In July 2024, writer and artist August Lamm shared her prediction for the future on X: βIβm calling it right now: abstention is the next big thing. Sobriety, celibacy, digital minimalism, dumb phones, religion. The age of hedonistic hyper-consumption is over. Weβre moving into a new peaceful age marked by moderation and self-discipline. I canβt wait.β
Lamm, who has been without an iPhone for two and a half years, wasnβt basing her prediction on trends sheβd seen online (she doesnβt have a phone, remember?). Instead, she expressed her desire for a shift in culture, grounded in the belief that we have reached peak hyper-consumption. From Brat being synonymous with hedonistic indulgence, to Stanley cup fads and excessive skincare hauls, to Oxfordβs Word of the Year, βbrain rotβ, a term describing the negative effects of consuming low-quality or trivial online content, 2024 was undeniably a year of excess.
As we enter the new year, however, a cultural shift seems to be emerging. People are challenging their consumption habits by participating in low-buy or no-buy years, where they refrain from shopping for an entire year. Others are turning to digital detoxes in an effort to rebuild their attention spans, productivity and overall
well-being.
In this episode, hosts Halima Jibril and Elliot Hoste are joined by Lamm to unpack our addiction to consumption, our scarcity mentality, and whether weβre simply swinging from one extreme to another β from hedonistic hyper-consumption to complete restriction. Is this the beginning of a world without pleasure, or could moderation finally offer the balance weβve been craving?
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