Social Media, Consumer Culture & Overconsumption - Presentation

What is the Impact of Social Media on Consumer Culture & How Does It Contribute to Over-Consumption?

MICHELE ISHOLA S00902077 FSD503 THEORETICAL STUDIES IN FASHION ASSESSMENT 3

INTRODUCTION Social Media Fashion Industry Over Consumption

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3.03 BILLION

91%

of retail brands use 2 or more social media platforms

active social media users across the world

SOCIAL MEDIA “everywhere you go, someone around you is on their phone engaging with some sort of (TAN, 2017) social platform”

have the highest amount of active users

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(MARKETING LAND, 2017)

Facebook & Instagram

INSTAGRAM

“Instagram has become the water cooler of the fashion community”

• Visual-based platform • Space where “big brands, emerging designers, tastemakers and fashionconscious consumers” are all alongside one another (Dhillon, 2015) • “Ultimate branding tool” (Entrepreneur, 2014)

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(SHERMAN, 2015)

93% more consumer engagement than Facebook & Twitter

‘INSPO-SHOPPING’

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‘INSPO-SHOPPING’

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THE FASHION INDUSTRY

$2.4 TRILLION

global industry worth

>2x

global sales have more than doubled since 2000

5.5% annual increase

“Britain has the most creative, dynamic and nimble fashion industry in the world.”

- NATALIE MASSANET

800,000 jobs added to UK economy

£2.6 BILLION

UK industry worth

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HOW HAS SOCIAL MEDIA CHANGED THE FASHION INDUSTRY? • Industry marketers have an updated vocabulary; e.g. ’going viral’ and ‘having good reach’ • Consumers look to Instagram for new fashion, rather than the runway • Social media influencers and fashion bloggers hold as much influence as a mainline magazine editor

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‘WEAR IT ONCE CULTURE’

1in7

women say social media influences ‘wear it once culture’

33%

of women consider clothing old/outdated after three wears

39%

of women more likely to engage with brands on social media than anywhere else

• In recent years there has been a trend of people thinking “I don’t want to wear this, because I’ve already been seen in that” - (Dhillon, 2015) • 1 in 7 women said having pictures in the same outfit on two different occasions caused them to feel embarrassed and/or uncomfortable (Morgan, 2015) • The social media is based upon “newness and nowness” • There is pressure on (some) young people having to mix and match their wardrobes to cope in the Instagram era of ‘overexposure’. (Dhillon, 2015) • This has resulted in the sales of mixable garments such as skirts, tops and accessories increasing substantially over the past few years (Dhillon, 2015)

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FASHION TRENDS & FAST FASHION • Trends used to be a luxury for those who could afford • Consumers used to spend more, less often • It was possible, as your closet wasn’t as exposed as it is today • ‘Wear it once culture’ encourages the mentality to not outfit repeat, which is not financially possible for most on good quality clothing • Fast fashion = on trend, low cost

81%

of people are influenced by their friends posts

2x

85% of people are influenced by celebrity endorsements

Boohoo’s profits doubled after endorsing celebrities to promote their clothing on Instagram to 16-24 yearolds

(Tan, 2017)

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THE FAST FASHION INDUSTRY

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FAST FASHION CULTURE Pharrell x Uniqlo The Weeknd x H&M

Beyonce x H&M

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OVER-CONSUMPTION IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY

>½ Consumers in Europe and Asia are buying more clothes than needed

• Global phenomenon • Fast fashion is so readily available and affordable • Ease of online shopping aids mindless overconsumption MICHELE ISHOLA – S00902077 – FSD503 – ASSESSMENT 3

PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND OVER-CONSUMPTION “Consumers are no longer shopping because they need something. On the contrary: younger people in particular shop despite already having too much, longing for fulfilment and encouraged by social media and the ease of online shopping” “Overconsumption of fashion is now deeply entrenched in our everyday culture, both in old European economies and in emerging ones such as China” - Greenpeace Report, 2017 (Eco Watch, 2017)

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ENVIRONMENTAL & ETHICAL IMPACT OF OVER-CONSUMPTION • Eileen Fisher’s representatives, declared and emphasised that the ”clothing industry is the second largest polluter in the world, after the oil industry”.

• “The fast fashion phenomenon is maintained by the workforce in countries, such as Bangladesh, Vietnam or India. Among the exploited workers are also children, according to a report made

by International Labour Organization (ILO).” (EVO News, 2014) • “Forced and child labour is alarmingly common in the cotton industry. Sometimes rural poverty means children must work long hours to support their families. Children as young as five years old can be recruited and sometimes forced to work in cotton fields…for little or no pay. In many cases, this is at the expense of their education. They may endure terrible conditions including exposure to hazardous pesticides, physical and sexual abuse and long hours. Children can be left exhausted and in poor health after weeks of gruelling labour,” - World Vision Foundation

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CONCLUSION The impact social media has on modern day consumer culture is evident, and its encouragement of the fast fashion industry fuels the issue of overconsumption.

“Social media has become the direct path into online shopping baskets” (Tan, 2017), and it’s undeniable the influence people have over others on social media platforms.

The introduction of fast fashion “opened doors for people who want to replicate looks of others, but who don’t have the means to purchase high-end items” (Tan, 2017). However, this was always a want and not a need. The over-consuming nature of the western world has huge environmental and ethical ramifications, especially on the very people in the workforce who are making it all happen.

The growth of social media has only further fueled the fashion industry that seems to be ever evolving.

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REFERENCES •

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•Dhillon, K. (2017). How Did Social Media Change Fashion Consumption?. [online] Not Just a Label. Available at: https://www.notjustalabel.com/editorial/how-did-social-media-change-fashionconsumption [Accessed 7 Dec. 2017].

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•EcoWatch. (2017). Mindless Overconsumption Is Destroying You and the Planet. [online] Available at: https://www.ecowatch.com/overconsumption-fast-fashion-2399956999.html [Accessed 10 Dec. 2017].

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•Entrepreneur. (2014). 5 Points of Success Entrepreneurs Can Learn From a Masked Street Artist. [online] Available at: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241227 [Accessed 20 Nov. 2017].

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•EvoNews. (2014). The concerns regarding fashion overconsumption | EvoNews. [online] Available at: https://evonews.com/business/2017/jun/14/greenpeace-report-fashion-overconsumption-anincreasingly-widespread-phenomenon-in-asia-and-europe/ [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

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•Morgan, M. (2015). Women now bin clothes after only a few years. [online] Mail Online. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3116962/Throwaway-fashion-Women-adopted-wearculture-binning-clothes-wears-aren-t-pictured-outfit-twice-social-media.html [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].

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