The consumption habits of current college students play an important role in the future of our society.

College students need to find the vigor within themselves to become consumers that think critically about the purchases they make. Not only should they make smart financial decisions but they need to make ethical decisions as well.

For instance, approaching their purchases by having done their homework on the company and the ripple effects that the product has, college students can push companies into being more socially responsible.

With social media as a communication tool, companies can communicate directly with consumers to see the change that they want from the company.

The only problem is products that are completely ethical yet at a higher cost. Immediately college students shut down to this because they’re most likely broke.

That is why college students should be conscious of their own personal consuming habits. By analyzing their finances and shopping patterns, companies might see that they have formed unhealthy habits.

For example, getting caught up in materialism. Many may argue that they are not materialistic but yet may have materialistic tendencies which companies are willing to exploit.

In order to stay on top of their finances, college students should make a budget and stick to it. Too many students break their budget or don’t even set one at all.

College students in the United States today are in such a difficult situation that they need to put in extra effort for potential financial stability. Most college students do try, though.

College students just need to find the room in their budget to form the habit of buying ethically. Companies need to be shown that it is necessary to be socially responsible in order to succeed.

In recent years, a shift towards more corporate social responsibility has taken place. The perception of a company is crucial to a company’s success.

It is not enough to just know about conscious consuming, we owe it to future generations to leave it as our legacy.

Sam Rios can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @theorion_news.