"conformist or not?"

i am currently reading Stephen Christian's book, "The Orphaned Anythings". and in it a good point was brought to my attention! why is it that we are conformists? do we do the things that we do so we can be socially acceptable? i know part (yes part, not all) of our reasoning for our meaningless hobbies and possessions is out of self-fulfillment and not for others! but really, the truth is, none of our possessions or passions matter one bit when put to the test of GOD! so why do we care so much about how we look, what we do, who we are with, and the latest technology! i am definitely guilty just like everyone, but why do we place the meaningless as such a high priority in our lives?