- Gen Z is embracing "underconsumption core."
- The trend involves buying only what you need and rejecting influencer marketing.
- Economic pressures like inflation and debt partially drive Gen Z's shift toward less consumption.
Influencer marketing has become a staple of the social media era, and Gen Z is one of its most significant targets.
For many Gen Zers, the generation between the ages of 12 and 27, TikTok is the primary social media platform where they find products to buy. But while the influencer marketing industry thrives, some younger online users have grown tired of the constant product promotion.
This is where "underconsumption core" comes in.
Underconsumption core is similar to the "deinfluencing" trend — another popular response to online shopping culture. Deinfluencing involves shedding light or calling into question popular products often promoted by creators online.
According to underconsumption core creators who spoke with The New York Times, the idea behind the latest trend is to promote buying only what you need. Simply put, it's just regular shopping with a more Gen Z-friendly title.
Creators who embrace the trend often share videos of minimal or secondhand clothing in their closets, a handful of beauty products on their counters, and few to no Stanley cups in their cupboards.
"Flagrant displays of wealth that were once aspirational are now insensitive, out-of-touch," sustainable fashion creator Jade Taylor told the Times.
Gen Z doesn't really trust influencers anymore
Influencers don't hold the same power they once did among younger audiences, some research suggests.
A by Y-Pulse, a GenZ and millennial marketing research firm, shared with Yahoo News found that 45% of people between the ages of 13 and 22 don't believe that content creators have the same authority they once did, and 53% say they would prefer to buy something recommended by a regular person.
Some influencer marketing experts previously told Business Insider that consumers may feel they are being duped by creators who want to make money off of them.
Influencers aren't always trustworthy. Because of limited regulation of the social media advertising space, fraud runs rampant on social media.
For example, influencers might purchase followers to appear more trustworthy or fail to disclose when they are getting paid to promote a product.
Tight budgets among Gen Z also may be forcing them to reconsider their unnecessary purchases — and sometimes resent the rich influencers trying to get them to make said purchases.
Gen Z faces inflation, healthcare costs, ever-increasing housing and car costs, and rising debt, all while facing a competitive job market and making less than their millennial counterparts did 10 years ago.
When it comes to making large purchases like buying a home, confidence among young generations is low. Some evidence suggests Gen Z is benefiting financially from living at home but may not feel these benefits because of money dysmorphia. This dysmorphia can sometimes be fueled by social media, where wealthy lifestyles are on display.
Brett House, an economics professor at Columbia University's business school, told the Times that economic anxiety plays a role in the shift to simplicity and said a similar shift was made following the 2008 recession.
"There's little new here beyond the names we're giving macroeconomically induced changes in consumer behavior and the pace at which we're casting one meme off for the next," House told the Times.