Social media has changed the way people shop and discover products, but it has also made it harder to identify trustworthy information and easier to buy unthinkingly. Influencers, trends and targeted advertising often encourage overconsumption and impulsive spending while hiding concerns about product quality and company ethics. As a result, consumers must be more aware of how social media influences their purchasing decisions.
A common problem many people have in this social media centered time is how to determine false information from the truth. When deciding what brand to make a purchase from, many social media users are not properly informed on how to find reliable information about the brand and their credibility. Once a micro trend emerges from the internet, all companies move fast to take advantage of it and hop on the boat. Some companies don’t just take advantage of the trend but also take advantage of the consumers, “greenwashing” and falsely advertising the quality of their goods and how they treat their workers.
According to an article from Medium: How Much Is Too Much? Overconsumption in Social Media, “When talking about ethical practice, companies like Temu and Shein may come to mind. They sell poorly made, cheap products. Both have a reputation for unfair labor practices and a significantly poor impact on the environment.”
When it comes to making purchases some consumers prefer to pay less for lesser quality products rather than invest in a sustainable product that will last long term, making these companies increasingly popular. Some other social media platforms, like TikTok have come up with new strategies to make making purchases more convenient, encouraging shoppers to spend more impulsively.
TikTok shop was founded in 2023 and has strongly outsold some of its competitors. It gained 47 million shoppers to the site, and had an estimated 11.9 million U.S. purchasers in 2024, according to an article from CNBC. By using the strategy of convenience, shoppers on TikTok shop don’t even have to leave the app to make a purchase, leading consumers to be able to quickly make purchases, leaving them with less time to contemplate their decision. This leads to more impulse buying and buying in bulk. Influencers can also post videos on TikTok of them using a product and get paid for it, making it easier for potential customers to have exposure to the product.
Online it’s been normalized to have 10 versions of the same blush, 12 different scents of the same shampoo and 30 colors of the same water bottle. When people post videos of their morning routines onto the internet and show how they own 100 different products from one brand, it’s often because they receive PR from that brand and sponsor them, which isn’t always disclosed in videos. After watching these videos, people get the wrong idea that it’s a normal lifestyle to have an excess amount of products. Then they spend on products they’ll only use once a month, quickly go out of style, or expire before they get the opportunity to fully use everything they purchased. It also portrays an unrealistic lifestyle that can make other users who may not be able to afford that lifestyle feel less than, unless they have those items.
In an article from Medium: How Much Is Too Much? Overconsumption in Social Media, “This desire to have what everyone else has affects people beyond the screen. It promotes unhealthy spending habits, unrealistic expectations of others, and substandard goods created to meet demand.”
The internet has made overconsumption more common by promoting impulse buying, unrealistic lifestyles and fast-fashion focused companies with questionable practices. By researching brands, recognizing advertising strategies and making informed decisions, consumers can avoid being influenced by misleading trends and spend more responsibly.
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