TikTok is turning into a crash course in how to survive a financial apocalypse (whether real or simply vibes), with several spending-focused challenges taking off on the platform.
Why It Hits (Our Wallets): As Americans wrestle with tariff-related price increases, the soaring cost of living, and underemployment, they’re looking for ways to save money — Gallup found that 57% of Americans are worried they won’t be able to maintain their standard of living, and Bankrate found that 43% face mental health challenges due to the strain. Maybe TikTok can add some motivation for redoing that budget.
Behind the Hashtags: A study by Intuit Credit Karma found that 83% of consumers expect their financial situation to worsen over the next few months.
Some TikTok trends are hoping to help people weather the storm.
“No buy 2025” challenges people to not spend anything on non-essential purchases — like entertainment, clothing, and electronics — this year.
“Low buy” or “underconsumption” calls for people to make more mindful decisions on their purchases, like spending less on what they’re typically accustomed to.
“Slow buy” doesn’t challenge people not to spend, but it does want people to pump the brakes on their purchases — like waiting 48 hours before clicking “buy.”
The Future: The goal of these trends is to give people some get-frugal-fast hacks… or at least stop people from “doom spending,” per CNBC. And while it might seem silly to let social media trends heavily influence your buying decisions, H&R Black found that 68% of Gen Z consumers actually do consider them. One third of them even actively search social media for financial advice. Heck, there’s even a bunch of creators who are now making money by complaining about money. Not a bad gig.
Prediction: While these trends may not last, don’t be surprised if Gen Z learns some crucial financial principles that get their budgets in check better than millennials ever did.
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