From wide-smiled Labubus to the matcha craze, microtrends flood the social media feeds of people of all ages across the country, influencing their gift-giving during the holiday season. However, these trends also contribute to the global overconsumption crisis that perpetuates itself in popular culture.
“Since I scroll on TikTok a lot, I do see a lot of things that are catered towards my interests. So that influenced me to buy tiny trinkets,” senior Julia Garcia said. “But during the holidays, they start to make things more festive, which is more appealing and makes me want to buy it.”
With the seasonal trends and “must-haves” advertised on social media, brands like Pop Mart that specialize in collectible designer toys, including Labubus, experience a rise in profits during the latter months of the year. Pop Mart’s net profit skyrocketed during the first eight months of 2025 with a 350% rise and remains consistent. This rise was also assisted by celebrity endorsements such as K-pop band Blackpink’s Lisa and Rihanna.
“Whatever’s trending always pops up on my (Instagram) reels, TikToks and, for example, with the Labubus, I remember being intrigued by the unboxing videos … and I really, really wanted a Labubu because of that,” Administrative Assistant Jennifer Miranda said. “During the holidays, stores start having these sales like Black Friday deals and ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ and it’s all because of the holidays. It’s a great marketing strategy if you think about it.”
Once Rihanna was spotted with a Labubu, social media platforms like TikTok erupted with a surge of searches for these “Labubus” and shortly after, the Pop Mart app hit #1 on the U.S. App Store. This single celebrity endorsement led Pop Mart’s CEO Wang Ning to grow his net worth by $1.6 billion in a single day. The allure of Pop Mart has less to do with the products they sell but more so in the way they market them. The brand’s core audience is primarily kids of Gen Z and Millennials and to reach this target audience, they follow the strategy of the drop market, creating scarcity, speed and surprise. Alongside this strategy is the blind box mechanic approach that creates an element of thrill and surprise while tapping into the psychology of collecting.
“Vintage is in, especially for someone in my age bracket. We are seeing things coming back. For instance, vinyls. It makes me feel proud in a way, seeing these new generations being so interested in something that we used to be interested in,” Miranda said. “One thing I was really into when growing up was Tamagotchis and I’ve heard that they are bringing something similar back. It makes me so happy to see that you guys, as the new generation, are participating in those trends.”
The reason why these trends gain popularity and resurface is not a coincidence. Over time, fashion trends and fads prove cyclical, from the resurfacing of 1990s Tamagotchis to the 1970s flared jeans. A variety of factors go into the emergence of these trends, such as nostalgia, influence from pop culture and cultural movements. Despite the overwhelming popularity of these fads, senior Delilah Trujillo has struggled to recognize the appeal.
“I really don’t know why they are popular and I think there are a lot of positives and negatives. But, when everyone around me started buying into these trends, it made me think that maybe I should too,” Trujillo said.
Small plush collectibles are not the only fads that have flooded the scene of consumer culture. Matcha is now the fixation of senior Guadalupe Martinez. Due to the collective insatiable thirst for Matcha in recent years, manufacturers can no longer keep up and their supply is plummeting.
“The reason I started drinking matcha is because it was so popular and I would see Labubus all over Tiktok and it just fed into me wanting to buy it just because of its popularity,” Martinez said.
The widespread fixation on matcha has not only sent prices soaring but also has created instability in the supply itself. According to ABC News, 78% of its exports went to the United States in 2024 and this continues to raise concern during this overconsumption crisis.
Overconsumption is the process of consuming in excess. Over time, the consequences of overconsumption will not only have effects on bank accounts but also on the environment. Buying these products is responsible for 10% of global carbon emission levels primarily due to intense manufacturing. This is also linked to natural resource extraction and has directly impacted the Niger Delta from extensive amounts of oil extractions that have harmed the region’s ecosystem. Using the planet’s resources faster than they can be replenished leads to serious damage not only to the health of inhabitants but also to the condition of Earth. The demand for products is amplified during the holidays, as well as the consequences of the waste it will create and the harm it will cause.
Approaching the holiday season, the National Retail Federation (NRF) released its annual holiday forecast, anticipating retail sales in December to grow between 3.7% and 4.2% in 2025. There was a 4.3% increase last year, reaching $976.1 billion. In response to high demand, The NFR expects retailers to hire a range of 265,000 to 365,000 seasonal workers whereas in 2024, there were 442,000 seasonal hires. With new trends taking the spotlight of social media, Gen Z has made their way to the top consumer for clothing retailers, according to J.P. Morgan. There is a pattern within the market displaying the importance of income and age group habits. Statistics show that 50% of 2024’s top 10 online transactions fell between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Skyrocketing sales are not the only noteworthy factor of overconsumption; it is also important to consider the aspects of waste contribution. Although low price strategies seen in large retail corporations are beneficial to those confined to a specific income bracket, overpurchasing results in billions of dollars in waste. The rise of trinket trends has only continued to spike the overconsumption crisis and leads teacher librarian Alain Cruz to wonder what the significance of these fads is.
“With trends, I feel that there is a part that’s overconsumption and there is a part that people just want to feel connected to something and commerce is the way to do that,” Cruz said. “The trends are helping fulfill the need for everyone to participate in something.”
With new trends dominating social media feeds, gift-giving has taken on a new meaning. Although limited-time deals and impulsive purchases seem to have tainted how some view the holiday season, the aspects of thoughtful gifts, participation and connection will always remain prevalent in the evolving consumer society.
“Even when I go out and I’m thinking about gifts for people, I worry that they might have already bought it for themselves,” Cruz said. “I feel like there is less of an event of gift-giving nowadays and I find it really hard, but I try not to let the access (to these products) ruin the thought that goes into it.”
