There is a new limited edition smoothie featuring tangerine, vanilla creatine from Cymbiotika, blended with mango, strawberry, coconut water, dragon fruit passion puree and a coconut yogurt swirl.
This is how thousands of social media influencers, specifically on TikTok, describe new and trendy drinks before reviewing them and convincing you to try them for yourself. These “trendy” drinks typically are colorful and consist of many flavors that grab people’s attention rapidly. Although these drinks seem fun due to their gradient look, overall they are overpriced.
On the flip side, social media viewers tend to like these drinks. They have an aesthetic appeal, they allow people to interact and involve themselves in the social trend without having the fear of missing out, and they are an overall fun experience. Junior Adriana Colomo said, “It’s about the experience, not just the drink. Making plans with my friends to go out and try a new drink that we saw on TikTok and being able to film and rate us trying them is fun and memorable.”
However, these drinks are very costly. For example, a popular destination is 7Brew, which is famous for their fruity soda flavors with vanilla cream, averaging between $6 to $9 per drink. Another drink that is flooding the internet is the strawberry matcha from Pura Vida Miami, which ranges between $8 to $10. These drinks can easily be made at home with simple ingredients from the grocery store that could also be used to make multiple drinks for the same price as one. Junior Blake Williams said, “I made matcha using the recipes I found online and it tasted very similar to the famous Pura Vida one.”
Viewing these drinks online also forms an illusion. The drinks usually don’t live up to their expectations, as they tend to be reviewed as too sugary and artificial, bad taste or looked better online then it actually came out to be in person. Junior Manu Poggio said, “I ordered the blue raspberry fizz with extra vanilla and cream from 7Brew and it came out to be very sweet and overhyped, which was upsetting since it was all over my TikTok page and highly rated.”
From a broader perspective, not only does TikTok influence people to buy colorful, flavorful drinks, it also influences poor spending habits in general. Trends on social media pressure people to buy things they don’t need or can make themselves for less money. This leads to people buying items, including fun drinks, for content rather than enjoyment. The quicker the products get hyped up, the quicker people are disappointed.
As inflation rises and money gets more valuable, thinking before buying a trendy drink from social media is crucial. On a special occasion it is definitely a fun way to spend your time, however, if you are able to make them at home using a few ingredients from your pantry, that can save you a lot of money. Just because it’s viral, doesn’t mean it’s valuable. At the end of the day, you’re not buying a drink – you’re buying a trend.
