TikTok: A Cog in America’s Consumerist Machine
There is a reason groupthink is often labeled as a consequence of combined ignorance rather than a benefit of shared thoughts. With over one billion active users in over 150 countries worldwide, we are all very familiar with the kind of videos posted on the social media platform TikTok. From cooking instruction videos to 'get ready with me' videos, founder Zhang Yiming nearly doubled his billion-dollar fortune due to home-struck users and a flood of content on the platform. After just one year of the pandemic, TikTok engagement rose almost 30% (adlucent.com). Personally, I was not a TikTok user until April of 2020 and was only driven to the app due to excessive boredom. Wallaroo Media claims that the average TikTok user spends 90 minutes daily on the platform while opening the app at least 8 times throughout the day. That adds up to over 10 hours a week. The Harvard Medical School Journal recently released a study regarding the effect of blue light exposure (from viewing technology screens) on human health. They found that not only is there a possible correlation between exposure to blue light and diabetes and obesity, but it suppresses the secretion of the naturally made hormone, melatonin, which ultimately decreases sleep quality. Since 2019, the sales of artificial melatonin have gone up a whopping 49%, leading me to wonder if watching TikTok late in the night has contributed to this phenomenon. Needless to say, TikTok has altered the natural patterns in which society operates, functions, and thinks. But, what is it about this app that is so alluring?
What began as a platform used for creators to show off their individuality has quickly regressed into a vehicle in which the commodification of influencers (real, living people) has not only become widely accepted but glorified. Seemingly harmless 'fit checks' and 'make-up routine videos' are a staple to the platform but disregard the torment viewers on the app face. According to Wallaroo Media, 60% of users on the app are between the ages of 16-24, with 57% being female. In March of 2022, the New York Post published an article explaining how the platform is causing teenage girls to develop tics due to the programming of the 'for you page' combined with frequent use. With more female users and creators on the app, the platform's structure has begun to take on an underlying sexist tone, idolizing women due to their looks and material possessions rather than the actual content itself. When discussing the modern commodification of influencers, Lane Kizzah at The Michigan Daily touched on an essential point regarding society's use of femininity as a product. She says, “society has always defined women… by what service they can provide to others... almost always in the pursuit of social capital, the intangible value of a person’s existence within a society or social group." TikTok enables not only female oppression but also encourages misplaced misogyny. An anonymous reporter explains how toxic cancel culture (prevalent on the TikTok app) favors male creators while punishing women in an article (that is now deleted) titled Who's Canceled and Who's Not. They recall the story of a female influencer whose nudes were shared across Reddit by a male influencer- without her consent. Not to mention, she was underage. The male influencer was asked to take down the photos and, due to his compliance, was met with no consequences from his fans or users of the platform. The female influencer, however, was met with trolls parading her comments discussing her femininity and unfollows from her fanbase, as well as his.
Not only does TikTok fuel female oppression, but the platform’s algorithm “rewards” homogeneous eurocentric beauty standards. When recalling trends that have consumed users’ ‘for you page’ in the last year, writer Gabby Williams points out the 'perfect face' trend. This trend "measures” the symmetry of creators’ faces, while a grid determines the worthiness of their natural facial structure. Williams reminds us, “Deeming only one particular shape and size of nose “worthy” has a long and racist history, and it is downright surreal to see staples of anti-Blackness and anti-Semitism reworked into a popularity game.” Although something as simple as a TikTok filter would not seem to influence anyone into taking real action, Dr. Michelle Lee at BevHills Medical Center reflects on a poll conducted by the American Academy of Facial and Reconstructive Surgery, which “shows surgeons seeing more than a 30 percent increase in the number of patients interested in plastic surgery to improve their image on social media.” It is heartbreaking that most young teen girls consuming content on this platform are unaware of filters applied to videos, body editing and morphing apps, or the cosmetic procedures these influencers have undergone.
