Sneakers and social media have undoubtedly amplified the influence of sneakers around the world. However, this influence isn’t all good nor all bad. Sneakers haven’t always been considered mainstream; social media has made numerous subcultures less “underground” in a rather short period of time.
Sneakers and Social Media: Rise from the Underground
Sneakers were once considered an underground subculture not too long ago. With the rise of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and recently Tik Tok, sneakers are no longer a subculture confined to a select number of individuals. Now, sneakers are everywhere, both literally and figuratively. Almost every teenager around the world has heard of Jordans and Yeezys even if they could care less about sneakers and new releases. Social media has amplified the power of sneakers especially towards people who aren’t actively following (no pun intended) or involved in sneakers both online and in-person.
Since the early 2010s, sneakers have seen a meteoric rise in popularity, influence, and overall consumption. Every year, individuals all over the world become actively involved in sneakers with some becoming sneaker enthusiasts or “sneakerheads.” Before social media came exploded, sneakers were considered an underground subculture; many sneakerheads exclusively shared opinions and thoughts on sneaker forums such as NikeTalk. Many sneaker enthusiasts would flock to these online forums regarding sneaker releases, sharing opinions, or discussing just about anything sneaker-related. Now, these forums have been virtually overtaken by social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter.
Sneakers online are no longer confined to sneaker specific forums. Sneakers are literally everywhere on social media; sports pages, fashion pages, music pages, and pop culture pages all feature multiple aspects of sneakers on a regular and consistent basis. Online websites showcase sneakers as well, but sneakers are evidently ubiquitous on virtually every social media platform.
Social Media Positives and Negatives
To start with the positives of social media’s impact on sneakers, it’s essential to start with the overall influence and reach of platforms in regards to the sneaker world. Sneakers would be nowhere as widespread and mainstream as they are today without social media. Even though all influence and attention isn’t always “good,” the impact of social media has definitely been net positive. Many people now know about sneakers thanks to social media; certain platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok even introduce certain audiences to the vast world of sneakers.
Without the influence of sneakers and social media, we wouldn’t see or hear about nearly as many feel-good stories relating to sneakers. There wouldn’t be any grandpas in sneakers or students surprising their beloved teachers with nostalgic pairs if it weren’t for the positive side of social media. These worthwhile stories and impactful news reports regarding sneakers would be nowhere to be found if social media never existed.
On the other hand, social media brings plenty of drawbacks and downsides especially relating to sneakers. There are plenty of individuals who are all over sneaker social media without genuine intentions; many users only see the dollar signs behind sneakers and don’t appreciate them for their actual purpose. Countless people log on to Instagram after missing out on a particular release to see some teenager with mommy’s credit card cashing out on tens or evens hundreds of pairs of the same sneakers. It’s frustrating for countless genuine sneakerheads to witness the industry get infiltrated by individuals who have no intentions of collecting or wearing sneakers. While reselling has been around long before social media, there has been an amplified view of the dark side of reselling due to numerous photos, opinions, and news stories involving sneakers.
Most sneaker enthusiasts and sneakerheads have genuine intentions and look to uplift those around them in the sneaker community. However, social media tends to portray a dark light on sneakers as a whole because of the bad rep associated with reselling and price gouging. Social media isn’t smart enough to filter individuals in sneakers with good intentions compared to those with ill-advised or poor intentions. Anyone actively or passively involved in sneakers is typically grouped together no matter their end goal or genuineness.
Sneakers and social media have come a long way since the relationship first started. Now it’s much easier to separate genuine sneaker enthusiasts from individuals who are only looking to profit off sneakers. Corny and cliche lines, photos with boxes stacked to the ceiling, and a clear lack of basic sneaker knowledge are often a direct indication of weeding out the bogus sneakerheads from the genuine ones. Social media brings both positives and negatives to the sneaker world due to many reasons beyond the ones already highlighted.
The Future of Sneakers and Social Media
Sneakers and social media are still in the early stages of a long-lasting relationship. There are tons of positives but not without drawbacks and kinks that must be dealt with accordingly. Social media is complex and cannot be explained in a single post like this one. However, as social media platforms evolve, so will the relationship with sneakers. In the years to come, more positives and (hopefully) less negatives will come along for sneakers and social media together.
