Designer handbag, fourth holiday of the year, new house, lavish wedding: these unsubtle wealth flexes are foisted on the average social media user the moment they thumb their timelines. From TikTok to Instagram, both big influencers and everyman profiles are using their digital footprint to create an illusion of wealth that looks wildly out of place given the current economic chaos.
Thanks to the rising cost of literally everything from food to fuel, almost half of Britons have less than £25 in spare cash at the end of each week, research has found, with two-thirds cutting back on essentials like food and heating. Yet, on the internet, life is lived lavishly – and studies have shown this delusion could be making our financial reality worse.
