Trap behind the scroll
Reels feel harmless, but they are not. You open Instagram on your phone to smile at a dog video, check a travel clip, maybe steal a quick recipe. But hidden in between are shoppable posts: products in perfect lighting, hyped by influencers who look and sound just like you. One second you’re entertained, the next you’re spending ₹999 on a skincare trend or a kitchen gadget you didn’t even know existed.
Here’s the thing: your savings plan doesn’t stand a chance when every scroll is a disguised sales pitch.
Dr. Sandeep Vohra, renowned psychiatrist and founder of NWNT.AI, explains why this happens.
“Those quick, flashy videos are built to trigger dopamine hits, the same chemical that fuels excitement and impulsivity. That’s why so many young people end up buying things they didn’t plan to, just to feel that rush. According to a Meta-commissioned study from June 2025, 80% of Indian users have made unplanned purchases right after seeing a Reel, and most say influencer-backed content feels ‘more convincing’ than ads.”
When entertainment and shopping merge so seamlessly, your wallet often takes the hit before you realise it.
From entertainment to endless checkout
Millennials are especially vulnerable. Most juggle rent, EMIs, and job stress while craving tiny doses of relief. Reels provide both the escape and the trigger. The cycle is simple:
- Instant dopamine hit: Funny or aspirational content makes you feel good.
- Casual product drop: Influencer shows what they “just discovered.”
- Seamless shopping link: One tap, the item is in your cart.
- Impulse purchase: Money exits before logic enters.
Three such buys a week, each ₹800– ₹1,200, can quietly burn through ₹10,000 a month, the same money you could have invested in mutual fund SIPs or your emergency fund.
Dr. Nahid Dave, psychiatrist and psychotherapist based in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, breaks down what happens in the brain.
“When I’m used to continuous dopamine hits through Reels, other activities that give me steady or sustained dopamine, like meeting a friend, reading, or enjoying coffee, start feeling dull as my threshold changes. To feel that pleasure again, my brain pushes me toward higher stimulation, risk-taking, and impulsivity for instant gratification. This explains why I might impulsively buy without needing things,” she says.
The psychology Instagram uses
Instagram’s shopping engine thrives on three things:
- Scarcity (“limited stock, buy now”)
- Social proof (“10k sold already”)
- FOMO (“don’t miss this trend”)
Combine this with frictionless payments, and you’ve got decision fatigue: after half an hour of scrolling, your brain’s resistance is gone. That’s when the “buy” button feels irresistible.
Brand strategist Amarpreet Singh puts it bluntly. “Reels are engineered for impulse. Every swipe is a mini behavioural lab experiment compressing attention, emotion, and aspiration into 15 seconds. For Indian audiences, the strongest hooks are relatability, reward, and reachable aspiration, creators who look like us, live slightly better, and show a quick payoff. Add the social proof of ‘everyone’s trying it’ and the emotional pull of nostalgia or pride, and you’ve built a perfect storm of micro-storytelling with dopamine built in,” says Singh.
Real stories of reel-induced spending
This isn’t theory. Reels are filled with creators openly confessing how they and their followers are spending impulsively:
My shopping confessions: A creator admits, “Did I need it? No. Did I buy it? Absolutely.”
And in India, the pattern is even clearer:
Confessing my shopping habits: Raw admission: buying just for the thrill.
Things I regret buying: Multiple items shown as a “don’t repeat my mistake” list.
Regretting my ₹4000 shopping spree at Zudio: A local example of binge spending triggered by feed hype.
Each of these Reels is a window into how “small” purchases snowball into financial leaks.
Why your savings plan suffers
Every ₹1,000 blown on a trending item is ₹1,000 not compounding for you. Do the math: that ₹10,000 a month impulse leakage could be ₹1.2 lakh a year, money that could’ve been invested for long-term growth. Instead, it vanishes into half-used gadgets, fast-fashion hauls, or skincare bottles.
Dr. Nahid Dave adds another layer to this behaviour. “When I see a relatable influencer, I want to feel closer to them. If I can’t match their followers or success, I try to copy what’s within my reach, like buying the products they use, which briefly boosts my self-esteem and provides social validation. On repeated watching, my brain’s reward system overrides rational decision-making,” she says.
Shopping as entertainment
Retail veteran Rahul Patel, CEO of Patel Retail Limited, says this blurring of lines between leisure and shopping is reshaping household spending.
“Platforms like Instagram Reels have turned shopping into a form of entertainment. What may appear as harmless scrolling often pushes consumers toward impulsive buys, driven more by commodity fetishism than genuine need. With convenience comes a cost, and overspending on such unnecessary convenience will soon be felt in household budgets, not just as a monetary strain but also at the expense of healthier personal financial choices,” says Patel.
He adds that this shift is visible on the ground.
“With our 45+ supermarkets, we constantly see the balance customers strike between affordability and aspiration. The worry is that the lure of digital platforms is shifting that balance toward unhealthy patterns, and it is only a matter of time before consumers themselves recognize that unchecked indulgence is not sustainable,” he adds.
Can you fight back?
Yes, but it takes conscious effort.
- Unfollow temptation traps: Mute or unfollow shop-heavy accounts.
- Set a 24-hour rule: Wait a day before checkout; most urges fade.
- Track micro-spends: Use an app to see how “just ₹999” adds up.
- Redirect the dopamine: Swap scrolling for quick wins, take a walk, listen to a podcast, or journal.
As Dr. Sandeep Vohra puts it, “The fix isn’t about quitting social media; it’s about pausing before buying, questioning what emotion the content sparked, and setting mindful spending limits to stay in control while still enjoying the scroll.”
The bigger picture
Instagram isn’t just stealing your time; it’s nibbling away at your future wealth. Entertainment and consumerism have merged into a single addictive feed. Unless you draw a line, your financial goals, whether it’s a home, early retirement, or freedom from debt, will keep getting delayed by the next viral Reel.
The harsh truth? Those 30-second clips don’t just cost you attention. They cost you your future savings.
