By: Hayley Strahs

News Editor

I collect enamel pins and have been for nearly years. Similar to watching a short video or pulling a slot machine, buying new pins gives me the quick rush of dopamine that modern humans crave. However, collection culture has gotten out of hand: at what point does accumulating items transform from a hobby into an addiction? In fact, I would go as far to say that the terms “collection” and “overconsumption” are synonymous in day-to-day conversation. Modern society often associates the merit of accomplishments with their numerical value. When most people think of a good collection, they think of a vast accumulation of items, automatically equating prestige with volume. While some truly derive joy in purchasing mass quantities of their favorite collectible, many feel a greater obligation to their role as a collector than satisfaction in their hobby when adding to their assortment of items.

Predictably, companies often take advantage of collectors’ devotion to their products. Under the Disney umbrella, there are countless collectibles, blind boxes, clothing items, and more merchandise that they expect diehard fans to purchase. However, due to my first-hand experience, I am going to focus on the advertisement and buyer reception of the company’s pins. Every month, Disney releases and retires countless new designs with complete assurance that a select group will purchase them no matter what. There are blogs dedicated to collecting Disney pins for the sake of accumulating them, and people often prioritize the pins’ rarity over their design quality. Disney draws a distinction between limited edition and limited release pins: limited edition signifies a fixed quantity, while limited release indicates a period of time in which they will sell the pin. Of the Disney pins in my collection, most are some form of limited edition or release. There is no inherent issue with anticipating a new item or valuing a rare one, but it is vital to recognize marketing tactics that cater specifically to avid collectors.

However, more issues arise when looking at collections of practical items, like books and vinyl records. Many readers have a physical to-be-read, or “TBR” pile consisting of books they’ve bought and haven’t read. I’m not proud to say that my personal TBR pile is well over 30 books, many of which I bought without even reading the synopsis. Collecting for the sole sake of collecting is, at the very least, reasonable when it comes to trinkets. On the contrary, accumulating practical items such as books, records, or puzzles without completing them is wasteful when you could instead fill your shelves with media you truly enjoy.

In no way am I advocating for people to stop collecting their items of choice. However, it is important to take a step back and figure out if it’s true interest or addiction that fuels your collection habits. If it’s the latter, I implore you to reconsider your purchase choices before it’s too late to repair any financial damage. Collection culture isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so it’s vital that you ensure your purchases are logical in the long-term.