I definitely agree with you that there is immense pressure exerted on consumers. However, each person is still the architect of their own happiness.
Ultimately, everyone decides for themselves whether they prefer to stack their Sats or let countless marketing stories influence them, making them believe they need the latest to be happy or cool. I do believe that we can influence this pressure and choose whether or not to succumb to it.
The inspired post by @onions was inspired by a post I had written earlier. The topic was about who has the highest mileage on their car, and there was active participation from people who don't buy a new car every year or even choose to go without one altogether.