What is “Deinfluencing”? The Tiktok trend changing how Gen Z shops

Tiktok excels at convincing users to buy things.

On the platform, the traditional soft sell – influencers casually weaving product recommendations into everyday content – has since levelled up into a full-blown sales machine.

Today, users can buy anything, anywhere, with a single tap. Viral oddities like konjac noodles, quirky chip clips, and even Dyson vacuums, appear on one’s feed with temporary discounts, real-time stock alerts, and laser-targeted algorithmic recommendations. In Singapore alone, 3.6 million adults are part of this cycle, feeding Tiktok Shop’s ambition to hit $50 billion in gross merchandise value across South-east Asia.

Purchasing on Tiktok is fast, seamless, and reflexive. In some ways, this isn’t entirely new.

Long before Tiktok Shop, early 2010s Youtube beauty gurus like Michelle Phan, Zoella and Jaclyn Hill built empires on product hauls – videos where creators showcased and reviewed large quantities of newly purchased (or gifted) items in one sitting, often citing anecdotal benefits.

But today, Gen Z are shifting the conversation by broadcasting confessionals – not about what to buy next, but whether to buy anything at all. Nestled between haul videos, gifted unboxings and relentless “click the yellow basket below” prompts is a growing stream of posts interrogating desire.

Creators narrate their impulsive finds, then invite followers to weigh in: “Do I need this? Is it worth it? Convince me not to buy it. Deinfluence my wish list.”

Sometimes, the format is tongue-in-cheek: compilations of clips listing material purchases – a $400 designer candle, for instance – set against abstract longings like better weather, more money, or even a boyfriend. These videos rack up tens of millions of views and likes, with the comments section functioning as informal peer-review panels on consumption.

What’s interesting to note here is that Gen Z – the first generation raised inside the algorithm – is highly literate in sponsored content, discount mechanics, and the manufactured urgency of overconsumption.

After years of being primed to buy more, buy faster and buy now, this pivot towards underconsumption feels less like restraint and more like a corrective – shaped by rising living costs, climate anxiety, and the relentless pressure to keep spending simply to stay afloat.

For Megan*, a 23-year-old fresh graduate, this online shift hits home. She remembers how Tiktok’s rise during the pandemic changed her relationship with spending almost overnight.

“I started mindlessly purchasing whatever I saw was trending or what was being promoted,” she says. “Haul after haul, it never ends – there’s always something new to buy.”

She estimates spending over $700 on clothing in under a year as a student without steady income.

“I used to shop intuitively, browsing in physical stores,” she recalls. “Then suddenly, I was seeing creators post these huge hauls, and it just normalised spending that much – especially since shopping online makes everything so much easier to access.”

These days, Megan’s approach looks very different. She now gravitates towards second-hand markets and more conscious consumption, choosing products with an awareness of their environmental, ethical and social impact – a shift shaped by online trends.

“Back in the day, I wasn’t too concerned about sustainability. I bought second-hand items mostly because they were cheap and good,” she admits. “But without that habitual shift towards more conscious spending, the change in mindset might never have happened. Now, I always pause before making a purchase.”

Similarly, 22-year-old undergraduate Natalie* experienced the influence of Tiktok more immediately. “Tiktok was the main reason why I kept impulsively purchasing things,” she says.

As a student, she would spend up to $1,200 a year on self-care items and stationery on online shopping platforms.

But she didn’t have to post her own deinfluencing videos to feel a recent shift – just encountering the trend on Instagram prompted reflection.

“The more I watched these videos, the more guilty I felt about how much I was spending, and it made me want to stop. Some of the posts were actually talking about things that I’d impulsively purchased, and when I saw it, it made me regret buying the items,” Natalie adds.

Breaking the cycle of performative spending

In a digital world flooded with options, reviews and algorithm-driven recommendations, the decision to buy something is rarely simple.

Annabelle Chow, clinical psychologist at Annabelle Psychology, explains that crowdsourcing opinions turns a private purchase into a social one: “Others’ experiences and opinions become a shortcut for ‘Is this worth it?’, especially when a purchase feels expensive, risky or emotionally tempting.”

Opening a decision to friends or online communities introduces subtle oversight – evaluation, critique, even gentle shame – which slows the decision-making process.

“You see this in everyday life,” she adds. People are often more consistent – and less indulgent – when goals are shared,” she says.

Online, these effects are amplified. “Self-regulation is no longer about resisting temptation occasionally, but managing near-continuous triggers,” she adds.

Transparency helps contextualise financial trade-offs, too.

