Deinfluencing & Underconsumption: Learning from Our New Favorite Trends

If you find yourself on social media very often, you may have heard of this little trend called “deinfluencing” and “underconsumption”. Deinfluencing is meant to be the opposite of influencing, or getting people to buy things or buy into things. In the same vain, underconsumption is mean to highlight a normal or minimal level of consumption, primarily in the US. In the social media world where being an “influencer” is a coveted thing, deinfluencing is rocking the boat. While I’ve been largely absent from my social media for the last two years, even I’ve been influenced to buy things online. So let’s dig into the world of why deinfluencing is so important and what we can learn from our new favorite trend.

Deinfluencing and Underconsumption Comes with the Joy of Using Things Up

The joy of using things up is important in our journey of saving money, buying less, using less, and being more minimalist. Using items until they have nothing left to give allows us the opportunity to fully experience each item. Because if we tire of an item quickly or buy new things frequently, would we still be able to experience the benefits of each item and fully use them? Probably not. While this mostly applies to consumable products (think lotion, toothpaste, food, etc.), the same can be said for clothing, kitchen wares, electronics, cars, and other consumer goods.

There comes a certain satisfaction when I use something up and not re-buying or buying more until it’s gone.

Like my concealer. Do I scrape the pan and attempt to mix it with a bit of moisturizer to eek it all out? You bet. Do I have a backup? Nope. Was I influenced to buy something different or new when it ran out? Absolutely not. There is a certain joy in getting every last smidgen of product out of the container. This reflects a normal level of consumption, or what social media calls “underconsumption”.

But why?

When I use a product to it’s fullest I know that something useful isn’t going to the landfill. I save money because I use things up rather than tossing them when I tire of them. And if there are three things I love the most, it’s saving money, reducing my waste, and having a clutter free home.

Deinfluencing has allowed myself and so many other social media users to take pause and realize that they don’t need a new-and-fancy thing just because someone on the Internet told them it was awesome.

Although, I was influenced in 2021 to purchase a dress from wool& and wore it for 100 days straight!

“Get Ready With Me” Has Gotten Out of Control

As a former sucker for “get ready with me” videos, I found it fitting to start here. So much content online is based around what people use to get ready in the morning and for bed, for vacations and for church, for the new school year and for Christmas. Each occasion involves a dozen products that you may have never even heard of to make the influencer in the video “ready”. Any way a new product can be slipped into a video, influencers do it.

But is that what your life looks like?

I’m guessing that’s a “no”.

These videos and posts are made to get you to buy things and to make you feel like you absolutely need to do what these influencers are doing. They brag about how their skin feels or how it easy it was to get ready in the morning and get the kids out the door or how well they slept because of their wind-down routine that involves a snack tray for their Stanley and a bubble bath filled with bath bombs.

How I get ready for bed is by washing my face with a bar of charcoal soap, maybe exfoliating with a reusable exfoliator brush, putting on Chapstick and moisturizer, and brushing my teeth. It feels incredibly low maintenance compared to what I see online. But hey, I’m an unfancy, minimalist kind of gal. Less is more in my opinion. Using fewer products saves me money and it makes it easier to want to do a nighttime or morning routine. I find it far more satisfying to use my favorite products until the very last drop than trying something new every month.

Consuming Less or Underconsumption > Hyperconsumerism

I believe that hyperconsumerism (hyperconsumption) was born out of every corner of Internet telling us to “buy this better thing!”. Or “run don’t walk! This whatever-crappy-thing is on sale for so cheap!”. Whether it is the brand itself or an influencer, ads are everywhere.

Have you ever found yourself wondering through the aisles of a store or scrolling online looking for something to purchase? Maybe it’s to try it out, or you aren’t happy with what you already have, or shopping makes you feel better. Whatever your reason for casually shopping, you can curb your impulse purchases by asking a simple question:

Have I used up what I already own?

If you have used it all up, are you ready to replace it with the same item or try something new?

If you haven’t used it all up, why do you need to purchase this item?

Check your heart before you “add to cart”

I saw that saying on Instagram a few years ago and found it very fitting in our world of influencing.

To consume less and live in a world of normal levels of consumption ask yourself some questions while shopping:

• How am I going to pay for this?
• Is this item on my 72 hour list?
• Is this useful to me right now?
• How long will I actually use this item or like this item?
• Does this have a place in my home?
• How much is this really costing me?
• Do I have something similar that can serve the same purpose?
• What am I going to do with this item when I’m done with it?
• Am I shopping out of boredom/sadness/excitement, etc.?

