Opinion: Social media has commodified individuality and put identity up for sale

Three identical men stare at their phones in Warhol-esque colors. Art by Addie Martin.

With the beginning of a new year, many have gathered the motivation to reduce their screen time by limiting social media use. 

This resolution will certainly be a rewarding but difficult challenge for all who take it on, given that the age of short-form content has brought about new ways of keeping users on the hook. Scrolling through hundreds of videos in one sitting is not just addictive because of the dopamine rush that results from being bombarded with new images and hearing catchy tunes. It hooks us on the search for validation of our own uniqueness in an ocean of relatability and shared experiences. This vain search feeds the algorithms and lines the pockets of content creators, while harming our attention spans and individuality. 

Shortening attention spans are one of the most measurable and significant side effects of digital overconsumption. In 2022, a study published by King’s College London found that nearly half of young adults perceived increased difficulty in their ability to stay focused. This makes sense, given that some TikTok users easily view 260 videos in about 35 minutes, which averages to a meagre eight seconds spent on each video. However, the acclimation of our brains to constant stimulation and instant gratification is not the only cost of feeding social media algorithms. 

The commodification of individuality is a powerful tool content creators use to keep their audiences captivated and searching for the next aesthetic that they feel validates their identity. Creators utilize what gives us a sense of individuality — fashion, music, hobbies, wellness and lifestyle choices — and then repackage them into endless combinations of lifestyle aesthetics. Of course, there are physical goods that must be purchased to obtain the lifestyle that speaks to a viewer, but don't worry; content creators will have everything linked in their Amazon Storefront. 

As these aesthetics become more popular, they lose their value, and users search for more niche alternatives to chase that feeling of being unique. This cycle is a distortment of self-perception; it is a conflation of the algorithmic output of videos promoting certain lifestyles and aesthetics with one’s deeper sense of self. 

The irony is that audiences of these micro-aesthetic videos are often hundreds of thousands or even millions strong. Niche trends have a short lifespan and eventually lead to a sense of sameness and homogenization. Audiences will inevitably abandon mirco-trends like Gorpcore and the tired Mob Wife aesthetic, moving on to the next best thing. For the profiteers of social media platforms, this is a rewarding cycle that sustains itself on consumerism. 

It is because of this cycle that social media has turned individuality into a marketable good. Social media platforms such as Instagram or TikTok offer account holders a product for free — at first glance. They ask for no payment directly except for the attention and time of their users. Yet, the commodification of individualism eventually leads to overconsumption of physical goods as well as of digital media, which results in a net profit for content creators and manufacturers at the cost of users’ attention spans. 

The commodification of individuality is easy to see in the ever-changing fashion and lifestyle micro-trends, but there are ways content creators prey on the desired distinction from others that are less overt. 

The Barnum effect is widely used in such content, where videos display broad claims that viewers may be more intelligent, more attractive or more likely to succeed in life if they demonstrate a set of largely unmeasurable and vague traits. Content like this feeds into the desire for distinction and validation, while also contributing to the attention span crisis. 

A social media user’s searches for individuality and relatability are at odds with one another, a conflict which is clearly seen in the popularity of “POV” style content. These videos are often brief and emotionally charged, describing specific moments and feelings which then reach mass audiences and seek to create engagement through relatability. For example, a complementary image will appear with a caption such as, “POV: How your broke boyfriend looks at you when you get paid.” 

This genre of short-form content is very common and creates a complicated mix of positive and negative emotions. Users feel comforted and validated in a shared experience, but overconsumption of this type of content leads to a contradictory sense that one’s experiences in life are widely shared, even unoriginal. All of this occurs in a matter of seconds, leaving viewers looking for further validation of their own individuality in the form of more content. 

Coming to the realization that individuality has been commodified is one of the first steps to breaking the cycle of algorithms influencing identity. We may scroll in search of uniqueness or validation, yet social media transforms users into a profitable demographic where individuality becomes a marketable commodity. With the coming of a new year, there is no better time than the present to reflect on the deeper implications of social media overconsumption in our lives and make the changes needed to take back our individuality from those who seek a profit in the attention economy.