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CONSCIOUS CONSUMPTION IN TIME OF SOCIAL NETWORKS: A POSSIBLE BALANCE?

          Contemporaneously,  social networks encourage both excessive and moderate consumption, depending on how people interact with them and the social, economic and cultural contexts involved, shaping new consumption habits and behaviors. In this scenario, the question arises: is it possible to reconcile conscious consumption with the intense daily influence and social media? Social networks encourage conscious consumption that promote sustainability. This article will argue that, through awareness, consumers can use the internet to adopt conscious consumption habits, depending on their influences and experience that predominate in each person’s online experience. 

             In this sense, social networks, thorough influencers and advertising campaigns have a significant impact on user  consumption decisions. Furthermore, impulsive consumption can lead to waste and unsustainability, as well as negative financial impacts for individuals.

             I consider it important that users question the need to purchase new products, valuing the durability and functionality of what they intend to buy on digital platforms, such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube, which offer a multitude of  products and plenty of payment options.

          Therefore, the user needs to have strategies for conscious consumption on social networks, avoiding impulse purchases and paying attention to the advantages offered on social networks, avoiding making unnecessary purchases motivated by attractive installment conditions via credit card.

                Finally, it is important that users make purchases in a conscious and sustainable way, avoiding impulse purchases. Although challenging, this practice promotes sustainability and social responsibility. Finally, supporting and implementing solutions and practices is essential to guarantee a more sustainable and balanced future. 

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How much do your needs cost?

Since shopping online became a great phenomenon in the economy, more and more people look to social media for user's reviews about products. In the end-, digital influencers end up having a stimulating power to consumption when they post videos about purchases and positive reviews of goods. Despite it seeming an advantage to see reviews and decide to buy because some person liked it, this same action can contribute to rampant consumption.

When the student Heloísa Andrade started with the use of TikTok, her attention was turned to videos of influencers giving beauty tips. Until then it seems perfect-, since she doesn’t had to leave the house to test, someone already did it for her. "- Every wonderful shampoo that I saw in my feed, another installment on the card"- says Andrade. She just realized that everything was out of control when her mother visited her and got scared by the accumulation. " You are one person, how do you use all this ? " , her mother asked.

It was only then that Heloísa paid attention to overconsumption and the financial debts that she was in for buying various cosmetics when trusting on indications from people that she never knew before, but that somehow they seemed to know that they were talking. For her, the overconsumption is a addiction as much as the rampant use of cigarettes or alcohol. "- Have anxiety about buying one thing and wait for it to arrive", she explains.

For the accountant and financial consultant Alison Santana, this is a clear effect of social media. "- There we have influencers doing promoted content, partnerships, those targeted ads for your profile. It make us-, users, frequently exposed to new products, lifestyle that often overtake our financial capacity-", he argues.

Even knowing that TikTok Era can remain for a long time ,it is possible to have a conscious consumption while online shopping, such as to use products until the end, before a new purchase, or filter contents in the social media with tips to reduce the consumption for example.

Posted by Jéssica Pontes, student’s CLAC

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Addictive Design

You probably have experienced thinking or talking about a product and then seeing an advertisement for it while scrolling through social media. This, combined with attractive and instant content, creates a system that promotes overconsumption (of content and products).

According to the Global Digital Overview, Brazilians spend an average of 3 hours and 31 minutes per day on social media. This behavior results from platforms designed to maximize your screen time, offering more and more personalized and engaging content based on users' preferences and activity. Social media algorithms insert ads sponsored by brands and companies. Social media revenue is based on these ads, so it is no surprise that the number of advertisements continues to grow.

Moreover, there are ads made by influencers and these are subtly incorporated, disguised as spontaneous recommendations. This strategy is even more effective because it makes consumers believe they are receiving a genuine opinion, in an organic way.

IIn such an environment, it becomes extremely difficult to consume consciously. Social medial, while defending sustainability and responsibility, actually creates an opposing logic that encourages impulsive and excessive consumption. The design of these platforms contradicts the principles of conscious consumption, involving users in a cycle of excess and superficiality. And for escape, the way it is before all, thinking well if you really need that product and don't buy it in the same day of you see the ads.

By Pedro Bispo

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What is TikTok Doing to My Shopping Cart?

TikTok has revolutionized the way we connect with other people and consume content, but it has also brought to light a worrying issue: the encouragement of discounted consumption. All you have to do is log into the app and you’ll find videos recommending products, from beauty products to different foods, often with the promise that “everyone needs to have them”. This raises an important question: is it possible to reconcile conscious consumption with the influence of social media?

