A different word for "meaninglessness"

This is where I want to apply that word:

"He discovered the meaninglessness of consumerism and work"

I looked in dictionaries and reverse dictionaries but for some reason I can't find a word that is easier to pronounce and shorter than meaninglessness.

Any suggestions?

You can use the word "futility".

In your context, I think insignificance or triviality would fit well.

"He discovered the insignificance of consumerism and work."

What about emptiness or vacuity?

Unimportance is a decent synonym. These might work even better: emptiness, hollowness.

Then, there's always vanity; vanity is a good fit, I think, but it might throw people who are more familiar with the other very different – and probably more familiar – definition of the word:

As a footnote, the OED defines vain as: "Devoid of real value, worth, or significance; idle, unprofitable, useless, worthless; of no effect, force, or power; fruitless, futile, unavailing."