How the Standard of Living Is Measured: The generally accepted measure of the standard of living is GDP per capita. This is a nation's gross domestic product divided by its population. The GDP is the total output of goods and services produced in a year by everyone within the country's borders.
https://www.thebalance.com/standard-of-living-3305758
If living consuming less and living simply is "absolutely a bad thing" then consuming more and living more complicated lives is absolutely a good thing. But good for who? It's not good for the planet and it's not good according to many spiritual and religious traditions because it's driven by always wanting more, which implies a certain amount of dissatisfaction with what you already have.
Rabbi Hyman Schachtel (1954) proposed that "happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have"
Is happiness having what you want, wanting what you have, or both?