Similar to the 'perfect face' trend, writer Jennifer Li at Byrdie comments on TikTok’s 'fox eye' filter and its correlation to unrecognized racism. She says, “I know most people are doing it without bad intentions. But I don’t think a lack of bad intentions excuses causing racial pain. It doesn’t excuse using historically racist makeup techniques and racially traumatic facial distortion to mimic Asian features as a trendy and exotic aesthetic.” Not only does the 'fox eye' filter disregard praise for Asian beauty standards, it instead turns a racially Asian feature into a euro-centric make-up trend. The filter ignores the personal history Asians, like Jennifer Li, have endured while “selling it” in the form of a $9.99 eyeliner at the local convenience store. Perhaps TikTok opening the door for influencer commodification has also caused a price to be put on race.
As TikTok continues to harm users' mental health by subtly shaming natural bodies, they encourage the success of influencers with the same appearances, using the same trends, and promoting the same products. An equation of "insecure viewer + product you need to feel secure = a TikTok influencer getting paid” is the key to making the rich richer. When discussing TikTok "hauls” (shopping sprees & unboxing videos, often PR packages), Faye Meehan at Shift coins them as “a subtle, yet entertaining way of implementing consumerist culture and pushing the idea of a consumerist society onto an audience.” The influencer, brand, and CEO, benefit by providing an insecurity the viewer did not know they had, then later presenting a solution in the form of their product. Let’s say Brand X hires Influencer A to promote their new shapewear line. Brand X chose this influencer because of her sculpted curves and tight stomach. Teen B has followed this influencer for a while, wishing she had her body. One day, Influencer A posts a “haul” video from Brand X, raving about their new shapewear and how it has “changed her life.” Unlike journalism, there is no code of ethics for social media influencers; there is simply a code of sponsored products and revenue. Often disguised as "clever marketing strategies," social media has taken advantage of users' vulnerability while blurring the lines between what's real and fake. Although possessing a perfectly natural and healthy body, fed up with working out and seeing no progress similar to her favorite influencer, Teen B bites the bullet and purchases this pricey shapewear in hopes of having Influencer A’s perfect body… Because the shapewear has worked for her, right!? Little did Teen B know, Influencer A achieved her physique from disordered eating or liposuction surgery, and she has never worn or paid for Brand X’s shapewear a day in her life. (Disclaimer, I am not saying all “fit” influencers achieve their bodies by unhealthy or purchased modes of change. I am very well aware some influencers achieve their bodies through hard work at the gym, strict diets, or the luck of genetics.)
This platform has enabled a toxic capitalistic strategy to put the consumer’s dollars in front of the consumer’s mental health. The podcast Nymphet Alumni recently released an episode about the “that girl, clean aesthetic trend,” which touched on how TikTok causes leisure to be directly linked to consumerism while stripping individuality in the process. They spoke about how TikTok has a “gadget” for everything that will help get tasks done quicker, whether cleaning the house or cooking a meal. 'Get Ready With Me' videos tell users what to buy and where to buy it, while young girls are making money selling knock-offs of pricey trendy items on their Amazon storefronts to other teens craving acceptance. The quick-cycled trends dominating the consumer market threaten Gen Z’s freedom of expression and right to individuality, pressuring these young adults to buy “it” items that will seemingly boost their social media presence or allow them to fit in.
One day, my brother’s girlfriend, Evan, and I discussed the conflicts that come with fast-fashion “aesthetics” that dominate teens ‘For You Pages’ and the extreme cases of harm they present to society’s uniqueness. Evan pointed out that cultish expression of originality leads to minorities being ignored. At the same time, the most outspoken person in a group is heard and valued- whether or not their conclusion is based on research and moral fact. In this situation, the influencer is not only heard but more valued based on a biased algorithm and shallow brand endorsements. TikTok, too, is based in systemic inequality, oppressing minorities while rewarding analogous people and ideas. Why does this pattern work for TikTok and brands that work with ambassadors? Because, it makes the brands more money. Why is our society not working harder to break this toxic cycle undermining years of societal progress? New York Times writer Matthew Desmond reflects, “In order to understand the brutality of American capitalism, you have to start on the plantation.” Our society regressed as a whole when the election of Donald Trump took place, making it “OK” to spit brazen bigotted remarks when addressing the whole country. He implemented racism in the United State's political rhetoric with no visible consequences. What is stopping slimy billionaires and corrupt corporations when the leader of their country also values capital over people?
