The Price of Going Viral: How Social Media Shapes Modern Spending Habits
Jordan Lee
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Winner 2025
Fashion used to start on the runway, but now it starts on TikTok. One viral video from a blogger, and overnight, the entire stock of face cream sells out, and a line forms around the block for a new cafe. Honestly, it sometimes amazes me and sometimes even scares me. We’ve started making financial decisions not because we want to, but because something suddenly became a trend. In 2025, social media affects not only what we watch or listen to, but also how we spend our money. And the further it goes, the stronger this influence becomes.
We are a generation that grew up in a world of algorithms, and we often don’t even notice how we’ve become impulsive buyers. Every time you open Instagram or TikTok, you see “must-have products,” discounts that are “ending soon,” and ads perfectly tailored just for you. What used to be simple scrolling has turned into a process that directly affects our economy. I see it everywhere — my friends do the same, and I’ve fallen for it too. Once, I bought a $60 water bottle because a blogger said it “changed her attitude toward drinking water.” It didn’t change mine, but that moment made me realize how easy it is to convince us to spend money.
Influencers today have turned social media into real mini-stores. Of course, this has created great opportunities now, even a small brand or an ordinary student with a good idea and a phone can start their own business right from a dorm room. But at the same time, it’s becoming harder to tell where a genuine recommendation ends and hidden advertising begins. These days, almost every “review” is part of a marketing campaign, and telling one from the other isn’t easy anymore. As a result, this affects not only how we spend money, but also how we see the value of things and even ourselves.
From an economic point of view, social networks have launched what experts call the “attention economy.” Now our time and attention have become real currency that companies profit from. The more we click, like, or watch videos, the more data they collect about us and the more accurately they can show us what we’re likely to buy. It’s a closed loop: we see, we want, we buy, and then we see even more. This system pushes us to spend money and creates the feeling that we’re missing out if we don’t buy something right away.
Moreover, as someone who cares about the future of our planet, I feel increasingly anxious about the state of the environment. Every year, about 92 million tons of textile waste are produced worldwide, and by 2030, this number is expected to rise to 134 million tons. The clothes we buy today, because they are “in fashion,” often end up in landfills tomorrow. Microplastics from synthetic fabrics enter the soil and water, turning short-lived trends into real environmental threats. And the more often we order new clothes online just to keep up with fashion, the less we notice the harm we cause to nature.
It makes me sad that the fashion industry refuses to listen to its consumers and ignores common sense. For it, profit comes first, even if nature has to pay the price. But endless growth is impossible: if nothing changes, one day our rivers will become toxic, and the Earth’s resources will simply run out.
Still, there is hope, and it lies in awareness. My generation is increasingly understanding how strongly the digital world influences us and our decisions. More and more often, I see online videos explaining why you shouldn’t buy another “trendy” item. It’s a bit ironic, but it works: social media that once pushed us to buy now teaches us to think critically and spend more wisely. Schools are also introducing financial literacy lessons that cover not only savings and credit, but also how to behave in the digital space and avoid marketing traps.
While studying data science, I realized that algorithms amplify human behavior, but definitely don’t create it. The true power of algorithms lies in our decision about how much we allow them to influence us. Good financial habits can’t be “destroyed” if we approach every click with critical thinking.
In the end, virality isn’t just about likes, views, and followers. Its real value shows up in our everyday choices in those small purchases we make without even thinking. Maybe the most important trend of the future is to become a mindful consumer and ask yourself before every purchase: “Do I really need this?”