Consumerism Meets Cult Mentality

From Erewon to Set Active to Labubus —the cultification of brands is everywhere. Brands have begun to follow a new playbook, utilizing age-old tactics in new ways to create emotional connections with online shoppers. It is completely transforming traditional brand loyalty into an aspirational, fervent culture that is effectively reshaping the way brands market and the way customers consume. So how is this impacting younger generations, and how can they take their power back and get out of the never-ending consumption cycle?

Brands are building followings on their social media, utilizing storytelling, drop culture, and lifestyle alignment tactics to appeal to consumers eager to feel a sense of belonging and community. However, this “version” of community isn’t community at all. This concept of “community” comes from an individualistic lens as opposed to a collective one, one that values rapid consumption over genuine connection. 

Although drop culture and online communities were popular before 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a modern-day loneliness epidemic, characterized by an increased sense of isolation and an inability to connect despite no longer being physically distant. A study done by the American Psychiatric Association in 2024 showed that 30% of Americans aged 18-34 said they were lonely every day or several times a week. 

This has only gotten worse with the popularity of social media platforms like TikTok. What initially came to the rescue when people were unable to see one another in person, the app acted as a tool for staying connected to others. Now, social media is a crippling addiction for many, further isolating younger generations and promoting a culture of buying the latest and greatest products and spending exorbitant amounts of time online. 

This is also the main driver of the online community becoming one of the most powerful marketing tools. Brands far and wide now have online communities that anyone can be a part of to expand their brand ecosystem further, creating new ways for users to obsessively consume, not only with products but with content. The emerging app TYB (Try Your Best) is a community rewards platform that gives members in-app rewards that can be exchanged for real money to use on participating brands' websites. The app prioritizes quick responses to and engagement with in-app prompts and posts from participating brands. Brands often ask for responses on potential new products, events, and even give out free products in exchange for user-generated content and reviews. 

Influencers have only further added to this culture, utilizing social media platforms to “influence” their followers on “products they can’t live without”, what they wish they had used before “discovering certain products”, and products that make their lives “easier”. These online communities provide a parasocial relationship reliant on consuming content from a single person or group, which enables viewers to feel like it's a trusted source. However, it’s often just another person with access to social media and the ability to create an account. 

Brands utilize the quick turnaround nature of social media to market and sell their products, with limited edition drops, time-sensitive sales, and ambassador programs with influencers. The rate of consumption on social media has become out of control. Recent data has shown that TikTok’s in-app shopping hub, TikTok Shop, has generated over $33 billion, with the most considerable amount of over $9 billion coming from the United States. Industries like Fashion and Beauty often rely on these tactics to create FOMO and further emphasize the need for the latest and greatest product to be “on trend”. This is frequently done by convincing potential buyers that they need to align with perpetuated and curated personas such as “The Cool Girl”, “The Clean Girl”, and “The Party Girl” to keep a social standing online. 

These endless drops of merchandise create a never-ending culture of overconsumption, often leaving products unfinished, unworn, and discarded in landfills or left in bags to be taken to the nearest thrift store.  And they all eventually end up as waste. Not only does this constant buying cycle result in products that aren’t needed, but it also creates an unnecessary financial strain on Gen Z, who are either just getting started in their working life or rely on their caretakers to provide. If they are unable to obtain products that are trending, it can also result in poor mental health, with feelings of inadequacy, comparison, insecurity, and judgment from themselves and their peers, and others online. 

Both shopping and the internet/social media platforms have been proven to provide temporary increases of dopamine and relief of stress and anxiety. However, once that temporary increase of dopamine fades, it often requires more of the behavior to feel that hit again. Monetary rewards light up the same reward pathways as drugs and alcohol, so the more often you consume them, the more you will have to consume to get the same effects. This can quickly become a slippery slope and result in a cycle of continuous failure. A 2017 study by Greenpeace revealed that overconsumption caused people to behave in ways similar to addiction, with behaviors such as lying about purchases, hiding purchases, feeling guilt and shame, and fearing others' judgments.

So, how can brands build community without fostering harmful consumption patterns? Since many brands will continue to partake in these patterns without a second thought for their consumers and their shareholders, the question is, more so, how can consumers reduce these feelings and change their consumption? 

Partaking in ethical consumption is one of the biggest solutions to break the cycle. Only consume when you need an item and look for recommendations as a result. Asking questions before purchasing an item or partaking in consuming social media, like “Do I really need this?”, “What am I getting out of consuming this content?”, “Does this brand or creator align with my values and morals?”, “What is prompting me to want to buy this item?” and “Will I fully finish this item?” are just a few questions that can be helpful when looking to reduce consumption of any kind. 

Being an educated consumer and researching the systems behind these pushes, the tactics brands use, and how they relate to psychology are just a few ways that consumers can become more informed. By taking power back, you too can release your hold from the cult of brands and align yourself with what you want and what you value.