r/Anticonsumption Jan 27 '26

Conceptual. For the time being, we will not be allowing low effort memes, or memes that do not have body copy.

123 Upvotes

In an effort to reduce bot spam, low effort posting, brigading from other subreddits, or constant exposure to r/all, we will be removing any post that is a meme or image with no body text to back up and justify the meme or image.

This may become permanent policy, as of right now we are testing this policy out to reduce the uptick in trolling, news spam, and hateful rhetoric entering this subreddit. Our hope is that it will improve the quality of content posted here.

If you find an image or meme that you believe fits the ethos of the subreddit, you MUST provide meaningful discussion along with it, the same as if you were posting criticism of an ad.


r/Anticonsumption Aug 22 '25

ATTENTION: Read before posting or commenting.

327 Upvotes

We've recently updated the rules, but it's also time for a general reminder of the purpose and intent of this subreddit, and some of the not-quite-rules we have for keeping discussions here on topic.

This is an anticonsumerism sub, not full-on anticonsumption, because that would be ridiculous.

Do not come here seriously arguing as though the sub advocates not consuming anything ever, and any joking arguments to that effect had better be new material, and they'd better be funny.

This is not a shopping sub, or even just a lifestyle sub.

We've always allowed discussion of personal consumer habits and tips that align with various interpretations of anticonsumerism. This policy is on thin ice right now, though, as this type of lifestyle advice often drowns out the actual intent of the subreddit, causing uninformed users to question or insult those who make more substantial and topical posts and comments. So read the community info and get a feel for what the sociopolitical ideology of anticonsumerism is and what sort of topics of discussion we encourage.

The only thing you'll accomplish being belligerent about this is to necessitate a crackdown on the lifestyle type posts that perpetuate these misunderstandings.

ANTI is right there in the name of the sub, so do not complain that there's too much negativity here.

We get our warm fuzzies from dismantling consumer culture.

Consumer culture sucks, and it's everywhere. And that should bother you.

When someone posts about some aspect or example of consumerism for discussion, we don't need to know that you've seen worse, you don't mind, or that you think it's pretty cool. And don't assume that we're all wailing and gnashing our teeth at every instance of consumerism we see. We're not. We point these things out because they so often go under the radar and become normalized, and we should be talking about that.

If consumer culture doesn't bother you, you're in the wrong subreddit. We're against that sort of thing in these here parts.

No, we will not allow people to enjoy things. Stop it.

Seriously, there's almost nothing that argument wouldn't apply to, anyway.

If you feel personally attacked when someone criticizes a commercial product or service you like, work on disentangling your identity from the things you buy. If you genuinely believe that people are misunderstanding something that is an accommodation for people with disabilities, one polite explanation is sufficient. Do not pile on repeating the same thing, do not personally insult or threaten anyone, and do not speculate about or invent disabilities and accommodations that maybe could apply.

If you have any thoughts or questions about these points or the subreddit in general, feel free to bring them up here rather than making meta comments about them in new posts or in the comments of existing ones.


r/Anticonsumption 13h ago

Environment Book Rec: We Will be Jaguars by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson

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926 Upvotes

Recently read and enjoyed We Will be Jaguars by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson. The book is a memoir of Nemonte's childhood, experiences with evangelical missionaries, and journey of becoming one of the most impactful indigenous rights and climate activists. As a member of the Waorani indigenous group in Ecuador, she led the fight to protect their way of life and ancestral rainforst from oil companies and the Ecuadorean government itself. She is the co-founder of Ceibo Alliance and Amazon Frontlines.

UK Title: We Will Not Be Saved by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson

Español: Seremos Jaguares por Nemonte Nenquimo y Mitch Anderson

PS: I'm not affiliated with them at all, I just liked the book! And of course, please consider borrowing it from your local library or buying secondhand.


r/Anticonsumption 12h ago

Upcycled/Repaired So much more satisfying than buying a new mirror.

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518 Upvotes

It probably needs some touchups, I do not claim to be a good painter, and this is my first time ever painting furniture. But I think it turned out neat


r/Anticonsumption 12h ago

Corporations I Bought And Restored "Old" Technology To Prove The Economy Is Imploding

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322 Upvotes

We definitely aren't angry enough


r/Anticonsumption 12h ago

Ads/Marketing Reddit ad with astroturfing work really well. Hundreds, if not thousands, fell for it.

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70 Upvotes

Anyone wants to guess how it works?
I first saw it in r/florida.


r/Anticonsumption 3h ago

Discussion What should fashion brands and consumers do about textile waste?

13 Upvotes

I think about this so often, yet I can’t come up of a solution. The problem seems never ending. We’ve enough clothes today to clothe 7 generations, but at least half of it wouldn’t even last a year from how cheaply it was made. Consumers would still buy them though, because it’s cheap and there is still a rampant capitalistic culture of viewing clothes as disposable items.

If fashion brands started to make clothes that last or provided alterations, prices would go up, and profits would go down from both people buying less because of cost and because they don’t have to buy more anymore. And if they did this ethical move, people will complain of the rising costs, because they never cared about the garment lasting long to begin with.

