HOW SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCES SPENDING HABITS IN NIGERIA

The Pressure to Look Perfect

Chika grew up in Enugu with a simple rule. Spend wisely or suffer later. She carried that discipline to Lagos and protected it for years. Then Instagram arrived like a whisper that slowly turned into a command.

Her feed overflowed with Lagos influencers glowing in perfect light. Soft life captions. Designer sandals. Weekend trips that looked casual but cost more than four months of her rent. Each picture pushed her to upgrade herself. She started with small things. A dress that felt like magic. Shoes that promised confidence. But every swipe stretched her desires until her salary felt like a joke.

TikTok and YouTube: The Haul Culture Trap

TikTok dragged her deeper. Fifteen second hauls showed girls unboxing mountains of clothes, perfumes, and wigs. They laughed through their hauls like the items were nothing. Chika watched them before bed, feeling that familiar pull. YouTube stretched the temptation. Detailed reviews. Prices. Where to buy. What to pair. The creators spoke like guides to a life she believed she deserved.

Soon the math stopped adding up. Her dreams were bigger than her bank account. Her inbox started filling with messages from older men who noticed her rising online presence. She ignored them until she met Chief Obiora.

He was in his late fifties. Polished. Wealthy. Confident in a way that made her feel chosen. He praised her looks, admired her ambition, and backed both with generous gifts. Bags she once saved months for began to appear in his car. Trips. Cash. Clothes. She convinced herself it was harmless. She convinced herself she was in control.

The Trouble That Broke the Illusion

Everything changed one quiet afternoon at a restaurant in Victoria Island. Chika was sipping juice, waiting for Chief Obiora, when a woman walked in with a certainty that froze the room. She introduced herself as Adaora. The wife.

Adaora had seen the messages. The transfers. The hotel bookings. She arrived calm, which made it worse. She warned Chika in a steady voice that Chief Obiora did not love anyone. He collected. He discarded. And when he discarded women, the stories never ended well.

Chika felt her stomach tighten as Adaora spoke about two other girls whose lives had crumbled after similar arrangements. Jobs lost. Reputations dragged. One girl still hid from the scandal.

That night Chika blocked his number, deleted the apps that fed her obsession, and sat in silence as the truth settled around her. The lifestyle was never worth the danger.

Social media still shapes spending in Nigeria, but Chika learned that peace costs less than illusion, and survival is better than any filtered fantasy.

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