We all know how hard it is to go thrifting. You’ll be on the hunt for a few specific things, but no matter what, the odds never seem to be in your favor. Then, you’ll go home after a long scavenger hunt, just to go on any social media platform and see thrift hauls where people found everything you could never find. You’ll get jealous of it. Trust me, we all do.
What do you do now? Go to Depop.
Depop’s 45 million users, which have grown substantially over the years, are mostly filled with Gen Z and young millennials. People fled to this app to buy and sell used clothes.
Now, I’m not a hater of Depop. I personally have the app, but do I think it is consumerism: yes. Like any other fast fashion brand, such as SHEIN or Temu, it contributes to mass clothing waste.
Online shopping started up after COVID, when Gen Z and millennials were locked in their houses with no way to shop. Online shopping became a common pastime during this time.
We obviously can’t blame the overconsumption seen in Gen Z on Depop, but it is one place we can look at. Especially in the shift seen in the app over the last five years, from niche vintage clothes to deceptive listings for low-quality items.
While Depop presents itself as a sustainable alternative way of shopping, its role is much more complex. At the end of the day, it is what it presents itself as, since it recycles clothing rather than adding to the waste. I’m not saying you shouldn’t have Depop, that’d be hypocritical of me, but we should just be aware of the effect it could be causing. Honestly, soon, Depop will be replaced by another online consumerism app, and the cycle will just repeat.
What’s your opinion on Depop, leave a comment below.