The truth is that TikTok enhances the desire to consume. The algorithm is designed to captivate us, presenting new things with every scroll. When a product goes viral, it seems irresistible not to buy it. Hashtags like #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt accumulates billions of views, creating the feeling that it’s necessary to follow trends in order not to being left out. However, this behavior has significant financial and environmental impacts, since many products are disposable and end up contributing to the increase in waste and pollution.

On the other hand, the same platform can be used to encourage conscious consumption. Some creators are already promoting the reuse of items, the practice of “DIY” and even minimalism. The key is how we choose to interact with the content. Ignoring videos that encourage impulsive purchases and valuing those that offer sustainable alternatives can help reverse this scenario.

In short, TikTok is a powerful tool, but it is up to us to use it responsibly. By educating ourselves about our consumption and reflecting before giving in to trends, we can make the most of the platform without harming the planet or our wallets. After all, being a conscious consumer is also an act of resistance in a world that values ​​excess.

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RETHINK CONSUMPTION

We live in a society that has a lot of types of consumption, for example, in fashion, foods and other things. It's a serious situation, because now we are living in the twenty-first century and the debates about conscious consumption and sustainability have been increasing. But in a new digital era with social media, TikTok, Facebook, X, and others it has been harder to have control of this high consumption. The Fast Fashion trends on TikTok, influencers can be seen as part of this increase. •How should we debate sustainable consumption? Constantly, the dialogue about sustainable consumption is present in our world. Recently, in 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) (https://www.paho.org/pt/topicos/agenda-para-desenvolvimento-sustentavel) has created the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a form to promote a better future for planet Earth, as part of the agenda 2030. Brazil, France, Canada, Spain, and other countries are in this accord. This important work of WHO is one of the ways to combat this high consumption. Schools should promote activities and actions that can also help the consciousness of the children.  •The Trends, Social Medias and Your influence Another important point about this thesis is the force with which the algorithm impacts the day-to-day of people's lives, bombarding it with ads, a form that companies use the daily consumers to satisfy their own metrics and contribute to excessive consumption. However, the TikTok trends of Fast Fashion are increasing with excessive buying and with marketplaces in apps. Another point is that the use of social media is mostly of children and teenagers, being easily induced to consumerism. Do countries really change this reality?In my opinion, no! In a world that aims for profit, sustainable consumption is always a barrier. So, the population needs to demand politicians to promote real changes and help combating this serious consumption with projects to limit the dissemination of these ads and recommend social media limit use for adults. The focus of this opinion article is to promote a reflection of the human actions and their impacts not only to humans but also to animals and nature, focusing on global compromising, in the union of all to a greater good. From the reflections, we can see our errors and can correct them. Maximalism, Consumerism, TikTok Trends and several other problems impact us daily and we need to change our reality.

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Conscious consumption today

Conscious consumption is an essential approach to addressing today’s environmental, social and economic challenges. In a world where natural resources are finite, adopting responsible consumption habits is a powerful way to reduce environmental impact and promote sustainability. Excessive waste of clothing is one of the most alarming problems in today’s consumerism, and social media plays a significant role in this phenomenon.

   The combination of encouraging fast consumption and carelessness with disposal is generating environmental and social impacts that need to be addressed. The fast fashion industry encourages constant consumption, launching new collections at short intervals and offering clothes at affordable prices. This model, widely promoted on social media, leads to the premature disposal of items, as consumers are induced to follow passing trends. Many of these clothes are discarded after only a few uses, which contributes to the generation of tons of textile waste every year. According to estimates, around 85% of discarded fabrics end up in landfills or incinerated, releasing toxic gases and worsening the environmental crisis.

   Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube play a central role in this cycle. Influencers and content creators often showcase mass purchases and promote the idea that being fashionable requires constantly updating one’s wardrobe. This behavior not only normalizes overconsumption, but also creates a sense of dissatisfaction among people, who feel pressured to follow trends in order to fit in with certain social groups. Excessive clothing waste has serious consequences. Environmentally, the production of clothing consumes large amounts of water and energy, as well as using harmful chemicals. Socially, discarded clothing is often sent to developing countries, where it creates mountains of textile waste or overwhelms second-hand markets, damaging local economies.

   To combat this reality, it is essential to promote conscious consumption practices, such as investing in quality and durable clothing, prioritizing sustainable brands and reusing pieces through exchanges, donations or second-hand purchases. In addition, digital education is crucial to raise awareness about the impact of consumption influenced by social media. Choosing to follow influencers who encourage sustainability, rather than excessive consumption, can make a big difference. In short, the excessive disposal of clothing and the influence of social media reflect the urgency of reevaluating our consumption habits. Adopting more conscious practices and demanding structural changes in the industry are essential steps to building a more sustainable and ethical future.