Jeff Bezos is making millions of dollars off of young girls filming videos with their ring lights in their small childhood bedroom, promoting homogeneous styles and sharing products so you, too, can look like them. He also allows millions of “Amazon prime” packages to build up in landfills, and not long after the shipping packages are there, the cheap products these girls are promoting will end up there too. According to Napa Recycling, Amazon packages can not be recycled because they are made of mixed materials.
At the end of July, Vogue Business said TikTok had seen a 72% increase in videos uploaded in the “fashion” category in only one year. However, on the flip side to that, Earth.Org is reporting that, “clothing production has doubled while garment usage lifetime has decreased, fast fashion has generated more CO2 than aviation and shipping combined, more than $500 billion are lost every year due to lack of recycling and clothing utilization, we discard 92 million tons of clothes-related waste each year, 20% of global wastewater comes from textile dyeing, and (fast fashion) produces half a million tons of microplastics.” These harmful effects on our earth are directly related to the increase of paid TikTok influencers. Why are we sitting complacently while our planet is left to wilt and our style is bound to change?
When referring to capitalism, it is commonly said, “a rising tide lifts all boats.” What will we do when we can’t tell the difference between the captain and the passenger or when plastic waste has caused there to be no tide at all? What will we do when the rising tide is only increasing the money in billionaires' pockets and the CO2 emissions in the air while slowly chipping away at the common person’s individuality? In an op-ed by Sofia Baracskai titled “Letter from Gen Z,” she urges corporations to cooperate, asking, “What can clothing companies do to lessen the impact of this growing problem? For one thing, they should look to the origin of the problem: social media.”
Although I would like to be optimistic and say the platform’s effects on society are not due to the platform itself but rather the user, however, I don’t think there is much opportunity for change. The phenomenon of treating influencers as mere commodities, megacorps pushing cognate products on the desperate consumer, and mass producers like “Shein” or “Zara '' abusing the common worker in foreign countries justify Karl Marx’s theory of alienation. This theory explains that the more capitalism has a hold on society, the further the person becomes separated from their unique aspects of human nature- their individuality. The only thing we can do is recognize the evil within the good. I am not saying I don’t enjoy TikTok or laugh at videos on the platform with my friends. However, I am cognizant of the fact that every "like" I leave on a clothing haul and every purchase I make from an Amazon storefront is spurring toxic capitalism in our country. I am aware of the gross displays of material goods, and fast fashion hauls throughout the platform that sways youths’ desires and curves idiosyncratic character in society. As a user of the platform who purchases from Amazon storefronts, I am contributing to the unequal distribution of wealth in this country and filling the pockets of megacorps who have little regard for the ordinary worker. It is hard to swallow, but I need to do better. We all need to do better if we claim we care about our planet, economic injustice, and systemic inequality. We can only hope that influencers will become more transparent, corporations will become more aware, and individuals will stop and consider the consequences of a purchase before contributing to the destructive consumer culture that is, unfortunately, a pillar of American capitalism today. Don’t let a tech billionaire dictate and drive you to purchase. Don’t let the desire for an item cause you to be a complacent tool in harming the earth. Don’t let a screen strip away your character. Don’t let an influencer rule your beauty, and don’t let a social media platform determine your self-worth. What you see online is usually not real. When discussing the theory of alienation, Marx famously said, “The less you are, the less you express your life, the more you have, the greater is your alienated life, and the greater is the saving of your alienated being.”