Consumption Overload

Everywhere I turn these days, there is an advert trying to hawk me something.

Buy this - it will change your life.

Today only SPECIAL price.

These dog chews are 4x the price in shops.

Someone is getting fired at Shark, because these steam mops are on a MASSIVE discount.

Since when did some content creators become a mini version of a shopping channel?

I’m all for people making a living, and I’ve even promoted products online before; I’m not denying that. But when every other piece of media that I see is trying to sell something, it’s gone too far.

I don’t want to be seen as just a bank account with great hair. I’m a person. The internet used to be about connection, fun, education, and laughter. I miss the simpler days before it all became a massive race to the bottom of who can sell the most.

I know it’s gone too far for me, now I’m seeing AI slop videos trying to flog me trainers, eye shadows, and steam mops.

‘But you can just not be influenced’

Low dopamine associated with a plethora of conditions - notably ADHD for me - pushes the brain for quick fixes and often results in impulsive shopping. The people flooding our feeds with this know this: we’re being targeted!

I’m done with being one of the millions of sacrificial lambs at the checkout. I’ve been on a mission to purge this from my feeds. The block button exists for a reason. If I see an ad on TikTok, I close the app, teaching it not to show me so many bloody ads.

I don’t want to be exposed to it anymore. I don’t want to feel the pressure to buy buy buy! If you feel overloaded by consumption, maybe this is the reminder you needed to help you stop it from taking over!