I had no idea what to expect when I reported to my first day of a weekend Workshop/Symposium at Villanova University on a concept Systems Thinking. This 3-day experience was one of the most profound educational experiences I’ve ever had. The methods learned and the relationships that were forged during this weekend willlive with me forever. The concepts acquired will surely be an invaluable asset in my toolbox as I navigate the complexities of Life, Family and Business.
We’ve heard the terms “Less is more”, “Quality over Quantity” or “Don’t keep up with the Joneses”. These terms I didn’t truly understand before learning the principles of systems thinking and was charged, along with my teammates, with the task of theoretically solving the problems of overconsumption and hyper consumerism.
I know for a fact in detail now, that there is a complex set of systems in place within in our global society that severely engineers its citizens to behave in a way that encourages the monetization of that behavior. These concepts were explained in detail around the explanation of systems theory. In the article The Mouse and the Earthquake, it explained that “Systems theoryis a set of principles applying to complex, interacting wholes as a way to understand them. These principles are a tool to help us understand not just how things happen or are related in a linear way, but instead to conceptualize how processes, events, and things are interrelated, from cell to universe to time to everything else”. Let’s dive in shall we.
The systems Iceberg model is a great way to start with the understanding of the underlying infrastructures that most people don’t get an opportunity to see. Consumers are either not aware of how implicit they are in this ignorance, or they understand to some degree, but is willing to override the long-term ramifications for short term gratification. Dealing with trauma through purchasing, overspending, and wastefulness is often a coping mechanism. Shopping and excessive spending can create a fleeting sense of control, comfort, or excitement, distracting individuals from underlying emotional pain. However, this behavior can spiral into financial instability, guilt, clutter, and a tendency to compound stress rather than alleviating it.
Mental models are the deepest parts of the iceberg. These are the words we consistently tell ourselves. The words we tell ourselves over and over again repeatedly are directly connected to how we SEE, HEAR and FEEL. If we can just become conscious of the words that we consume, we can begin to make decisions and solve problems within ourselves and in our society. The mental models are examples like “I’m not good enough”, “I must be the black sheep”, In the hyper consumers case “More is better”.
New Mental Models: The steps to securing new mental models are things like intentional consumption and the prioritization of decluttering. If we can flip these internal mental conversations into “Less is More”, “I need nature”, “I am somebody”, we can then affect the next stage in the iceberg systems model which is, underlying structures.
Underlying structures are those things that help the influencing of patterns, behaviors and trends. The often referenced Iceberg diagram is useful for moving from the events and patterns levels to the structural level,
“Seeing the Deeper Structure”.
If we shift our mental models to beliefs that will have a long-term positive effect on minimalism, then it may have a residual effect on economic structures like capitalism and we could then shift to more of a conscious capitalistic society where innovation is still encouraged but not at the cost of destroying all our earth’s resources in the name of progress. To get to the goal, there may be polarizing implementations that we need to take to evoke results. Ideas around new underlying structures could include mandating consumption restrictions. This could be screen time shutdowns, banning chemicals in food, “Productivity sessions” and “mental wellness resets” and midday corporate recesses built within company structure. We could also create tax incentives for companies to prioritize a regenerative economy over a growth and capitalistic economy that has a non-systems thinking approach toward fixing long-term problems. With these new underlying structures in place, these forces may affect patterns and trends
Patterns and trends are at the next phase of the iceberg systems model. New mental models around consumerism creates new underlying structures, which in turn generates patterns and trends around our societies ability to consume. After the new structures are in place, we should begin to see measurable data on people spending more time outside, having more quality time with family members, becoming healthier internally and externally, eating less unprocessed foods, citizens growing their own foods and an overall decline in cell phone and device screen activity. Cultural campaigns can also play a significant role in shifting the consumer mindset. Promoting values such as simplicity, longevity, and fulfillment through nonmaterialistic means could be a strategy.
By incorporating these values into everyday life, we can challenge these cultural narratives that deceive people into believing that happiness and status are directly related to excess and overconsumption. My teammates and I also concluded that mass results will take time in this regard. Companies spend billions on advertising to reinforce the idea that more is always better, making it difficult to shift perspectives overnight. We also know that systems thinking and interconnection is at the lifeline of human connectivity. We are not designed to be isolated or imbalanced, we are created so we can come together, collaborate and build. We also must do so in a way that gives us the highest probability of survival.
As human evolution continues to innovate and expand, we must be conscious about our future generations not inheriting a negative blueprint, long after were gone. Influencing patterns and trends in hyper consumerism is a gradual process because consumer behaviors are deeply ingrained and shaped by years of cultural, social, and economic forces.
I believe the rise of global sustainability movements and circular type economies challenges the foundation of hyper consumerism, encouraging new and fresh mental models, where quality, longevity, and shared ownership replace disposable consumption. Corporations, local businesses, policymakers and social media influencers must consistently promote and reinforce these shifts to create the domino effect.
Change is slow, but as more people adopt new ways of thinking and behaving, the structures supporting hyper consumerism will weaken, making room for a system where “subtraction” could be interpreted as “Addition.”
I encourage all who read this to think about going inward and truly asking yourself:
AM I THE PROBLEM????