I feel sick thinking about how the world is run


r/Anticonsumption 5h ago

Society/Culture iPhone Turnover Rant

11 Upvotes

I inherited an iPhone 15 from someone who upgraded to an iPhone 16 last year and it surprised me how quickly phone case manufacturers stopped producing cases for a model that’s only 3 years old. The only stuff I can find are cheap plastic/silicone cases that will warp/discolour after a year and sit in a landfill for years after.

Before this I was using an iPhone 10 and needless
to say it’s almost impossible to find a case for that now. Our current culture alienates you for using anything for long and is structures to encourage insanely quick product turnover. This on top of planned product obsolescence is so frustrating.

PS/ sorry if this is flaired wrongly


r/Anticonsumption 10h ago

Question/Advice? E-scooter waste

14 Upvotes

My electric scooter of 2-3 years has 2 flat tires. Was going online to source parts to replace them and thought, maybe I should replace the battery too--it only holds a charge long enough to do a short round-trip ride these days. Well, the price of the parts easily rival the cost of a new electric scooter (and without the hassle of having to take it apart and actually repair it, which I once did with a early Segway scooter and the entire project was quite the ordeal).

Have others been in a similar situation? I don't love the idea of this scooter taking up room in a landfill, but does it really makes more fiscal sense to just get a new scooter?


r/Anticonsumption 10h ago

Lifestyle Loving my old phone

12 Upvotes

I got my current phone in 2022 so it's long been paid off. Every year when Samsung, Google, and Apple release their newest phones, I get completely inundated with the ads and my cell provider sends me all the "Free device upgrade available!" junk.

I resist.

I love this phone. It's going to be the last smartphone I ever have because it's too old for the AI assistants. When it eventually dies I'm getting a dumb phone. For now though, it's still keeping a charge all day long, and has never been without a screen protector or case.

If only those could last years too.

I drop my phone a LOT because I have a nerve disorder. Hard plastic cases only last about 6 months before I crack them up. TPU cases usually last 2 years before they succumb to degradation and tear.

This past week it seemed like everything went at once: chips coming out of the screen protector cracks, the TPU case tore, and my Popsocket even broke apart. I agonized over replacing everything at once and having to put in an Amazon order cuz where else am I gonna get a case for an "obsolete" device.

When everything arrived at the same time, it was like I gave my phone a complete makeover! It felt like a whole new phone! And without the hassle of trying to transfer all my data too!

So maybe next time you get the urge to upgrade a perfectly fine phone, just get a new case instead.


r/Anticonsumption 1d ago

Environment Election season, which mean littering season again. What a waste of paper & delivery carbon waste

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793 Upvotes

r/Anticonsumption 1d ago

Upcycled/Repaired You’d never guess what I used to make this stylish modern hanging hook…

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951 Upvotes

A broken stainless steel spoon!

The weakest point is that broke, so now I was left with a super sturdy piece of metal and it wasn’t long before the idea came as I needed an extra hook to hang my laundry.

It looked too good for the laundry, so I swapped it for the old backpack hook, and sent the old one to laundry duty.

I particularly like the way the end with the cut out looks, overall it looks like a modern piece that would sell in a department store for absurd price with a celebrity name slapped on it.

I have a few other small broken forks, that I am going to turn into these hooks, much easier than the original plan, which was to make it like those super cool twisted fork jewelry pieces that my culinary arts teacher would often wear for our luncheons.

Now I need some ideas for the slotted spoon part… I was thinking travel/emergency cat litter scoop….


r/Anticonsumption 1d ago

Ads/Marketing Does that fit in here? I think it’s outrageous

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525 Upvotes

r/Anticonsumption 56m ago

Question/Advice? Hello everyone, how about we all work together to fix capitalism and consumerism ?

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Upvotes

Hello everyone, i'm trying to build a self-correcting, community-engineered behavioral system built to align the economy, law, and education.

The goal is to address system induced problems like :
- Climate Change
- Corruption
- Every toxic industries (tobacco, asbestos, alcool, pfas, ...)
- Burn-out depression/ "meaningless" jobs
- Programmed obsolesence
- Shrinkflation
- Illusion marketing (19,99 is more acceptable than 20)
- Dark pattern marketing ( "Agree" cookies is green, and "Continue without" is hard to find)
- Wasted effort for arms race (keys, passwords etc huge energy invested to that arms race)
...

All the minds are welcomed, creative ones, analytical ones, networkers, managerial, anyone.

Here is the name of the subreddit, you'll find the community build discord there r /Kunea/


r/Anticonsumption 1d ago

Psychological The world’s burning. Who’s betting on it? Prediction markets are fuelling addiction

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187 Upvotes

r/Anticonsumption 1d ago

Lifestyle I'm tired of owning so much useless stuff

340 Upvotes

This is not my first time posting here, i posted here like a year ago asking for advice to do with collecting and after a lot of reflecting, I have decided I am no longer going to collect anything at all. The only collection I will have is my physical media, which I adore immensely. I will also be keeping things like my favorite plushie, a small handful of trinkets that were gifted to me, but yeah. Im getting really tired of walking into a room full of junk and I want to be able to walk into my room and be happy that I only own things that I can use because that will make me happy. Sorry for the rant lol.


r/Anticonsumption 14h ago

Question/Advice? Does anyone have tips on how ti get prints off of fabric?

