of the materialism crisis. 

That's not to say that this is completely our fault either. We’re living in an age where advertisements are being shoved down our throats every second of the day, whether you’re scrolling TikTok or walking through the mall. This kind of environment is specifically for the purpose of making trends come and go at an increased speed. And teens are particularly impressionable. It feels more important than ever in high school to be on top of every trend in order to fit in. 

Whether it's a conscious decision or not, we fear that if we don’t have the newest thing we will be viewed as a social pariah. Because of this we lean towards objects to give us a sense of self-worth. Maybe money can’t buy happiness, but perhaps the things you buy can make you happy enough. Other unfortunate side effects of growing materialism are decreases in gratitude, willingness to help others, and mental health. 

So how can we balance surviving in our fast-paced world and still be genuine people? 

Materialism appears to be a result of low self-esteem, where one compensates for a lack of confidence by buying things that help them fit in, and equating their self-worth to what things they possess. 

On the flip side, teens with high self-esteem tend to be less susceptible to changes in trends, as they are happier with themselves and don’t feel the overwhelming need to have what everyone else has. Higher self-esteem contributes to stronger interpersonal relationships and a higher sense of social acceptance which erases the need for materialistic indicators of belonging, which, in the long run, leads to teens growing into happier and healthier adults. And our bank accounts can thank us too. 

Now, that’s not to say that you can change your whole self-outlook overnight. It would be especially unfair to expect an entire generation of people to overcome a culturally ingrained breakout of low self-esteem and materially centric lives.   

The point of this article is not to point fingers or try and convince you not to participate in trends; it is rather an examination of the people we are and the society we live in. I hope this reminds you that it is important to take a step back now and then and think about the why. Why do you feel the urge to buy the next new thing? Why is it that our society was built around cultivating this consumerist attitude? 

As Madonna said in her classic 1984 song Material Girl, “you know that we are living in a material world.” In this day and age, how could we forget? 

References:

Orth, Ulrich, and Richard W. Robins. “Is High Self-Esteem Beneficial? Revisiting a Classic Question.” American Psychologist, vol. 77, no. 1, Jan. 2022, pp. 5–17, https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000922.

Reuters. “Teenagers Do Grow More Materialistic: Study.” Reuters, 9 Aug. 2007, www.reuters.com/article/world/us/teenagers-do-grow-more-materialistic-study-idUSN16208792/.

Zawadzka, Anna Maria, et al. “Can Self-Esteem Help Teens Resist Unhealthy Influence of Materialistic Goals Promoted by Role Models?” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 12, Jan. 2022, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.687388.