This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s fall editorial intern Jess Newman. Find her on Instagram at @_jess_n_. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Influencer culture is fun and all but in today’s economy people don’t have much disposable income to keep up with it. Unless you are being paid to spend money maybe it’s time to step back and realize you don’t everything you see on Instagram and TikTok. This is where the deinfluencing movement comes in. Users who aren’t influencers are rising up against consumerism and you should too.
What is the #deinfluencing movement?
Deinfluencing has naturally evolved as a movement to counter influencer culture. The deinfluencing TikTok trend is where normal everyday people who aren’t influencers are bringing awareness to the fact that we’re all burning through money we don’t have on every and any product that our favorite influencers are endorsing. You might have seen deinfluencing in videos called “What I ACTUALLY think about items I bought because of TikTok”. These “deinfluencers” are essentially talking you out of buying things you DON’T need. In most cases (allegedly) what influencers in question are blindly promoting are products that are expensive and unnecessary or ineffective. You might even have a product already that’s more effective and less expensive!
Why are people interested in deinfluencing?
We are simply SICK of influencer culture. The majority of us are strapped for cash and don’t need to go further into debt by buying an item that will only be trendy for the next month or so. We are made to think if we have said product we will become that person we have always wanted to be. Even though I know this, within the influencer culture of the world today it doesn’t stop me from continuing to buy things I don’t need and this is true for most people.
Tips to fight consumerism
The best advice I have found to fight consumerism is to invest in timeless pieces. Fashion trends will come and go, but buying pieces you love regardless of the current trend is the smartest decision. By preventing yourself from buying every trendy piece you will have the funds to buy nice things that you will have for a long time. As @overcoming_spending says “I want you to be the biggest influencer in your own life.”
Even if something is the latest trend if you don’t feel confident wearing it, don’t buy it. Red is the IT color for fall right now, but if you never wear red or are only going to wear the red piece once, don’t buy it. Stick to colors you feel confident in and will get the most use out of. It seems like every influencer on TikTok or Instagram you see an influencer talking about a super cute top they got and then they say “I couldn’t decide on one color so I got all of them”. Now I wish one day to have so much money that I can simply buy everything I see, but it’s not realistic. By only buying what you will actually use and wear, you will save money. Then you can use that money to occasionally splurge on items you have been wanting for a while.
Stop wasting your hard-earned cash on trendy things even if they are deeply discounted on Temu or TikTok shop. Just because they are on sale doesn’t mean you need them. Buying these things won’t change your life or fill a void. Be your own influencer. Buy things you actually like and honestly who cares if they aren’t following trends, what matters is you feel confident wearing and using them. Is there anything you have bought because it was trendy that you wished you saved your money on?
What do you think of the deinfluencing tiktok trend? Do you think it will help with overconsumption? Let us know in the comments below!
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