Been (slowly) making my way through The Day the World Stops Shopping by J.B. MacKinnon and came across this section on deconsuming that really stood out:

“When we know that a person is consuming less as a deliberate choice, and not out of financial need, we attach greater status to that action. It becomes an act of conspicuous deconsumption.”

This idea that it’s not about not consuming, but massively scaling back and becoming intentional about the things we do consume; choosing to buy items that last longer, for example.

I also love the way he ties a form of ‘de-marketing’ to this as well, opening up the role that marketers and advertisers might play in helping reshape people’s relationship to consumption. Rather than using their skills to convince people to buy more stuff more often, leveraging them to promote a lifestyle of deconsumption, volunteering, and environmental engagement.