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BUSINESS

TikTok Shop: A Dystopian Reality
By: Claire Martin          Edited by Joy Mao

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s the first thing that pops up when you open TikTok? I can bet you it was probably a product ad. The booming social media company built a platform popularizing products for months, selling out skincare and makeup in stores, and promoting “dupes” and fashion trends. TikTok evolved from a platform for sharing and creating content to one that primarily targets and capitalizes on consumer spending habits.

 

The “TikTok Shop” feature completely overtook the app’s mission since its shift from Musical.ly in 2018. Instead of shopping hauls, dance videos, and Vine-like comedy, every other video on our “For You Pages” are product promotions – usually eligible for commission. An “eligible for commission” video means the creator can set up a TikTok Shop account for the video. Once enrolled in the program, if a user purchases the product featured in the creator’s video, the creator receives a small amount of money from the product’s brand. If the creator isn’t linking the product through TikTok Shop, you can probably find it on their Amazon Storefront – another platform allowing influencers to earn commission from product recommendations. 

 

Business Insider reported that popular influencers like Grace Brassel feel disappointed in how the TikTok Shop negatively impacts the quality of content on the app – adding that today, TikTok is “like Shein and AliExpress had a baby.” Considering how TikTok is one of the top social media platforms, reporting over one billion users this January, their current media landscape is overwhelming users. The social media world has changed completely, and in many ways, not for the better. 

 

 

An example of the recent backlash about the platform shared on TikTok

 

TikTok bases its content on a user-personalized “For You” algorithm, so each user is recommended content that correlates with their unique interests. A report from AP News found more than 200,000 sellers have registered for TikTok Shop, while over 100,000 creators joined its affiliate program, which allows videos from creators with 5,000 followers to appear directly on TikTok’s “For You” feed.” This is how videos about products tactically reach their target audiences, saturating users’ feeds with content like “Get Ready With Me” videos that subtly advertise multiple products. TikTok constantly subjects its users to advertisements, making it hard to find videos on its platform without being swarmed with undesired ad content. 

 

Despite ongoing criticism, TikTok generated $13.2 billion last year in ad revenue, with projected growth to $22 billion by 2025. There’s no question we can only expect to see more ads in the future. 

 

Many other creators go on TikTok live to promote their items. Another article by AP News investigates this phenomenon, specifically the flood of Chinese livestreamers joining the US TikTok “Live Shop.” Zen Soo discusses how “live streaming is forecasted to reach 4.9 trillion yuan ($676 billion) in China,” but creators began to shift to the United States to reach a larger audience. 

 

As I scroll through TikTok, I frequently stumble upon these live shops – from “live scoop” videos to designer bags to “dupes” of our favorite athleisure brands. Livestreaming e-commerce is rising in the United States, and experts predict that the live shopping industry in the United States will be worth $35 billion this year – fueling our unhealthy obsession with over-consumerism. 

 

TikTok’s trend of influencing overconsumption creates unhealthy buying habits for users. Specifically, these unhealthy habits manifest into unrealistic shopping hauls at stores like Target. Who doesn’t love a good Target trip to de-stress and browse the shelves? But platforms like TikTok boost content from influencers who share their Target trips, often throwing random products into their cart and spending hundreds of dollars in one trip. Users started calling this the “Target Effect.” 

 

Business Insider published a podcast about this a few years ago, highlighting the retailer’s organization and layout strategies – bright lights, low-cost or new deals, and constantly rotating merchandise. This approach causes shoppers to spend more money than anticipated. The average Target shopper takes 21 trips annually. While this doesn’t seem like a lot, how many times have you gone to Target needing one thing and ending up with a checkout price of over $100? If you spend about $100 every time you go to Target at an average of 21 visits, that’s $2,100 annually. If TikTok can influence you to pick up one or two more products, users can be blindsided by the repercussions of overconsumption

 

I fall victim to this overconsumption sometimes – where I find a product I like on TikTok, visit that website, and see that if I spend a certain amount of money, I get free shipping or a free item. The same strategy TikTok pushes causes me to spend more money than I wanted to, even purchasing things I never needed in the first place. It’s easy to get wrapped up in these marketing schemes, especially when the platform pushes a narrative that having more products equates to a more put-together and desirable lifestyle. Society has romanticized having a million things just to feel included, from makeup and skincare to clothes and room decorations. 

 

Our generation must reevaluate our shopping practices and start shopping from small, second-hand, and BIPOC-run businesses. It’s hard to refrain from impulse buying, especially when TikTok’s feed customizes to your interests. But choosing to shop smart and be mindful of each dollar you spend is the first step. 

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