How Social Media Shapes What We Buy
The year is 2025. The concept of social media has been intricately woven into our everyday lives. Users are now able to view a wide range of images, advertisements and trends as they are placed strategically within platforms such as Youtube, Instagram and even TikTok. Purchasing decisions are now determined through what the screen displays, rather than genuine necessities. How did it ever come to this? Throughout the past decade, the world has seen how social media has shifted: largely evolving from a communication tool into a platform that drives and alters consumer behaviour. What we see on these platforms influences what we want, which, in turn, affects the purchases we make. This article aims to provide an overview of some of the recent trends being set, the psychology behind it and some of its implications, both positive and negative.
Social media has been a site that rapidly amplifies trends. Now, products are able to go viral almost instantaneously through various marketing options like shares, hashtags, challenges and other user generated content. These platforms are starting to act as online marketplaces and hubs for inspiration, diverting away from its true purpose which is to communicate. A staggering 72% of Gen Z uses YouTube or Instagram to plan their day-to-day meals, which is double the amount of individuals that rely on other, more traditional sources. These viral food trends are now influencing what people buy at the grocery store, consisting of ingredients that have been marketed as fashion “must-haves”. It has even extended to not only edible items, but also beauty products, or even houseware. This shows how the powerful algorithms used, challenges, hashtags and even the influence of key figures, only increment the speed at which these trends are spread.
Solely widening the spread of these trends is not enough for consumers to buy these products, as a psychological factor must be introduced. As 90-95% of teens use at least one social media platform, most content is targeted towards this specific age category. Normally, teens are particularly susceptible due to their developing identity, constant peer comparison and social validation of numerous means such as likes, shares, views and even followers. Influencers online aim to create a strong connection or a “sense of belonging” with the user, as teens want what is considered popular among their friend circle. This persistent anxiety of trying to fit in ultimately leads to what is called impulse buying, which are sudden and unplanned purchases, driven largely by emotion rather than logic. They additionally have “a fear of missing out” (also known as FOMO) and stronger emotional responses to advertising. According to amra & elma, nearly 9 in 10 shoppers have admitted to making impulse purchases. This particularly shows that these social media platforms psychologically alter how teenagers purchase everyday items through strong emotional connection and feelings of missing out.
Influencers and other sponsored content additionally play a crucial role in selling any product. A study by ResearchGate shows us that 82.4% of Gen-Z consumers report buying products based on these very same influencer recommendations. These influencers increasingly function as modern-day brand ambassadors with their tactics of building trust through perceived authenticity. They use emotional appeal or “pathos” and even expert positioning or “ethos” in order to put forward purchases. Here, a parasocial relationship is built—one that is a “one-sided connection” followers feel with influencers. It isn't always obvious to the user that influencers are being paid in order to sell these products, making its content look genuine instead of it feeling like an advertisement. Due to this, ethical concerns start to rise, as users are now being subtly manipulated into buying a product merely because influencers have provided them with false trust and a false connection. Now, teenagers will continue to feed into unchecked consumption without fully understanding they’re being marketed to.
Ultimately, social media propels fast fashion: a business model that consists of viral looks and “haul” videos, pushing for rapid consumption. Brands now start to exploit existing social trends and challenges. Furthermore, teenagers begin to value the ideas of trendiness and lower prices over concerns of sustainability, environmental waste, water usage and carbon footprint. Despite considerable amounts of advocacy for sustainability, this critical issue remains and persists solely because of support received from consumers. It finally becomes an endless paradox—one between trend-driven consumption and sustainability messaging. We must figure out a method in which social media can both promote and challenge these behaviours.
In spite of the numerous manners in which social media negatively drives our behaviour as consumers, it also allows for product discovery and consumer empowerment. Teenagers, instead of buying what an influencer sells to them, can now find new products and brands they wouldn't have known about before. For instance, small businesses can gain visibility without enormous advertising and large budgets. Customer reviews and peer content will help them make informed and educated choices. Brands can even use these social media platforms in order to responsibly, as well as ethically promote their products while remaining transparent.
From things like trend adoption to influencer impact, social media is constantly shaping our habits of purchasing. Its two sides of the same coin—while it democratizes brand access and discovery, it also encourages overconsumption and impulsive buying. As brands work towards increasing their responsibility, our role, as users, is to work towards increasing our thoughtful consumer literacy in order to make suitable choices.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
www.thesun.co.uk/news/36156499/gen-z-meal-inspiration-social-media/?
www.amraandelma.com/consumer-impulse-buying-statistics/.
https://doi.org/10.54254/2754-1169/2024.19299.
ierj.in/journal/index.php/ierj/article/view/4489, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17043238.