“This viral product,” “You need this product,” “This item will change your life.” This is all you hear when scrolling on TikTok. 

     TikTok has become an online shopping place; it’s no longer just fun, short videos. The problem is not just the TikTok shop; it’s also the people who are on the app feeding into the consumerist mentality. 

     Let’s time-travel back to 2014 when Musically came out to app stores. Musically was a social media app where people made lip syncing videos, funny videos, and dancing videos to any of their favorite songs. You were able to like, comment, and follow others just like any other social media app. The app got a lot of traction later on, and it soon became one of the most used social media apps. 

     Then it was bought out by a new brand, TikTok, and that is what we know the app as today. Since the new brand took over the app, there have been lots of modifications to the app to keep people engaged and wanting to use the app. 

     This is currently a period in life where it’s normal for everyone to have a phone; it’s actually more expected of you to have a phone and social media. Kids are growing up with expectations from their peers to be “cool” by having a phone and social media at a young, young age. 

     When adults are letting their children have the apps, all the kids are seeing are videos that cause brain rot. They see video after video of others on the app trying to sell things to make you think that, “it’s the best product on the market,” when it’s really overpriced garbage.

     But kids and even adults will scroll and scroll for hours seeing people talk about products, clothing, home appliances, etc., showing off  everything they got while under the consumerist influence, because that’s all that is pushed into everyone’s minds. 

     Social media has just become a place for the government (or whoever is controlling what is pushed into the public eye) to establish an environment of brain rot. They know exactly what they are doing to everyone’s minds; they know they have everyone who has social media under their fingertips under control. 

       They want to be able to keep the population wanting more. They want us to keep buying more and more products that we don’t need to give to the economy – to make the economy look better, and overall make the reputation of our country better. 

     Rarely, I see important videos or posts about real world problems that are happening in our world that are life or death situations. Social media just pushes out what they want you to think about. They don’t want you to know what’s happening with Gaza and Israel right now because that doesn’t do anything to help our country. 

     I don’t care about the newest trending Stanley cup color. 

     Social media should go back to being a safe space for people to voice their opinions, share their creativity, and learn about the news. The brainwashing of consumerism is ruining our world as we know it. 

     Our world has become inhabited by zombies; creatures with no emotions or feelings when we see things. They just keep clicking buttons, not even feeling fulfilled when the packages of items we ordered arrive at our houses. We have all been brainwashed by the media and have become their zombies to influence and control.