WEEK 6: Slow Fashion and Digital Citizenship: Between Activism and Platform Control
Slow fashion has become the “ethical” alternative to fast fashion, offering a vision of sustainability, mindful consumption, and resistance to overproduction. But on social media, where activism and aesthetics collide, I keep asking myself: is slow fashion a real disruption, or is it just another trend shaped by algorithms?
The Power—and Limits—of Digital Citizenship
Digital citizenship, as Choi and Cristol (2021) put it, is about using digital spaces critically—to call out greenwashing, uplift ethical labor practices, and shift conversations around consumption. And slow fashion influencers and activists are doing that. But here’s the catch: social media isn’t a neutral tool. Carah and Dobson (2016) talk about “algorithmic hotness,” meaning the system favors what looks good over what critiques deeper problems. Fast fashion hauls flood my feed, while critical slow fashion posts barely make it to the surface. Duffy and Meisner (2022) back this up, showing how content that pushes against consumerism often gets algorithmically buried.
It’s frustrating but unsurprising. Platforms are built to prioritize commerce and engagement, not activism. So, while slow fashion is fighting the good fight, it often feels like it’s fighting uphill on platforms designed to sell, not challenge.
Influencers in a Capitalist Machine
Take influencers like Venetia La Manna—they’re raising awareness and calling out industry giants, but as Drenten et al. (2021) explain, their labor is still commodified. Their activism runs on “monetized attention”—dependent on engagement, sponsorships, and brand partnerships. I find it ironic (and a bit disheartening) that influencers working to dismantle fast fashion still need to “play the game” of platform capitalism. As Duffy and Meisner (2022) point out, influencers critiquing consumption often have their voices suppressed by the same algorithms that reward viral haul videos.
The Aesthetic Trap of Slow Fashion
Even slow fashion spaces can feel exclusionary. Carah and Dobson (2016) remind us that digital platforms reward content aligned with dominant beauty ideals—Eurocentric, thin, minimalist chic. Lane (2016) further argues that fashion and body politics are inseparable, meaning even ethical movements like slow fashion often reproduce the same beauty hierarchies we see in fast fashion. Honestly, scrolling through slow fashion content, I sometimes feel like it’s just a more “conscious” version of the same curated, aspirational feed.
And despite the growing popularity of slow fashion, the industry’s structural issues remain intact. Fast fashion is still thriving, with projections of hitting $3.3 trillion by 2030 (Statista, 2023; McKinsey & Company, 2021). Morozov’s (2011) critique of “clicktivism” hits hard here: are we making real change, or just consuming activism as another aesthetic online?
The Future of Slow Fashion and Digital Citizenship
The slow fashion movement illustrates the tensions between activism, algorithmic control, and influencer capitalism. While digital platforms provide visibility for ethical fashion advocacy, platform governance ultimately dictates whose voices are amplified and whose are silenced (Van Dijck et al., 2018).
For slow fashion activism to drive meaningful change, it must move beyond individual consumer choices and aesthetic branding, toward policy-driven accountability and corporate regulation. If digital citizenship is to be a force for structural transformation, it must engage critically with the very platforms that shape online activism.
📌 What do you think? Can slow fashion activism drive systemic change, or is it just another digital trend? Let’s discuss! 💬👇
What do you think? Can slow fashion activism...
drive systemic change✈️
just another digital trend 👐🏻
Voting ended onMar 19, 2025
Carah, N., & Dobson, A. (2016). Algorithmic Hotness: Young Women’s “Promotion” and “Reconnaissance” Work via Social Media Body Images. Social Media + Society.
Choi, M., & Cristol, D. (2021). Digital citizenship with an intersectionality lens: Towards participatory democracy-driven digital citizenship education. Theory into Practice, 60(4), 361–370.
Drenten, J., Gurrieri, L., & Tyler, M. (2021). Sexualized labour in digital culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic, and the monetization of attention. Gender, Work and Organization.
Duffy, B. E., & Meisner, C. (2022). Platform governance at the margins: Social media creators’ experiences with algorithmic (in)visibility. Media, Culture & Society.
Lane, D. C. (2016). Understanding body modification: A process-based framework. Sociology Compass, 10(9), 824-836.
McKinsey & Company. (2021). The State of Fashion 2021: In Search of Promise in Perilous Times. McKinsey & Company. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion
Morozov, E. (2011). The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom. PublicAffairs.
Queenanie N. (2022, June 22). Hương Ly tỏa sáng tại bán kết Hoa hậu Hoàn Vũ với đầm làm từ... giấm ăn | Harper’s Bazaar. Harper’s Bazaar Việt Nam. https://bazaarvietnam.vn/huong-ly-toa-sang-tai-ban-ket-hoa-hau-hoan-vu-voi-dam-lam-tu-giam-an/
Statista. (2023). Retail sales of the global apparel and footwear market from 2017 to 2030 (in trillion U.S. dollars). Statista Research Department. https://www.statista.com/statistics/875708/global-apparel-and-footwear-market-retail-sales-value/
Van Dijck, J., Poell, T., & De Waal, M. (2018). The Platform Society: Public Values in a Connective World. Oxford University Press.