Social Media and Fast Fashion

When you're casually scrolling on Tiktok or Instagram for just five minutes there is a high chance that you run into a post where an influencer shows off a massive clothing haul. Their hauls are filled with new trendy outfits; worn once for a video and likely never seen again. This is known as the viral “haul culture”. It goes beyond simple content as it's a clear sign of how social media accelerates fast fashion. 

Fast fashion is the rapid production of cheap clothing that is a result of trending pieces. There is no doubt that fast fashion has always been an ongoing problem: negatively impacting environmental pollution, unsafe working conditions, and low wages. Over time, what has changed over the recent decades is the speed of production. Platforms like Tiktok and Instagram have created a culture of microtrends. Styles go viral and disappear within a week. Influencers are encouraged and paid to push these aesthetics like “clean girl” or “Y2K”, encouraging followers to keep up with the trends and update their wardrobe. 

Social media promotes clothing trends by exposing millions of users to new and evolving clothing styles. People quickly adopt these trends resulting in a higher demand for clothing items. Fashion trends go through cycles, quickly rising and falling in popularity. So what is the result of these social media fashion trends? Social media feeds into the harmful fast fashion trends. Moreover, it’s simultaneously increasing environmental waste and landfill, as these clothes become unpopular and are simply thrown out.

Brands like Shein and Temu thrive on social media and this never ending rotation of social media trends. Business Insider India reported that Shein uploads 10,000 new styles daily, responding to what's trending online. Combined with low prices, this creates the culture of overconsumption. Fast fashion not only contributes to overconsumption, it contributes to environmental pollution and the cost is massive. The fashion industry alone produces 10% of global carbon emissions and contributes to water and microplastic pollution. 

Fortunately, this cycle can be broken. As consumers, we should try our best to shift towards the slow fashion of buying less, choosing quality over quantity, and supporting ethical brands. Social media can also be a force for good. Fashion does not need to be fast to be fun. 

The bottom line is, social media is currently shaping what we wear but it doesn't have to cost the planet.