#week 7

WEEK 7 DRAWING COMP

Every time I open my phone to scroll on social media, I see someone posting a clothing haul, a "must-have" item or a new aesthetic that suddenly everybody wants to copy. One week people are obsessed with the “clean girl” look ✨ and the next week everyone's wearing bows and lace 🎀  as if we're back to 2014 Tumblr 💀. Sometimes I get influenced too 🤭. That is what makes social media so powerful. Fashion online is not simply about fashion, it's about lifestyle, personality and keeping up with the trend quickly enough before they disappear. But recently, I noticed something a little ironic 👀.

The same social media platforms that are getting people to consume more are also where they are learning more about sustainability and slow fashion 🌱♻️. And somehow… both things are happening at the same time 😭. Fast Fashion Basically Lives Online

Fast fashion and social media is a perfect duo 🤝. Brands work with influencers, because influencers know exactly how to make clothes feel trendy, relatable, and impossible to resist 😩. Younger audiences actively look towards influencers for fashion inspiration, especially on Instagram and TikTok (Hamedani et al., 2025).

Sometimes you might see the same jacket or shoes appear on your feed over and over again before suddenly wanting it too. A good example was the Adidas Chinese New Year Tang Jacket went viral online in Malaysia on TikTok and Instagram, with influencers and fashion creators contributing to its online popularity (Leong, 2026). The jacket became less of a necessity and more of a social trend people wanted to participate in online. Currently, fashion consumption is more related to belonging and visibility rather than useful. The thing about social media is, the trends move VERY fast ⚡. Algorithms are constantly feeding new fashion content into our feeds and making it easy to feel like we always need something new.

Haul videos, “get ready with me” posts, and sponsored videos make shopping feel fun and harmless, even when people are buying items they probably do not need. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) the fashion industry is one of the world’s most polluting and waste-intensive industries 🌍 (Mishra, 2025). However, social media continues the constant consumption. Because these videos are presented casually by influencers, overconsumption can start to feel completely normal online 😬.

Some brands even market themselves as "sustainable" while operating like fast fashion brands 🌱. The H&M "Conscious" collection is one example where the company actively supports materials that are environmentally friendly as it continues to produce large quantities of clothing (Whiting, 2024). This is referred to as "greenwashing" ♻️ - when brands appear to be environmentally friendly without making a significant change behind the scenes. Although sustainability is becoming more prominent online, overconsumption is still happening under the surface 🫠. Then Slow Fashion Entered the Chat 🌿 What I find interesting is how social media is also becoming the place where many people first learn about slow fashion 👗🌱. Now some influencers are encouraging capsule wardrobes, outfit repeating, thrifting, swapping clothes, and buying secondhand clothes instead of a huge shopping spree 🛍️➡️♻️. Suddenly, repeating outfits is no longer considered “boring” but it is stylish and eco-friendly ✨.

Baghel (2023) state that audiences are more likely to trust influencers because they appear more authentic and relatable online compared to traditional advertisements📱. It's a good thing that influencers talking about overconsumption or sustainable habits openly can actually make followers more aware of their own shopping habits too. But not all influencers are necessarily helpful 😶. Some creators turn sustainability into another aesthetic trend instead of encouraging real behavioural change. Brands use the terms such as ‘ethical’ or ‘eco-friendly’ for marketing than actual sustainability. So even when sustainability becomes trendy online, people can still end up consuming in a excessive manner, just in a different way😭. Malaysia’s Growing Thrift Culture 🛍️ What makes this even more interesting is how these changes are actually happening in Malaysia too 🇲🇾.

In recent years, thrifting, also known as bundle shopping, has been quite popular these days with many Malaysians ♻️🛍️. Second-hand fashion culture has grown among Generation Z in Malaysia as consumers look for more affordable and sustainable fashion choices (Nur et al., 2025). There are places like Refash and local thrift stores are now extremely popular. Even on Instagram, Malaysian creators also post "RM20 outfit challenges", thrift hauls and styling videos using second-hand clothing.

Actually, thrift shopping feels a bit like treasure hunting because you never really know what you might find. Instead of showing expensive luxury items, many influencers are now sharing their second-hand treasures and teaching their followers how to style old clothing in creative ways ✨. I think this is one of the more positive aspects of the influencer culture, since it gives people a new perspective on fashion 🌿. Digital Citizenship and Responsible Influence This is where digital citizenship becomes important. Responsible digital citizenship is more than being a "good" net citizen 💻. Influencers have a huge amount of impact on audience behaviour, particularly those young audiences who spend hours online every single day ⏰. When influencers promote mindful shopping habits, slow fashion or thrift culture more responsible, they can positively influence online communities 🌱🤍.

But when sustainability becomes performative or purely aesthetic, audiences can easily be misled instead 😬. I personally feel that social media is a problem, as well as the solution 😭😭😭. It promotes overconsumption, but it also raises awareness on sustainability issues ♻️. It accelerates trends very quickly and it also helps normalise thrift shopping and outfit repeating 👗. And perhaps that is what makes digital culture so complicated 🫠. The internet can teach people to consume less... and at the same time convincing them to buy more 🛍️.

@summer-of-bad-batch

Justin Herbert arrives at SoFi Stadium [19 Oct 2025]