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The influence of social networks on current consumerism

    The reality of today shows us an avalanche of information and consumption never seen before.

  This issue only occurs because of the way information is transmitted and exploited, since whoever is transmitting the supposed information can manipulate it as they see fit, and social media has been playing an important role in recent times. This way of disseminating information often makes it arrive faster, due to the use of cell phones.

   And to enhance this type of information, social media algorithms are used. This tool is used to classify content on social media, make searches more efficient or create personalized recommendations. Since the algorithm is based on a set of complex rules and calculations that are responsible for determining which content appears to the user individually, we can say that each social media user has an algorithm to call their own.

    Thus, we have the consumerist approach, which aims to create a sales strategy using various devices, such as the use of digital influencers, who are followed by many of these users.

    This generates a very high demand for products and at the same time waste, as many people end up not keeping up with the pace of product launches, such as updates to cell phones, cars, clothes, video games, etc.

    Concern about the large amount of waste generated by large industries that often send their waste to irregular locations as final destinations, and often leads to contamination of soil, groundwater, rivers, seas and also air pollution.

   The consumerist trend seen in recent times has been causing concern among several entities and anonymous individuals who are mobilizing for conscious consumption, also using social networks to spread their ideas and thoughts, and has been growing to the point that many people are interested in changing their habits and customs. In this way, we can hope for more conscious consumption among the population.

By Luís Otávio da Silva Pacheco

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Consumerism influentes by the era of Tik Tok and social media

The Fast Fashion Industry with its large scale production of cheap , non durable clothing and the

encouragement of consumerism through Tik Tok and social media, generates disposable items. To give

you an idea, a T-shirt made in Bangladesh, with an American design sold in a Spanish chain of stores in a

Shopping Mall in Brazil, is part of collection that only last two months in the display window, until the next

one arrives. This illustrates what Fast Fashion is all about a fast cycle fashion trend, where low quality

products mass produced at a low cost, flood the shelves, encouraging the consumption of cheap and

short lived items through Tik Tok and social media generating a very negative impact on society and

environment.

In my opinion, Tik Tok fuels Fast Fashion with brands iring Tiktokers to be the “face” of their products.

This new trend has attracted attention, a practice that has been gaining strength among younger people

and impact the culture of excessive consumption often promoted by social media. Therefore, we need to

start from more responsible consumption and transform it into political articulations capable of

strengthening and revolutionizing our social actions, through collectives and fronts of action that are

more proactive and encouraged to integrate a society made up of people, not consumers.

With some actions such as evaluating the impacts of your consumption, reusing products, selectively

waste, knowing and valuing corporate social responsibility practices, demanding action from politicians,

sharing actions and small businesses, reflecting on your values and promoting conscious consumption,

we can contribute in some way to a more conscious society that generates less waste.

The environment thanks you, and we are also thanks full!

#fastfashion #consumerism #tiktok

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#

  #THE SOCIETY DURING THE TICKTOCK ERA.

      Since the platform has appeared, it became one of the greatest tools to promote products and services. Encourages people to buy on impulse.

We are exposed to a variety of advertisements in a high speed that stimulates our consumption. Even though Ticktok can have a negative impact in our consumption habits, it can be also a useful tool to promote brands, services  and entertainment. Although Ticktock is more accessed by youngers, old people are also using it.  

  In my opinion we cannot refuse the modernity, but we have to be responsible for the conscious consumption.

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Think Before You Buy: Making Better Choices

In today’s world, easy access to products, promotions, and online shopping platforms has encouraged impulsive and excessive consumption. This behavior, tied to a throw-away culture, significantly contributes to resource waste and environmental pollution. This text will show why buying less and choosing better is important for the planet and for people. Fast-fashion and online shopping make people buy more than they need. Many clothes and products are thrown away every year. Studies say more than 85% of fabrics go to landfills or pollute the oceans. This habit of throwing things away quickly hurts the environment. Buying cheap and poor-quality products not only causes pollution but also supports bad working conditions. Conscious consumption means buying things that are better for the planet and made under fair conditions. However, eco-friendly products can be expensive, so not everyone can afford them. Small actions can help the environment. For example, people can buy reusable products, shop at secondhand stores, and use less plastic. World Recycling Day, on May 17, is a good time to think about how we can reduce waste and recycle more. Although conscious consumption requires behavioral changes and, in some cases, higher upfront costs, it is a vital step in combating the throw-away culture. Even small changes in how we buy and use things can make a big difference. Let’s all try to help by consuming better and reducing waste.