Yesterday was Black Friday … time to go buy some shit; it's the American way. Sorry if I didn't make it, I was, um, busy …
Consumer buying is one of many symptoms, along with an increasing yield to peer pressure, aligning with fads, and general herd mentality, among other symptomatic behavior that has grown over the last several decades as a result of a societal shift in the mind-world relation from internalism to externalism.
In short, as one's sense of being becomes less dependent or centered on an internal stable base of self worth with a relatively slow evolution as affected with external factors only after filtration through a somewhat fixed inner world view and becomes more, if not wholly, dependent on rapidly shifting external factors, one's sense of self-worth or completeness is rapidly changing along with the continual shift in modern society's focus on topical importance given to things, ideas, and values which, by their temporary nature, have no real value.
Thus we consume endlessly, to get that little bit of temporary satisfaction that, for a little while makes us feel better inside.
Someone take us (humanity) out back and shoot us, we are so fucked.