#mintconditioned

every platform wants your attention because your attention = profit. tiktok, youtube, even your student portal — everything’s designed to keep you scrolling, spending, or stressing. time is a resource. start protecting it like your money.

but what does that actually mean?

it means that you’re not the customer on most apps — you’re the product. companies profit by selling your attention and data to advertisers. algorithms are designed to hijack your brain’s reward system—likes, follows, autoplay, endless scroll. none of that is an accident.

recently, the ftc hosted a 2025 workshop called “the attention economy: how big tech firms exploit kids and hurt families,” highlighting how platforms intentionally hook users.

studies show that 1 in 5 teens spends over 2 hours daily on tiktok—over recommended limits—and higher usage is linked to anxiety and lower self-esteem.

researchers also warn that algorithmic amplification (like tiktok’s for-you feed) fuels compulsive use by reinforcing targeted content deep into feeds.

here’s how to take your attention back and why it matters:

1. delete one app every weekend. just for two days. a brief digital detox, like removing social media apps over a weekend, can reduce stress and improve focus.

2. if you wouldn’t pay to see it, don’t give it your full attention. time is a resource—if content wouldn’t earn your money, don’t give your attention. treat it like currency.

3. make your phone boring. moving apps off your home screen and switching your phone to grayscale can reduce its addictive pull .

4. start “micro budgeting” your attention. time-blocking your screen use—like budgeting money—improves control and awareness over where your time goes .

5. set one hour a week as “no input” time. intentionally unplugged time helps spark creativity and mental clarity.

6. stop doomscrolling as “being informed.” reading endless crisis content at night increases anxiety—limiting you to scheduled, credible news consumption is healthier.

7. pay attention to what content energizes or drains you. teens who develop awareness of what content affects their mental health can proactively curate their online feeds.

your attention is your mental energy, your focus, your time. tech companies spend billions trying to hijack it. you don’t have to quit the internet — but you should treat your attention like money. once you give it away, you can’t get it back.

and your future, your mind, and your goals deserve better. sources:

federal trade commission. the attention economy: how big tech firms exploit children and hurt families. workshop, federal trade commission, 4 june 2025, ftc.gov/news-events/events/2025/06/attention-economy-tech-firms-exploit-children. accessed 25 june 2025.

bilali, angeliki, et al. “association between tiktok use and anxiety, depression, and sleepiness among adolescents: a cross‑sectional study in greece.” pediatric reports, vol. 17, no. 2, 2025, p. 34, doi:10.3390/pediatric17020034.

“teens, social media and mental health.” pew research center, 22 apr. 2025, pewresearch.org/internet/2025/04/22/teens-social-media-and-mental-health/. accessed 25 june 2025.

So I really don’t know what exactly I did, but I was on Instagram and yo. Look, I wasn’t ever a fan of the "clean girl" trend, but I just found it fascinating how everyone’s ditching it for 2016 Zara Larsson coded makeup and outfits. Like good on you, but I was just thinking about what would happen to all the stuff from the clean girl era. I wanted to see whether certain aesthetics actually "die" or if we just stop talking about them. So I pulled Google Trends data. Then I checked resale markets. Then I made a spreadsheet.

I became slightly obsessed and turned it into a research question: How long does an aesthetic trend retains economic value after peak attention

If trends are accelerating, are they also collapsing faster? And if they are, what happens to all the stuff produced for them?

The Method

I picked three aesthetics:

Clean girl

E-girl

Cottagecore

For each one, I:

1. Mapped lifecycle phases using Google Trends

2. Identified peak attention

3. Took cross-sectional resale snapshots (30 items each, clothing only, no bundles, no joke prices)

4. Measured:

Median resale price

% under $15

Total listing volume

I treated resale value collapse as a proxy for economic devaluation.

Because once an item can't retain resale value, it's economically near-discard.

The Concept I Ended Up With

Economic Half-Life =

Months after peak attention until median resale price falls below $15.

Basically: how fast does a trend lose market survivability?

What I Found:

Cottagecore

Massive listing volume

73% under $15

Still huge resale presence years after peak

Long decay tail

E-girl

Peaked early (2021)

Lower listing volume

53% under $15

Slow bleed into low-value persistence

Smaller volume, but long persistence.

