The Youth's Problem with Consumerism

By Vanessa Lee and Hunter Morris

It seems that everywhere you look someone is trying to sell you something. It could be celebrities in a new clothing advertisement or influencers on TikTok sharing a “Get Ready With Me” video or YouTubers announcing a new sponsorship deal. These forms of content are all targeted to younger generations like Generation Z and Generation Alpha. Consumerism has been around for a very long time and it has changed a lot throughout history. Today, society is seeing a major shift in consumerism that preys on the success of social media.

The reason consumerism is on the rise is because of social media. Social media is a powerful tool that can be used to influence mass amounts of people in a single moment. TikTok and Instagram are two platforms that hold the most power over influencing people. The introduction of Instagram Shop and TikTok Shop have turned those platforms into “vibrant marketplaces where trends are born and products are discovered.” (Bouet) On TikTok, creators can simply link the product they’re promoting at the bottom of the screen. Creators on Instagram can tag products in posts like they are tagging another person. TikTok recently started a promotion where a user can get $50 in credit to spend in TikTok Shop if they get their friends to join the platform. That amount increases by $20 for two newly joined users, $50 for five newly joined users and $80 for ten newly joined users. In promoting their own platform, TikTok is also promoting a cycle of consumerism. By promoting their shop this way, more people will join the platform and will want to spend their money on the products TikTok Shop is selling. To buy more, users will send referral links to their friends and the process repeats itself. 

Brands have taken advantage of the power social media has to promote themselves even further. Today, it is more important than ever for brands to connect with their audience. Brands do this by “investing in targeted social media marketing campaigns, partnering with influencers and fostering authentic connection with followers.” (Bouet) A brand or company is more likely to win over an audience if they connect and understand the people they’re targeting. An example of a brand successfully connecting with an audience is Duolingo. Gen Z has characterized the Duolingo owl as a crazy and unhinged creature out to get users for not completing their daily Spanish lessons. Duolingo decided to lean into this characterization and thus have amassed 4.4 million followers on Instagram alone. On TikTok, Duolingo has a follower count quadruple the one on Instagram at a staggering 16.7 million. This marketing strategy resonated with Gen Z because according to a blog post made by Duolingo staff, the most people using the app are between ages 13-24, roughly the age group Gen Z falls in. Gen Z tends to have a chaotic sense of humor and Duolingo understood that and incorporated it into their marketing strategy. Duolingo is one of hundreds or thousands of brands that rely on social media for publicity and if used correctly, it can reach millions of people at once. But how does this correlate with consumerism? Brands on social media have the ability to reach and influence millions of young people to purchase a new product. 

It’s not very hard to see why younger generations are so eager to buy and consume. If a person sees a product a brand, celebrity or influencer endorses, then they must have it as well. An article by EcoCart revealed that “97% of Gen Z shoppers claim that they get their inspiration from social media. This suggests that partnering with influencers and content creators is highly important.” This statistic goes back to how important it is for brands to relate to their consumers. Content creators and influencers are important to brands because they understand their audiences better than anyone else. Endorsements coming from influencers don’t feel like a regular advertisement, they “feel like hearing from a friend or family member because [consumers] almost view [their] favorite TikTokers as people [they] know.” (Lawton) Social media is flooded with creators pushing products that are hot and trendy on to users. With so much being promoted at once, it’s nearly impossible to keep up. When people do try to keep up with what’s trending, they’re “going to be shopping way more often than not.” (Venkatraman) 

While the idea of promoting products by advertising on different platforms isn’t inherently bad, the issue at hand lies in the fact that TikTok itself has led to the destruction of one's ability to focus. The platform is designed to feed you short videos one after another, and with an endless stream of content perfectly catered to the user via the algorithm, they can simply swipe through videos until they stop at something that grabs their attention. “The result is a diminished capacity to engage in activities that demand sustained focus” (ELC) These algorithms are designed to serve content to the user that aligns with their interests, and as such, if a user enjoys a creator who promotes a wide variety of products, they’ll more often be given more of that person's content to indulge in. “Each new video offers the potential for a novel and exciting experience, triggering the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward.” (ELC)

It’s been proven time and again that those of a younger age are more impressionable, due to their brain not being fully developed. By introducing a pattern of giving these young and seemingly innocent people content related to spending money on products they are convinced that they need, it creates an endless cycle. They are left with “a reduced capacity for deep, concentrated thought,” (ELC) Something that is preferred when making financial decisions.

Influencers of today have made marketing low quality slop to younger audiences a full blown business strategy. YouTubers Jake (Joseph) Paul, Olajide Olayinka Williams "JJ" Olatunji known by his online alias KSI, and Jimmy Donaldson aka Mr Beast launched a product called “Lunchly” that claimed to be a better alternative to the well established name brand Lunchables. Jake Paul and KSI took their newly launched product “Prime” and Mr Beast’s “Feastables,” and included them in their new collaboration. Promoting “Lunchy” in their new Instagram post, the product was marketed to a younger audience, and was a success. However, controversy was sparked when YouTuber Daniel Robert Middleton, better known as DanTDM made a post on “X” (formerly known as Twitter) about the ethics of their product. In a tweet, he wrote “What happened to YouTubers man.. I can't not say anything anymore. This is selling stuff for the sake of making money, simple. How does this benefit their fans? This is selling crap to kids who don't know better than to trust the people who are selling it to them. Do better.”

DanTDM is an extremely popular and successful YouTuber who made gaming videos in the early years of YouTube, mostly about Minecraft. His post was very out of the blue, as it was unusual for Daniel to become a part of controversies. What fueled the fire was KSI and Jake Paul’s push back against his statement. Both influencers made attempts to slander DanTDM, but they had underestimated the members of Daniels fanbase. Multiple users pointed out the mountain of controversies the influencer trio had caused over the years, compared to Daniels reputation of being a beloved creator.

The controversy that was created led for creators who promoted products to similar audiences to be investigated about the quality of what was being marketed. While there wasn’t a large amount of change that was done, it showcased that social media personalities are simply playing the game that these platforms have created. Influencers have capitalized on the exploitation of young audiences. Most creators also promote their content through multiple social media outlets. How often have you seen a creator on YouTube that lists their Instagram, Facebook, Etc through their videos? They cover as much ground as possible, and are given sponsorships from companies to promote their products.

These creators might claim they've been using “Dollar Shave Club” or “Opera GX” but it simply isn’t true. They’ve never played “Raid Shadow Legends” or “War Thunder.” They’re just agreeing to say whatever is needed to promote the product as long as they get paid to do so. It’s unfortunately part of their business, which includes their main priority, making money. Products are pushed onto younger generations, who simply don’t know any better. Creators rarely stop and say “I don’t agree with this product, therefore I won’t promote it to my audience.”

While consumerism itself isn’t inherently bad, as far as social media goes, it's been shoved down the throats of users on its platforms. Harvard Business Review makes the claim that “exposing people to a lot of advertising raises their aspirations—and makes them feel that their own lives, achievements, belongings, and experiences are inadequate” It’s damaging to the mental aspects of audiences. It’s as if you’ve been living a fairly solid life, but then out of nowhere a large shiny sign wacks you in the face saying you’re missing a puzzle piece. On the topic of influencers “one longitudinal study from 2017 found that using Facebook was associated with compromised well-being.” (Harvard Business Review)

It’s understandable why we compare ourselves with influencers. They’re not some big corporation member dressed in a suit trying to make a business deal. More often than not, they’re a normal person dressed in a hoodie and jeans. They appeal so much to the younger generations because they’re part of that same generation. They know what’s hip, what’s cool, what you need to do in order to be flashy and stand out.

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