What is the Consumer Media Machine?
If you read the articles produced by the Postconsumers team with regularity, then you’ve certainly heard us use the words “Consumer Media Machine” repetitively. (And if you don’t read our articles regularly, here’s a great place to get started!). We thought it might be nice to step back and fully clarify what we mean when we refer to the Consumer Media Machine. It’s a concept that we often, as a society, don’t think [...]
The Rise of the Tools. Our Favorite Consumerism Quotes.
“Men have become the tools of their tools.” Henry David Thoreau […]
What is Consumer Addiction?
If you check in on the Postconsumers site very often, then you’ll notice that we often refer to society’s “addictive consumerism.” We believe that this is the overall illness and prism in which to view an individual’s consumer addiction. In fact, Peter Whybrow MD has diagnosed it in “American Mania: When More Is Not Enough,” as director of UCLA’s Semel Institute on Neuroscience and Human Behavior. However, today we’re giving out the Postconsumers’ [...]
Simplicity and Happiness. Our Favorite Consumerism Quotes
“Simplicity is the essence of happiness.” Cedric Bledsoe Photo Credit: © Photographer: Dana Rothstein | Agency: Dreamstime.com […]
Talking Yourself Through a Stuff Purge
The “stuff purge” is often one of the first “baby steps” that you might take in your journey to letting go of consumerism and finding the satisfaction of enough for today. However, it can also be an emotionally and mentally significant challenge to overcome, especially if you’ve associated “stuff” with the value of memories. While we, and hundreds of other postconsumers, can assure you that you’ll feel free as a bird and [...]
The Best Season. Our Favorite Consumerism Quotes
"If your mind is not clouded by unnecessary things, then this is the best season of your life." Wu-Men Photo Credit: © Photographer: Jay O'brien | Agency: Dreamstime.com
Twenty Ways to Buy Less, Live More
Postconsumerism. It’s about more than whether you do or don’t buy “stuff”, but one of the first ways to let go of a cultural addiction to the consumer machine is to understand what’s enough and buy enough rather than too much (and for the wrong reasons). Of course, that’s easier said than done. The first challenge is learning to find your own line of what’s enough. Hopefully, much of the information on Postconsumers.com [...]
What is Less? Defining What the Word Means to You.
At Postconsumers, we generally try to avoid and discourage the use of the phrases “living with less” or “learn to live with less.” We know that, at the core of it, letting go of society’s addictive consumerism and the consumer media is about having less stuff that doesn’t matter. But we like to think of the space that you clear by getting rid of “stuff” actually being filled by intangibles like satisfaction and [...]
Take Less. Our Favorite Consumerism Quotes.
“The hardest thing is to take less when you can get more.” Kin Hubbard Photo Credit: © Photographer: Darrenw | Agency: Dreamstime.com […]
Embracing Less: Your Body, Your Clothing and Your Personal Satisfaction
We’re spending some time this month talking about ways that you can embrace the concept of “less” and the freedom that comes with it. That doesn’t mean that we think you should think about “less” as the goal of postconsumerism. Satisfaction by deciding how much is enough is the goal of postconsumerism, and we’ll talk about the many meanings of “less” later on in this month. Today, however, we wanted to specifically talk [...]
