>Lots of our spending was driven by trying to keep up with our friends—not just the real ones, but also the parasocial ones we follow online. Social-media influencers seem to be just like us, only one step and hundreds of thousands of dollars ahead. “The essence of influencer culture is a kind of low-grade gaslighting about what is possible and what is attainable,”

I wonder about this aspect. I get a lot of ads that seem to feature influencers or people looking like infuencers who seem to be pushing the most run of the mill goods, a nondescript hoodie or such.

These folks seem to be selling a lifestyle or identity folks aspire to ... by apparently buying a bizarrely expensive plain hoodie.

>“One moment, you’re financing your Coachella outfit; the next moment it’s groceries.” And indeed, this is happening more and more frequently—a quarter of “buy now, pay later” customers say they use an installment-payment service to shop for food.

This is the kicker for me personally. I don't know if it's cost of living increases driving people to start using these services for daily essentials, or if it just becomes a habit through putting all spending through services like this. Either way it's scary.