By Sydney Hummel
It’s no secret that social media glamourizes the influencer lifestyle, making us envy the
near-perfect looking life some people have. While some of them can afford to put their
pitcher of orange juice and milk into another glass pitcher, some of us have started to
recognize that not only is this wasteful and bad for the environment, but also a lifestyle
we don’t want to have.
#TikTokmademebuyit is a hashtag that has over 620 million videos uploaded to it. While
TikTok can help certain brands gain attraction and money, it also leads to a surplus of
waste. TikTok can make viewers feel like they need to be part of a trend, so they can
stay relevant. Fashion hauls from fast fashion brands such as Shein are some of the
most popular content on the app. According to The Roundup, 92 million tons of textiles
end up in landfills each year. TikTok hauls only perpetuate the contribution to landfill
waste.
Another facet to the TikTok overconsumption are Stanley Cups. For example, Target
launched a collab with the upcoming Wicked movie and Stanley, and many YouTube
shorts and TikToks display customers fighting over a 35–55-dollar cup.
Another part of this are people who dress their Stanley up with a backpack filled with
products, charms, use differently shaped ice cube molds, or people who use a snack
compartment on top of the cup. Water bottle trends are a whole other topic, but new
brands of water bottles are also a way for people to think they must fit in with their
peers.
As a result of overconsumption, people have started the “deinfluencing” wave.
Mailchimp says that “deinfluencing is a new trend where influencers discourage their
followers from buying certain products.” Deinfluencing is a way to help educate
consumers on their purchases, and how their purchases effect their physical and/or
mental harm, how to reduce waste, and more.
While trends continue to arise, it is important for us to recognize what is ethical and
unethical.
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