Clean girl

Slower rise (2022–2026)

Hit peak January 2026

83% under $15 almost immediately

Extremely tight price clustering (~$11)

This one collapsed economically almost instantly after peak attention.

Which suggests something new: Supply elasticity is now extremely high.

Production reacts so fast that by the time attention peaks, the market is already saturated.

I combined three proxies:

Share under $15 (value collapse)

Normalized listing volume (scale of material committed)

Post-peak persistence (how long low value lingers)

Cottagecore had the highest waste intensity

E-girl was persistent but smaller-scale waste

Clean girl had rapid short-term waste spike

The bigger pattern is that trend cycles are shortening.

Older trends take 12-18 months to collapse and ~1-3 years before resale value really died, but recent ones take 1-3 months to resale collapse and have under 6 months of survivability

Now because my entire page is about who profits and who holds risk, let’s analyze that real quick.

1. Platforms & influencers

Profit from attention velocity

Hold no inventory

2. Producers

Profit from volume

Offload surplus

3. Consumers

Absorb depreciation

Internalize resale failure

4. Secondary markets

Attempt to clear oversupply

Normalize ultra-low prices

Environmental systems absorb what markets can't, and economic devaluation precedes physical waste.

So what supreme is that trends behave like speculative assets. Early adopters extract symbolic and sometimes economic value, late adopters absorb depreciation, and platforms profit from volatility itself. As cycles shorten, the gap between profit extraction and waste generation widens. Costs move downward when move upward.

So what exactly I'm gonna do with this, I'm not sure. But I definitely want to expand because this is interesting, so here’s my very rough plan:

Expand to 10+ aesthetics

Build an Aesthetic Volatility Index

Stress-test the Economic Half-Life model

See whether post-2023 trends collapse nonlinearly faster

Anyway.

I’m hooked.

If you guys want, I'd really appreciate if you could recommend different aesthetics for me to do next, or tell me if you want a more in depth guide on how to do this yourself.

But anyway.

first, i want to address the fact that i've barely posted in the past few months. i'm sorry, my schedule was just been so packed with school, i forgot to update this blog! i'll try to be more consistent now.

anyway, girl math isn’t people being bad with money. it’s people being textbook examples of how behavioral economics works in real life.

the whole “if i pay in cash it’s free” or “i returned something for fifty so this sixty dollar thing only cost ten” logic sounds silly, but it’s actually kind of genius. it’s not a financial mistake, it’s data. it’s proof that we don’t spend based on numbers, we spend based on feelings, stories, and tiny mental shortcuts that make sense only to us.

behavioral economics was built on this idea. it says people don’t make perfectly rational choices; they make human ones. we value emotions more than math. we separate money into imaginary categories. we justify, compare, and reframe until a purchase feels right.

girl math is that theory in action. it’s mental accounting when we treat cash like it’s “not real money.” it’s loss aversion when we chase discounts just to avoid feeling like we “missed out.” it’s anchoring when a $300 coat suddenly looks affordable next to a $600 one. it’s instant gratification when future-me gets sacrificed so present-me can feel joy right now.

every behavioral economist should be thanking the internet for girl math. it’s a living case study, wrapped in humor and self-awareness. people are literally turning cognitive biases into memes. and what’s wild is that it proves the science works; the same patterns researchers wrote papers about decades ago are now trending audio on tiktok.

girl math isn’t financial literacy. it’s not trying to teach you how to budget. it’s showing, in real time, how our brains bend logic to protect our emotions. it’s the theory of behavioral economics playing out in public, in a way that’s funny, relatable, and way more honest than any econ textbook.

ai feels invisible because you only see the final answer on your screen, not the giant physical system running underneath it. every prompt relies on servers, cooling systems, power grids, rare metals, and nonstop energy use. ai may feel like vapor, but its environmental impact is very real.

ai uses a lot of resources because modern models are so large. training them can take weeks of nonstop computation. this requires electricity, water, hardware, and maintenance. even everyday use consumes meaningful energy because data centers must stay online at all times to respond to billions of requests.

researchers usually agree that ai’s carbon footprint comes from four main areas.

training is the most energy intensive part because the models need to process enormous amounts of data.

inference is the energy used every time someone asks a question or generates content. it is smaller per use but happens millions of times per day.

data centers generate heat and need huge amounts of water and electricity to stay functional, so cooling is required

chips require mining, metals, manufacturing, and shipping.

