Remember that nursery rhyme “bye, bye, baby?” There’s even a clever company that plays on that wording with “Buy, Buy, Baby.” Ironic, isn’t it? That seems to be the sentiment companies have instilled since birth in me too.

The lengths they go to are extreme. Did you know that our internet browser has a profile on us? Yes, Google Chrome has a page all about IP# 216.3.128.12 containing its predicted age, gender, income, and above all, its perceived interests. All the hours spent browsing YouTube and all the days spent on scrolling through Amazon have trickled down into a few key terms that describe what kind of consumer you are.

So why would they go to these lengths? Why would Chrome of all things care about what you like to buy at Urban Outfitters? It’s not like they’re getting any of the money you spend there…right?

In a way, they are. Money is an endless exchange and every dollar bill in your wallet has probably been…everywhere (a fact I had to inform my little sister of when I witnessed her kiss a dollar bill). 

So we’ve established that money circulates. I’m not an economist but capitalism relies on that same basic idea. This is why we (or just your parents if you’re under 18) got a stimulus check. They just want our money to keep circulating.  And by the ominous ”they,” I mean anyone invested in the market.

This includes all of our browsers. This includes your favorite clothing company and your favorite sports team and even some of your favorite celebrities. And that is why they all benefit from Google’s handy dandy profile on you. They know exactly what to pitch you and Google knows that one way or another, that money will feed back into the economy and drive their market value.

Maybe this is a surprise to you, maybe not. Learning about this I was finally able to put the pieces together and read the writing on the wall. The now glaringly obvious thing I see is that they don’t give a damn about the consumer (aside from what their interests are, of course). 

Sure, the CEO may be a nice person but when costs and minuses come to play, their moral compasses lose quite a bit of direction. When you think of these people, tycoons like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg come to mind. Steel cold titans, right? What about the people who run the everso ethical Urban Outfitters? While “it is often assumed that by paying a higher price, everyone involved in the clothing is being treated correctly…Urban Outfitters were ousted for their use of poor working conditions and wages.” They were even referred to as having ‘sweatshop like conditions” in LA’s garment district. Though Urban Outfitters may have suffered a bit of a fall from glory, nothing compares to that of Nike. Nike, a brand I have been religiously wearing since childhood, apparently uses literal sweatshops to crank out their merchandise. In fact, a “2018 report by the Clean Clothes Campaign, found that Adidas and Nike still pay ‘poverty’ wages to workers.” 

This makes me feel guilty. Most every pair of athletic gear I’ve bought since probably the age of five has been going towards this company while the ground workers have gotten a measly fraction of what I’ve paid. I’m pleased to find that a lot of my peers feel the same. Every post on Instagram I see about it illuminates me a little more and I’m thankful (true, though, that it’s bad to rely on Instagram for news so be sure to fact check and look elsewhere too). 

Passing along a post can be a convenient way to spread the word, but make sure your efforts don’t end there. These titans may seem invincible, but they’re not. We are the consumer and we are their driving force, so hit them where it hurts most: their wallet. Use the only leverage you have against these companies because as my AP Environmental Science teacher always said, “your money is your vote.”