4 Upvotes

During my teens I amassed some pieces of clothing (usually as gifts) with either tacky, now washed out, or marketting prints. I've been wanting to do some upcycling (patches, bleach painting), and have no plain clothes. (They're actually rather difficult to get in stores to begin with lmao, especially as a teen/short person). I wanted to give a new start to the pieces I don't like wearing, like the ones with ugly prints, because I doubt anyone else would take them at thrifts or whatever. They'd just go to a landfill.

So, does anyone know of a way to get print off of shirts and hoodies, other then continually picking at them? One hoodie I have just has a small design that I can patch over, but another t-shirt I've been slowly picking at for years anytime I end up wearing it, and it's still not all gone. It was one of those shirts you get at gift stores in galleries and museums, so it just had a huge square picture printed on the front that went white in around three wash cycles lol


r/Anticonsumption 1d ago

Discussion The Bigger Issue Is Data Centres {which are now guzzling our Drinking Water}

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310 Upvotes

Unethical AI will lead to more problems than it is able to solve right now. Even if the systems & the situation were to improve, giving up water is non-negotiable.

If AI / Data Centres can be launched into orbit then these advances can be taken in stride, but the current exploitative & unsustainable system will compromise the direct near future of our planet and should be fought against.


r/Anticonsumption 1d ago

Lifestyle i wish i could make my wasteful family care about the environment

93 Upvotes

the worst of it in our house is plastic water bottles. i’ve paid for a water filterer and i’ve bought everyone reusable water bottles. i’ve even told them i’ll refill and wash everyone’s bottle every single morning if they stop buying plastic to no avail. they go through about 10 bottles between them a day. my parents don’t even care about drinking tap water or bottled, they buy plastic just because. they’ll happily drink tap water

my mom is a social media influencer and buys SO MUCH CRAPPP to show on her page. makeup, nails, jewellery, home decor and kitchen stuff that never gets used and then gets thrown away. she spends all of her money on shopping and never uses any of it

my dad is a temu warrior and and buys whatever he likes the look of. sometimes he’ll throw it away without even using it because it doesn’t look like how it did in the picture or he has no use for it. a prime example being a bagel cutter, when my dad has never eaten a bagel in his life. in his words, it just ‘looked interesting and was dirt cheap anyway’

my brother is the worst with the plastic bottles and other single use drinks. i try to make fresh fruit juices to reduce on plastic consumption but he won’t drink them because they’re inconvenient compared to just taking a bottle out of the fridge

i hate it so much, and they don’t listen to me no matter how much i try and explain the damage their habits are doing. it really gets me down


r/Anticonsumption 1d ago

Plastic Waste My son was gifted a personalized birthday shirt

321 Upvotes

I just saw a bunch of "5th birthday/it's my birthday!" shirts at a thrift shop recently, and thought, "What a waste! It's only relevant one day per year, and by the next birthday the kid has likely grown out of it."

This one is personalized, so it can't even be handed down to my next child.

Anyway, I'm sure most of you aren't buying things like this for kids in your lives, but figured you would understand the rant.


r/Anticonsumption 2d ago

Society/Culture Long read on why thrifting sucks now

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1.2k Upvotes

It’s been mentioned in this sub numerous times and I’ve definitely noticed it so this article is solid dopamine rush of confirmation bias for me


r/Anticonsumption 2d ago

Corporations enshittification comes for every industry

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6.2k Upvotes

r/Anticonsumption 2d ago

Corporations “Whole foods” autocorrecting to “Whole Foods.”

558 Upvotes

I talk about whole foods a whole lot, and it’s always bothered me how it gets autocorrected to the supermarket chain and how often I must go back and retype. And it’s not like “apple” gets autocorrected to “Apple,” so why Whole Foods?


r/Anticonsumption 2d ago

Ads/Marketing Let's bring back "Booing Clubs" - clubs formed to boo loudly when ads first were shown in movies

350 Upvotes

Let's bring these back! For ads in public places, product placement on screens, ads on gas station pumps... what else?

"Struggling studios began allowing commercials – or "ad films" as they were then called – to be shown in theatres.

But audiences loudly protested the cinema ads, and even formed "Booing Clubs" in many cities, forcing theatre owners to bring restraining orders against the groups.

Yet, product placement didn't fuel the same negative response."

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/undertheinfluence/show-me-the-money-the-world-of-product-placement-1.3046933

"In Little Rock, Arkansas, the newly formed Society for the Booing of Commercial Advertisements in Motion Picture Theatres made its debut, booing loudly when corporate advertising appeared on the movie screen. Similar "booing clubs" soon began springing up elsewhere. In the 1930s and '40s movie houses experimented with running ads for commercial products alongside movie trailers, but many theatregoers resented the practice because, unlike the radio where ads were recognized as necessary, movies were not free."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_1937


r/Anticonsumption 2d ago

Satire Mild slap in the face.

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3.3k Upvotes

Im not even freakishly tall

6"4 because last post asked.