Have you ever found yourself skipping over the boring parts of a series or movie, or wanting to change your wardrobe and shop online for the latest trends in clothes? This could be because social media has become so tailored to each person's preferences that we have grown accustomed to consuming content and advertisements that are exactly what we like and want. Fast-fashion, new apps, and streaming sites all take advantage of the ability to capture our attention and engage us. But, what is most important is the amount of attention you give them. How much time you spend on an app, how many profiles you click, and how many items you add to your cart are all important pieces of information that developers use as measurements to keep us attracted to what they offer. The way in which we decide what we engage in has changed a lot over the past few decades. The advances in technology and the developments of these social media platforms have changed the way we live, work, and communicate; they have also impacted the way that we process what we like, don't like and the decisions we make.
The growing popularity of fast-fashion websites and stores is attributed to the growth of platforms like Instagram and the desire of the average person to look like models and lifestyle influencers. According to Forbes, the average American woman owned nine outfits in 1930. Nine decades later, the average American woman owns over 30 full outfits and the average American family spends 3.5% of their income on clothing and shoes. This growth could be attributed to the rising success of the fashion industry and the desire for luxury. However, social media plays a big role. The desire to look like the models on Instagram, for a low price, has exponentially grown the industry of fast-fashion. At the start of fast-fashion, stores like Zara, Forever 21 and H&M changed the game by taking the biggest fashion trends, replicating them, constantly changing styles, colors and fabrics and selling them at low prices. Fast-fashion has continued to evolve beyond those stores and has become even cheaper and more disposable, but not sustainable. The ability to completely change your wardrobe for a low price has created an empire of new brands that do essentially the same thing as Zara, but at much lower price and, consequently, with much lower quality. But, if you want to keep up with the latest trend and look just like that “20 million followers instagram model,” you just might indulge.
The way in which these clothing items are manufactured are the cause of many negative environmental effects. According to earth.org, the major environmental impacts of the fashion industry are because of the large consumption of water, emission of greenhouse gases and large use of energy needed for the production of the clothes.
As the second largest water consuming industry, fashion companies need almost 700 gallons of water to produce one cotton shirt and 2,000 to make one pair of jeans.
The production of dyed textiles is the “second largest polluter of water.” Common materials like polyester, nylon and acrylic fibers are not only non biodegradable, but their production requires large amounts of energy. Over all, the production processes of these products make a large impact on the environment, and the large demand from consumers only adds to the destruction of our environment.
We can also see how social media is influencing our shortening attention spans and lack of commitment. Videos on YouTube and TikTok have become shorter and shorter, and are packed with emotion and exciting content in order to engage us. Our attention span has become so short that we have become accustomed to skimming through articles, videos, and sometimes even movies. Most people now prefer watching series over movies because it feels more time-efficient and less of a commitment, even though all of us spend two hours watching a series anyways.
Next time you are shopping online or deciding what to stream online, think about the commitment you are making.
Ask yourself, is this purchase something I am buying now and won’t care to throw it out later? Is this something that I like, or is it just trendy and will throw away once it is out of style?
We have to be aware that those decisions not only affect us monetarily in the long term, but can also affect our planet. Think about the choices you make as investments to your productivity and your lifestyle.