Culture of Consumption

ELIOT ZEDD | contributing columnist

College students often knowingly, and very willingly, fall into the spiderweb trap of social media advertisements time and time again.

Over 98% of college-aged students are on social media. This makes the age group an extremely lucrative target for enterprises. Social media boomed in 2009 and has not slowed down since. College-aged students, generally between the ages of 18-22, are the first generation to be raised in a social mediadominated world.

According to a CNN report, the average age that children start on social media is 12.6 years old. This means that companies have been tracking college-aged people’s information since before they became teenagers. As an 18-year-old who has been on social media since I was 12, this means that companies have been collecting my information for nearly six years.

With those statistics in mind, one can now question the effects of social media on this generation — in this case, its consumption habits.

By growing up with the use of social media, college-aged students have developed a need for validation and affirmation more than ever before. People love to fit in and follow trends.

In fact, a study by the University of Mississippi showed that 60% of college students prefer buying from top-selling brands. The study also found that 64% of those individuals wait to see if their peers like the product before they purchase it. College-aged individuals’ intrinsic need to fit in gives companies an immense edge in terms of marketing.

Freshman kinesiology major Keira Federline said she periodically buys things because of social media.

When asked about how being on social media since age 13 has influenced her, she responded, “Sometimes [it] does more harm than good, but we have all grown up with it, so it’s difficult to not be on social media and stay in the loop.” her friends like it.

In today’s social media realm, it’s easier than ever for companies to use personal information to curate ads explicitly tailored for the consumer. College-aged students are more than willing to give up their personal information when signing up for social media applications without even skimming the terms and services. A whopping 91% of people

For example, someone who posts themselves out in nature may often receive ads from Patagonia constantly promoting their “1% of sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment.”

By using these tactics, companies turn people into mere consumers. But why should someone care if enterprises are taking their information if they’re showing them ads they want to see?

The repercussions of increased consumption due to social media manipulation are far greater than the potential benefits. Looking at this issue from a global point of view, when consumer habits increase, demand grows, which leads to increased production. Increased production can cause the use of more greenhouse gass to make products, which contributes to global warming.

When looking at this issue through a smaller lens, the negative effects on mental health are evident. The constant need to fit in or be better than everyone else is a theme that has withstood the test of time. Now with social media, people’s insecurities are through the roof. Companies can manipulate these insecurities to flip a profit.

Federline said she buys something because of social media “at least once a month.” She explained that the constant ads on TikTok and Instagram drive her to make purchases, even though she knows she shouldn’t fall for them. As for what motivates her to buy a product, she said it’s more likely for her to buy something if it’s listed as a best-seller, promoted by influencers she follows and if accept the terms and services of social media applications before reading them according to a 2017 Deloitte study. Companies are then able to access your personal information to see what you like and dislike and what’s trending near you — all completely legally.

Companies can use information in a multitude of ways. One way is to promote prosocial claims that the user may support.

In our social media-dominated society, it’s difficult to escape the gripping hands of capitalism around your throat. You can try to escape the manipulation, but to many of us college-aged people, it’s all we know.

CONTACT Eliot Zedd at zeddej@dukes.jmu. edu. For more editorials regarding the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the opinion desk on Instagram and Twitter @ Breeze_Opinion.