A look into the recent shift of consumer culture on social media

By Ava Van Hofwegen

You’ve heard of influencing, the practice of convincing internet users to impulse buy a product. Now there’s “deinfluencing,” which encourages people to rethink their consumption. Social media is usually flooded with the latest clothing items that are apparent must-haves, so this recent change feels like a breath of fresh air. 

Influencers are posting the clothing items that they’ve had for almost a decade and encouraging viewers to re-wear old pieces instead of buying new ones. Some give reviews on trendy clothing items that recommend not buying them. A video, by content creator Addilyn Ng, lists questions to ask yourself before you place an order.

• “Have you been wanting this for more than 3 weeks?”
• “Do you know when and where you are going to use it?”
• “Do you already have something similar?”
• “Are you going to get rid of another item for this new item?”

“It’s helped me in my wardrobe because it reminds me to slow down and consider what I already have that likely already meets the same need that the new thing says it will fulfill,” said Christina Mychaskiw, content creator and co-host of the podcast Sustain This. With the brand minimalist-ish, Mychaskiw promotes the idea of changing spending habits from impulsive to intentional. “It is a nice response to the constant overconsumption that is pretty rampant on social media.”