the energy impact depends heavily on where data centers are located. regions powered by fossil fuels create higher emissions, while regions with renewable energy lower the impact. water usage matters too because many cooling systems rely on evaporative cooling, which consumes large amounts of water each day. ai is not unique in this; streaming, gaming, and cloud storage also use these systems, but ai is growing fast enough to raise sustainability concerns.

carbon markets come into the picture as a tool governments and companies use to reduce emissions. a carbon market lets organizations buy and sell allowances for the amount of carbon they emit. when ai companies participate, it can push them to reduce energy use or switch to renewable sources in order to stay under emissions limits. carbon markets also raise funding for environmental projects that theoretically offset the emissions produced by training and running models. the challenge is that offsets do not always match real-world reductions, and not all carbon credits are equally effective.

making ai more sustainable is possible. there are several strategies researchers and companies are exploring.

designing smaller and more efficient models that require less computation.

powering data centers with renewable energy instead of fossil fuels.

building data centers in cooler climates to reduce the need for artificial cooling.

improving chip design so each unit uses less power during training and inference.

using liquid cooling systems that conserve water and energy.

requiring transparency reports so users know the environmental cost of the tools they rely on.

remember when stanley cups were everywhere? they showed up in car cupholders, tiktok hauls, and probably even your dreams. people sprinted through targets at 7 am to grab limited edition drops. for a while, having the cup meant hydration, status, and aesthetic all in one. but now, the hype is slowing — and we’re left to ask: what was all that for?

how we got here

stanley tumblers weren’t always trendy. they were originally rugged, functional thermoses marketed to construction workers and outdoorsy types. then tiktok found them. influencers praised their colorways, size (40 oz!), and vibe — and suddenly, stanley cups became the cup.

limited drops triggered frenzy. entire aisles were wiped out in minutes. some people collected them like sneakers. others bought every color “just to have options.” the resale market exploded. some went for $100+.

but this wasn’t just about hydration. this was haul culture.

the problem with haul culture

the stanley craze tapped into something deeper: the social media pressure to consume constantly and publicly. haul videos — where influencers unbox massive purchases — normalized overbuying. it wasn’t about needing a water bottle. it was about owning the trend.

and it didn’t stop at stanleys. people started buying accessories: straw toppers, silicone boots, name tags. if you weren’t accessorizing your cup, were you even trying?

environmental impact

all that hype had real consequences:

plastic overload: despite being reusable, many stanley cups are made with plastic components. producing millions of them increases emissions and waste, especially when people buy multiple.

fast consumer cycles: the constant color drops encouraged more buying, not reuse. that defeats the purpose of sustainability.

landfill overflow: as the trend fades, many cups will be discarded — not because they’re broken, but because they’re out of style.

it’s a form of “green overconsumption” — buying reusable goods in excess under the illusion of sustainability.

the decline

like most trends, stanley’s grip is loosening. people are realizing they don’t need five identical tumblers. gen z is especially starting to question the logic behind impulse buying in the name of “self-care.”

tiktok creators are now posting videos like “things i regret buying” or “how minimalism saved my wallet.” the pendulum is swinging back.

so what now?

stanley cups aren’t evil. they are reusable. they do help people drink more water. but the obsession around them reveals a bigger issue: we keep trying to shop our way into a better lifestyle.

if we want to seriously tackle overconsumption and pollution, we need to think beyond trends. that means:

buying one good thing — and sticking with it.

not collecting items just because they’re cute.

resisting the pressure to haul for content.

normalizing “i already have one” as a reason not to buy.

final sip

the stanley cup hype taught us something important: even the “good” products can turn harmful when they’re part of a cycle of mindless consumption. reuse doesn’t count if you’re just rotating between 12 colors.

so if you’ve got a stanley cup — great. use it. love it. keep it for years. but maybe don’t buy another just because it matches your hoodie.

okay so real talk — is it just me or is the sun beefing with us this summer?? like, i went outside and instantly turned into a sweat puddle. fans are useless, a/c is EXPENSIVE, and honestly i’d rather chill in a walk-in freezer than deal with this heat.

but here's the thing: this isn’t just "ugh summer is gross" — this is climate change, and spoiler alert: we're kinda all part of it.

