Where do you look for inspiration for your next home project? A lot of us find it scrolling through TikTok, and while it seems pretty harmless, new research finds it’s costing us more than we realize.
According to an analysis from AweDeco.com, Americans are trapped in a “costly cycle of viral trend-chasing” and it’s leaving us drained, both financially and emotionally. It finds that we spend an average of $1,598 a year on home decor, thanks in part to viral design trends we see on TikTok and Instagram.
- That adds up to an estimated $8.7-billion spent a year on trends we end up hating after six months.
- More than half (61%) of Americans admit they regret impulse buys influenced by social media.
- Seven in 10 Gen Z and millennials report having buyer’s remorse six months after trend-driven purchases.
- Three-quarters (74%) have gotten buyer’s remorse after shopping online for home items.
- A third make shopping decisions based on achieving an “Instagram-worthy” or “TikTok-viral” aesthetic.
- The most abandoned recent trends include “Cottagecore” (2020), “Barbiecore” (2023) and “Coastal Grandmother” (2022).
- But the money isn’t the only cost involved, there’s also the environmental one. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans toss more than 12-million tons of furniture a year and over 80% ends up in landfills.
- Social media trends can also trigger FOMO, leading some to snap up something when they think it’s a bargain. But 64% admit they’ve bought something on sale they later regretted.
- Six in 10 say social media also negatively affects their self-esteem, especially when it comes to their home.
- More than half (56%) say they feel anxious when comparing their home to their friends’ on social platforms and 42% actually feel stressed when seeing home content on social media.
To avoid all that, interior designers recommend waiting six months before buying a trend-driven item, spending on timeless furniture and saving trends for accessories, and designing for your life, not likes. "Your home should reflect you, not TikTok," says interior designer Andreea Dima. "The most beautiful homes are the ones that tell a personal story - not the ones that look like everyone else's feed."
Source: Yahoo Finance