The Dark Side of TikTok: Sephora, Drunk Elephant, and Gen Alpha
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This is an OP-ED discussing the severe impact of mass consumerism via TikTok. All points addressed are strictly opinion-based with references included.
Let’s get started.
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(Pexels via Shiny Diamond)
There is a strange, dystopian darkness brewing online.
Our modern world has been taken over by TikTok. What’s worse is its negative impact on children, specifically Gen Alpha.
First off, who is Gen Alpha? Let’s get into it:
Anyone born between 2010 and 2024.
Much like Gen Z and Millennials, they are heavily influenced by technology and social media, but on an entirely different scale.
If you’ve heard the term “iPad baby,” that’s referring to Gen Alpha.
How does this young generation tie in with the global makeup mogul Sephora? Two words:
Drunk. Elephant.
(via IG drunkelephant)
Drunk Elephant is a trendy, Millennial skincare brand founded by Tiffany Masterson in 2013. Her vibrant, colourful packaging appeals to modern youth, which has stirred controversy over the past few months.
The problem? Eight year old children are raiding Sephora’s shelves for Drunk Elephant’s products. For instance, a father took his ten year old daughter to restock on Drunk Elephant’s famous sunscreen moisturiser and polypeptide cream. Sephora employees told the father that these products are not suitable for children due to the acids and chemicals in Drunk Elephant’s formulas.
Because let’s face it, these are children we’re talking about.
The father and daughter grew defensive and insisted on buying the products anyway.
Masterson recently made conflicting points regarding this issue. According to Glamour Magazine, she stated that the formulas are meant to be “sensitive enough for all skin types of various ages [including her children.]” However, Drunk Elephant’s product labels state that “we do not recommend children under the age of 13 use acids or retinol.”
Masterson’s argument is that it’s not the products’ fault per say, but the parents inability to restrict their children’s access, which is a fair PR stance. Anything to protect the company’s reputation will be said in this style.
However, in our modern age, how many parents genuinely track what their children see online? Why are kids obsessing over boujee, Millennial skincare products in the first place?
The answer is blatantly simple: TikTok.
via Unsplash — Alexander Shatov
Due to TikTok’s ability to promote products through their influencer programs and TikTok Shop, Gen Alpha is convinced that brands like Drunk Elephant are specifically curated for them.
For example: Influencers promote their “GRWM (get ready with me)” content, which can be monetised on a huge scale. Depending on their following, and in this case, a questionable demographic, influencers capture their audience with eye-catching products in the form of shelfies:
(via IG sofieaaee)
Not only is this level of consumerism not normal, it’s being broadcasted to billions of users every day.
The GRWM videos give you a minor glimpse into a lifestyle that is simply meant to turn heads, boost engagement, and establish a target audience. At the end of the day, it’s all about money and selective marketing, and as a marketing expert myself, I fear that this glorified mass consumerism within TikTok is turning our youth into digital, carbon copy zombies.
The viral aesthetics, excessive Amazon and Shein hauls, and catchy product placement videos have created an era of hyper consumerism and unrealistic demand. Trends like clean girl makeup, blueberry milk nails, and mob wife aesthetic promote users to quickly catch on, otherwise they’ll miss out and become irrelevant.
Some will argue that our absurd access to online information is to blame. If it weren’t for TikTok and Instagram, would we be as inclined to consume on such a massive scale? Are these apps and companies to blame, or do parents need to step in and regulate what their children see?
More importantly, whatever happened to embracing individuality?
Maybe it’s a new age of parasocialism: A concept where pre-teens and teenagers look to their peers for influence versus their parents or family. Their identity and appearance are in the spotlight, emphasising their need for individuality, which is ironically like the carbon copies they see online.
It’s part of human nature to feel like we belong, and in our modern society, TikTok continues to push these “viral” trends and products needed in order to fit in.
It’s a sad reality for Gen Alpha.
My argument: The last thing this generation needs is constant exposure to hyper consumerism. In an appearance-obsessed, technology driven society, this is no easy task. Can we really blame Gen Alpha for growing up with screens in their faces? How could they know any different?
The Drunk Elephant controversy will either grow into old news as other trends pick up, or another brand will be in the spotlight for mass manipulation and PR nightmares.
(via IG shades_of_glow)
Whether we choose to accept it or not, we are being force-fed information at an alarming rate. From Gen Alpha to Boomers, our sense of reality has become severely distorted. The worst part is, the more attention given to the algorithm, the more our phones and other devices will track us, creating a toxic, endless cycle. This is essentially what makes social media apps like TikTok and Instagram so addictively dangerous.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Dark dystopia aside, is part of me hopeful for the future of Gen Alpha? Yes. In fact, recent studies have shown that this generation is all about having their voice heard, whether that be online or at home:
“Generation Alpha recognizes it has the power to build a brand, to grow something — or to force its demise […] This is the most digitally endowed generation ever, the most materially supplied generation ever, and the most globally connected generation ever,” Mark McCrindle stated in the IMD.
This new generation holds a particular advantage with its ability to mold a brand. Gen Alpha can see through marketing facades, which can lead to living (and purchasing) more authentically. All it takes is one voice to kickstart an intentional “revolution,” which will hopefully inspire our modern youth to break a collective cycle.
There is lightness and darkness to all elements in life. In this case, TikTok isn’t inherently “bad.” Thousands of users promote positivity on it every single day, but it’s up to us to essentially trick our algorithms into seeing the good. The more “de-influencing” we have, the better our chances are at regaining our individualism.
In a world that’s been taken over by social media, we have a lot more power than we give ourselves credit.
It’s a big ask, but we need to assess our need to support mass consumerism, especially when it comes to our children. Their influence starts in the palm of their hand, which calls for more awareness around screen time. We cannot continue to buy whatever they want without questioning it first. More importantly, we need to stop believing everything we see online and start thinking for ourselves.
The last thing we need are more digital zombies roaming this world, forcing themselves into carbon copy molds.