see, the planet’s heating up because of greenhouse gases (like carbon dioxide and methane) we’ve been pumping into the atmosphere for decades. and yeah, cars and factories are big players, but here’s the kicker: it’s the whole economy that’s behind it.

our economy runs on this idea that we always need more — more products, more money, more growth. and that means companies are constantly burning fossil fuels, chopping down forests, and mass-producing stuff that ends up in landfills. fast fashion? runs on sweatshops and oil. those 2-day shipping sprees? burn tons of fuel. even our food system — full of processed snacks and factory-farmed meat — is a massive contributor to emissions.

we’re so used to this “buy more, toss more” lifestyle that we don’t even think about it. but the stuff we see as normal — weekly hauls, upgrading our phones every year, cheap $5 shirts — all of that feeds into a system that’s literally cooking the planet.

and the wild part? the people paying the price aren’t the CEOs in corner offices — it’s everyday folks, especially in lower-income areas and countries that are already dealing with floods, droughts, wildfires, and power outages. all because rich corporations won’t stop chasing profits.

but here's the hopeful part: we’re not powerless.

you can’t fix the whole system on your own (and you shouldn’t have to), but small changes still matter:

thrift your clothes instead of buying fast fashion

support local or sustainable businesses when you can

eat less meat (even one veggie meal a week helps)

vote for leaders who actually get climate policy

call out greenwashing when you see it

talk about it — awareness spreads change

basically: the more we question the "normal" stuff that’s actually harming the planet, the more pressure we can put on the people who can change the system.

so yeah, it’s hot. but it’s not just the weather — it’s the economy running wild. and we deserve better.

stay cool (literally and figuratively), SOURCES:

Attenborough, David, and Christine Lagarde. “Nature, Climate Change and the Global Economy.” Finance & Development, International Monetary Fund, Dec. 2019, https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2019/12/nature-climate-and-the-global-economy-lagarde-attenborough.

“Economics of Climate Change.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 5 Aug. 2024, https://www.epa.gov/environmental-economics/economics-climate-change.

Kaplan, Sarah, et al. “June Is the New July: Why Intense Summer Heat Is Arriving Earlier.” The Washington Post, 25 June 2025, https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/06/25/global-heatwave-climate-change.

Reyes, Marisa. “Millions of U.S. Kids Attend Schools in 'Urban Heat Zones.'” Axios, 30 June 2025, https://www.axios.com/2025/06/30/students-schools-urban-heat-islands.

“Reuters Explains: What Is a ‘Heat Dome’ and How Does It Power Heatwaves?” Reuters, 30 June 2025, https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/cop/what-is-heat-dome-how-does-it-power-heatwaves-2025-06-30.

so i recently had a poll asking what you'd do if you have $10,000, and over half of the respondents said that they'd save it for something big

if you're saving for something big — like college, a car, starting a side hustle, or even financial freedom — here's some unexpected advice that actually does something. not cute. not tiny. real.

open a HYSA (high-yield savings account) at a credit union or online bank. no, not your regular bank. they usually pay literal cents in interest. but online banks like Ally or SoFi (or your local credit union) offer 4–5% APY as of now. if you’re saving over time, that compound interest builds and beats inflation. it’s not glamorous, but it works. set it. forget it. grow.

invest in an I-Bond. you heard right — a government bond. it’s basically a super-safe investment you can buy with as little as $25. I-Bonds adjust with inflation and earn interest over time. teens can buy them through a parent or guardian's TreasuryDirect account. way better than letting your money rot in checking.

don’t save — prepay. saving up for something long-term? like a course, a trip, or even SAT tutoring? instead of stashing cash, prepay now if there’s a discount or price lock. a lot of services let you pay in advance, especially if they’re small businesses. this saves you from price hikes — and yourself.

build credit (yes, really). if you’re 18 or close to it, use $10,000 as a starter safety net for a secured credit card. this builds your credit history early — a big deal for apartments, student loans, and future jobs. make one small charge monthly (like Spotify), pay it off, never miss. boring? yes. life-changing? also yes.

micro-fund a revenue-generating skill. take that $10,000 and turn it into money. Examples:

buy a domain + hosting for a blog you monetize

invest in a course that teaches design, data entry, or UX

get supplies for a hyper-niche Etsy shop (e.g. enamel pin display boards or zines)

buy an external mic and start voiceover freelancing