The Trash Can Trap (Consumerism Trap)

Consumerism shapes the notion that "identity = consumption" through advertising, packaging luxury goods as symbols of social mobility and luring low-income groups into taking on debt for non-essentials.

At the same time, financial tools lower borrowing thresholds, allowing debt to grow through high interest rates and compounding.

Poor individuals often lack the ability to delay gratification and are easily persuaded by marketers' tactics, leading to impulse buying, wasted money, difficulty building wealth, and entrapment in debt.