consumerism, conformity, and individuality
Over the last few days, I've spent a lot of time considering the nature of consumerism and internet culture after having several discussions with my mum about trends during her teenage years, particularly their prevalence and their impact within her own small subsection of society at the time. What became apparent to me was not only how trends themselves differed in the past, but how they were experienced. Trends undoubtedly existed, influencing communities and shaping identities, but without reaching everyone, immediately, all at once.
Throughout human history, people have looked to those around them to understand themselves, their communities, and their place within society. The way we dress, the values we hold, and the lifestyles we aspire to have always been influenced by the people and cultures surrounding us. In this sense, comparison and competition are not new aspects of human behaviour; they have long played a role in how individuals navigate social relationships, establish identity, and understand belonging.
However, the nature of comparison has changed significantly. The scale and culture of comparison and competition that exists today differs from the forms of comparison that have historically shaped human societies. Rather than primarily comparing ourselves with those within our immediate social or geographic communities, individuals are now exposed to a global audience and global standards of success, beauty, lifestyle, and status. This has created a situation where people can feel inadequate not because they are failing within their own communities, but because they are being measured against expectations that exist on a much larger and often unrealistic scale.
Historically, in my possibly faulty understanding, trends and cultural movements spread much more slowly. Even around 50 years ago, fashion, beauty standards, and ideas of what was considered “cool” often took years to reach more isolated or rural communities. Clothing and makeup trends could take much longer to filter into regional areas, and once adopted, they tended to remain relevant for longer periods of time. Communities had more opportunity to adapt these trends within their own cultural and geographic contexts, and therefore more individually attribute these trends meaning.
This slower movement also influenced the way individuality was expressed. Someone who was considered either a trendsetter (or otherwise) was often influencing a relatively contained social environment: their school, town, friendship group, or local community. Their style existed within a context where people knew who they were, understood their personality, and could interpret their choices as part of their identity.
Today, the idea of being a trendsetter has expanded dramatically. A person attempting to influence culture online is no longer simply influencing their immediate community; they are potentially presenting themselves to a global audience. This changes the way individuality is perceived. A person’s choices are no longer interpreted only by people who understand their background and circumstances, but by thousands or millions of people with completely different cultural references and expectations.
The rise of social media, global connectivity, and commercial influence has transformed the way trends emerge and disappear. Fashion and lifestyle standards can now be introduced, promoted, and replaced almost instantaneously across the world. The commercialisation of personal identity, specifically where individuals are encouraged not only to consume but also to constantly present themselves as current, desirable, and influential, has created a persistent pressure to “keep up.”
This pressure is particularly significant because social media often presents a flattened, two-dimensional view of people’s lives. Someone wearing a style that was popular “last year,” for example, may be judged as outdated by those who are more connected to rapidly changing online trends, without consideration for the fact that not everyone has equal access to these cultural shifts, nor the financial ability or desire to constantly adapt to them. A trend that has already passed in one online community may still be current, meaningful, or practical in another. As a result, the internet has contributed to the creation of an endless cycle of comparison and pursuit: a perpetual “chase” to reach a constantly shifting standard of relevance. Ironically, many of these trends eventually return in cycles, meaning the pursuit itself is often less about genuine cultural progress and more about maintaining continuous consumption. This system creates pressure for individuals to continually reinvent themselves, while primarily benefiting the industries and corporations that profit from the demand to remain fashionable, current, and socially validated.
The broader issue is that this constant pursuit rarely encourages people to question why these standards exist, who creates them, who is excluded from them, and what purpose they ultimately serve. Instead, it normalises the idea that there is always something about ourselves that needs to be updated, improved, or replaced.
thank you for reading!
signed in invisible ink, luminula xxx
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