After all these questions to ask yourself before buying something new, or maybe you just get through a few before you decide whether or not to purchase the item, you’ll feel your intentional buying muscles grow. Because that’s what you’re doing – you’re making a conscious decision to buy an item. Not because an person with an Internet connection told you it was cool.

You’ll gain control of your spending and the ever forthcoming flow of item into your home. And that means there will be less clutter, less time tidying up, less deep cleaning, and more time spent doing what you love.

You can even save this image and use it the next time you’re making what feels like an impulsive purchase!

Being Deinfluenced to Get in Touch with Your Priorities

Think about what you want in your day to day life. Do you want to save money? Live more minimally? Zero waste? Spend more time with family?

You see, the more money you spend, the less money you have available to you to save. The more stuff you have, the more you have to keep up with… cleaning, storing, dragging along with you, selling/giving away, disposing of in the end. More waste monetarily and of resources and potentially less time with your family.

In order to get back to a normal level of consumption, you need to have clear priorities.

For us, our top priority is to save money. Second priority is to continue our minimalist lifestyle. To do both, we should buy less. I’ve quieted that consumerist voice in my head telling me to buy more things, by putting those priorities first and that something new second.

Write your goals down or put them in your notes app.

Putting pen to paper will help you have clarity as to why you need a good ol’ habit reset. Take a picture (or screenshot) of your goals and set it as your lock screen as a constant reminder.

Challenge yourself.

Buying less (or nothing at all) is a challenge on its own. But when you make it more of a game rather than something “you need to do”, you’re more likely to stick with it.

I’m not suggesting that you permanently stop buying new things. I suggest a no-spend challenge to get you started.

A no-spend challenge is like hitting the reset button on your shopping habits.

You’ll still spend money on groceries, gas for the cars, and bills during the challenge. But nothing on eating out, entertainment, or shopping. 

A few tips on a no-spend challenge:

• Check your calendar. Do you have lots of events planned or a difficult few weeks of working late and kids activities? Pick a less stressful time of the month to complete a no-spend challenge.
• Get your friends involved. Let your friends and family know you’re doing a no-spend challenge to reset your shopping habits and save money. This does two things: offers up a challenge to see if they want to join in and compare savings, and let’s them know that eating out, drinks, entertainment will have to be creative.
• Check out the free stuff in your town. Always start with your public library system. Ours always has things for free to check out! You can Google “free things to do this week in Your Town” and it will likely bring up results for Facebook events and more.
• Go outside. Being outside, if you’re able, is free. There are loads of local city parks and state parks that are free or very low cost if you’re unsure how to start getting outside.
• Pick up an old hobby. Which means use up those crafts supplies that have been sitting at the bottom of your closet! Take an inventory of what crafty things you have an do a Pinterest search.

The Social Media Detox

While all of this “use what you have!” and “don’t buy more!” is great… what most of us really need is just to get off social media.

We can’t be influenced to buy something (or deinfluenced) if we aren’t scrolling through posts and videos everyday.

With all of the stress around us, most of us turn inward and use our phones, tablets, and laptops to take our minds off the tasks at hand. What if you could turn your mind back on and be happier, less stressed, and more productive? Answer: digital detox.

I have a 30 day challenge that I created several years ago that works well for just about anyone.

Days 1-7 are actively doing (or not doing) things on your devices/apps. Days 8-30 are maintenance and self-awareness checks (aka journaling your feelings).

What Happens When We’ve Been Deinfluenced?

More time will open up during your days and evenings to spend doing what you love. Hobbies and family time will come back to the forefront of your life. You might find your passion! But most certainly you’ll be happier spending time off-screen than being sucked into social media.

Heck, now that you probably aren’t on social media as much, you’ll likely spend less money. Not only because you don’t have that influencer telling you what’s cool, but you won’t have nearly the temptation to open other apps (I’m looking at you Amazon) while you’re on your phone.

What should you do with that money saved?

First, high-five yourself for every single cent you save!

Paying down debt, saving, or investing are all great next steps, too. :) For more on finance, frugal living, and minimalism, here is some additional reading below. Happy deinfluencing!

• Quiet the Voice of Wanting New Things
• 25 Minimalist Habits You Need to Find What Really Matters
• How to Live with Less – Beginner Minimalism
• Grocery Budget Tips – How to Spend Less Than $50 on Groceries a Month (2018)
• How to Save Money on Groceries in 2023 (and beyond!)
• Minimalist Fall Capsule Wardrobe – Easy & Affordable Fall Wardrobe Ideas
• 10 Vegan Meals to Make When You’re Broke
• Things We Quit Buying to Save Money
• How to Create a Cozy Minimalist Home
• 10 Items for 30 Days Capsule Wardrobe Challenge