An endless stream of trendy "must-have" looks are just a tap away on our favorite social apps. While convenient and fun to scroll, this constant exposure to the newest trends in fashion is changing our shopping habits in ways and means previously unheard of. What's worse, the ability to scroll and shop is posing major environmental threats and may even be promoting higher levels of labor exploitation in some parts of the world.
Here's how social media supercharges fast fashion's toxic overconsumption cycle.
Infinite Outfit Inspo
Our social feeds have become an infinite Instagram runway - a seemingly endless scroll of new trends and covetable outfits. Fashion influencers, bloggers, and brands eagerly fill our feeds with fresher looks to obsess over each day. This endless parade of clothes and accessories on our screens can trigger a relentless need to stay on trend.
Frictionless One-Tap Shopping
It's never been easier to go from scrolling inspiration to impulse shopping. Social apps like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook Marketplace have integrated slick in-app purchasing capabilities to remove any shopping obstacles. See an influencer's cute top? Simply tap the product tag to seamlessly check out in just a few taps without ever leaving the app. Fast fashion brands have mastered these shopping features for dangerously frictionless spending.
Surgically Targeted Trendy Temptations
Social media platforms have unmatched capacities to meticulously track our interests and serves surgically targeted ads and outfit inspo that taps into our individual desires. The ultra-personalized fast fashion promotions curated for our feeds are hard to resist when they're tailored to our style and data-backed visitor behavior.
Live-stream discount shopping
TikTok's explosive popularity has given rise to a new phenomenon: live stream shopping. During these live videos, creators and brands promote and sell heavily discounted items, capitalizing on viewers' fear of missing out on limited-time deals and fueling overconsumption and mindless spending habits. Viewers are enticed by influencers hawking trendy products at seemingly unbeatable prices, with a nagging scarcity mindset of "buy it before it's gone!" This atmosphere of artificial urgency and scarcity around promotions psychologically triggers shoppers to spend first and consider needs second. It normalizes acquiring cheap, disposable goods in unsustainable volumes rather than mindful consumption.
The continuous cycle of new trends, targeted ads, influencer posts and live-streams creates a subconscious feeling that it's OK to spend money on the newest skirt or jacket on a daily basis without regard for the long-term effects of this level of consumption. This environmentally unsustainable mindset is what keeps fast fashion's factories whirring and landfills piling up mountains of discarded clothing. Until we as consumers start regulating our social media consumption habits and resisting the need to endlessly consume, this cycle will continue degrading the planet for instant #trendsandfits gratification.