Grammaretto, I think you're spot on with the consumption idea.
We've all been stealthily seduced over a long period of time by wily advertisers into believing that we "need" more things. A fresh, bright decor for spring then a darker cosy one for winter. The latest style of clothing, to show everyone how up to date and in the know we are. The newest processed foods, because naturally we are socially much too busy to make our own... An endless torrent of "the new", which preys on our inadequacies and yields vast profit to those who sell us things that we don't need and the planet can't continue to support.