Sin Ting So, chief client officer of digital wealth platform Endowus, notes: “It normalises the ‘no’, and gives people around you the permission to also be mindful of their finances, breaking the cycle of performative spending.”

These habits align with a generational pushback against instant gratification. A 2025 Yougov survey found that 37 per cent of Gen Z respondents plan to save more, and 29 per cent to invest – up to nine percentage points above the national average.

“What sets Gen Z apart,” Annabelle notes, “is how openly they approach self-control.”

The popularisation of tools like public accountability, app-based spending trackers, and community feedback create internal brakes on spending, rather than relying solely on impulse control.

So, while not anti-consumerist per se, Gen Z has collectively learnt a smarter way to say no – which can be as powerful, and as public, as saying yes.

The influence of loud budgeting

Deinfluencing, however, is far from a cure-all. After all, content about travel, matcha drinks and blind boxes are still trending on the very same platform. And for some Gen Z users, the pull to spend is still constant.

“Influencing Tiktoks still dominate over deinfluencing ones, making it easy to get swept up in trends,” Megan notes.

For Natalie, stepping away from Tiktok entirely has strengthened her self-control. She adds: “I think this has helped me to be less likely to make impulse purchases.”

Since quitting the app three months ago, she’s saved nearly $300 – a far cry from the up to $1,000 she spent over the past year on frivolous buys.

But that is not to say that deinfluencing has no role to play. While social validation can distort decision-making, many young people – despite unprecedented access to financial content – still feel uncertain about what actually applies to them.

“Loud budgeting is a way of stress-testing decisions in public, not necessarily to seek approval, but to reduce doubt,” Sin Ting adds.

For this reason, experts stress that deinfluencing should be viewed as a transitional stage rather than a permanent crutch.

Christina Ang, financial advisory director at Financial Alliance, notes: “Similar to a personal trainer, external accountability helps establish habits early on, but long-term financial maturity comes from internalising values and discipline.”

Annabelle adds: “When accountability becomes internalised and tied to personal values… Self-regulation is more likely to hold even when no one is watching. The goal isn’t perfect restraint, but self-trust.”

These principles are reflected in Megan’s approach today. She keeps online purchases under tight control, setting specific limits for different categories – like dining and transport – through her digital banking app, and runs through a mental checklist before making a purchase: Can I afford it? Is this for me, or to impress others? Will I actually use it?

While she still occasionally asks friends for feedback – a semi-public version of “deinfluencing”, so to speak – the pause is now second nature to her.

“I rarely buy unless I’ve wanted something for a long time,” Megan says. Her advice? See deinfluencing as both a tool to resist overconsumption, and a smart way to stay disciplined about money.

She adds: “I think it pushes back against endless hauls by valuing what one already owns… At the same time, it forces people to get creative – like DIY-ing the item themselves or sourcing second-hand – just to put in that extra effort.

“If they won’t, it’s a reminder that the item was just a fleeting want after all.”

*Names have been changed.

How to start cultivating healthier money habits

CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT

Cut spending triggers, Christina of Financial Alliance advises. “Turn off notifications and promotional e-mails. Shape your social media feed by following content on money management and personal finance. The goal is to design an environment that supports better decisions.”

Sherilyn Chua, assistant vice- president at SKYS under Manulife Financial Advisers, recommends pre-setting spending limits, giving yourself a “cool-off” period to separate wants from needs, and checking purchases against your personal values – creating an effective buffer between impulse and action.

Annabelle of Annabelle Psychology adds: “Quiet habits like checking your budget before checkout, writing down what you want and waiting 24 hours, or tracking spending for yourself help build internal awareness and confidence.”

TALK ABOUT MONEY

Break the taboo around money matters. Sin Ting of Endowus suggests focusing on the “why” before the “how” – it demystifies the process and reduces anxiety. “Everyone’s situation is unique, and your financial plan should be tailored to your life goals and circumstances.”

THINK LONG TERM

Budgeting manages the present, but investing secures the future. Sin Ting says: “Start today… Small, consistent amounts now are worth far more than larger sums a decade later.”

Loud budgeting can act as training wheels towards financial confidence, she shares.

PERSONALISE YOUR PLAN

Fit your strategy to your goals, not an influencer’s – anchor decisions to your own personal framework and goals.

Sin Ting warns that relying solely on external validation could backfire: “In our digital world, there is no shortage of opinions, but there is a shortage of context.”

Sherilyn of SKYS adds: “Digital trends can spark awareness, but strong financial habits are built offline, from having a clear, personalised financial plan… The goal is not simply to spend less – it’s to spend with purpose.”