Users no longer want to chase the American dream, boycott American products, and culture
With US President Donald Trump working on his tariff agenda, more consumers around the world are starting to look for ways to replace American products with locally produced goods, while others make a complete 180° and change their “Americanized” habits of fast living and excessive consumption.
Image by Cybernews
With US President Donald Trump working on his tariff agenda, more consumers around the world are starting to look for ways to replace American products with locally produced goods, while others make a complete 180° and change their “Americanized” habits of fast living and excessive consumption.
- Consumers around the world want to refrain from American products.
- One of the ways to consume fewer American goods is to check products via dedicated apps.
- Among apps that help to detect product origin are Détrumpez-vous!, O SCANada, Made in?
- More people around the world use consumerism as a tool to protest or support certain matters.
With American goods available worldwide, one way consumers can know what they’re buying and make an informed decision is through applications that recognize the product’s country of origin.
Origin of product apps
France has introduced an app, called Détrumpez-vous!, that can tell if the products, mostly food, you bought are actually from the United States or are sold by an American company, even if the product was manufactured by a French company, but is related to the US.
For example, Vahiné, a French company, is listed as American due to its ties to the McCormick group, according to Numerama.
However, the app doesn’t come without flaws. If the scanned product is American but doesn’t belong to the American group of companies, it won’t be marked on the app as a US product.
The app recognises products by relying on several collaborative and open-source databases. These databases contain information on mostly food products and lack data on technology or textile goods. For this reason, French users can improve the app by adding products that aren’t recognised by the app.
The application also helps to understand how American production has taken over France and perhaps many other European countries.
Boycotting by supporting local businesses
Another way to boycott American goods is by supporting local businesses. For example, Canadians have an app, O SCANada, which identifies their home country goods, allowing people to choose products that were made by their local businesses.
Users can search for the origins of products by scanning them or using text or speech search to see where certain clothing, furniture, automobiles, and even services come from.
The app can even share information on places such as hotels and restaurants.
If the product is “not Canadian enough for you”, O SCANada also provides alternatives to brands that are actually Canadian.
For those who are generally interested in where certain products they buy come from, there is an app called Made in?, which requires scanning a barcode or manually typing the digits to know the name, address, and country where the product was made.
Cancel American culture
The search for ways people boycott American goods led to a Reddit discussion where one user suggested, “don’t just boycott US products. Boycott US culture as well.”
The user prompted others not only to boycott its products but also to reject “US values.”
“Stop eating fast food, take public transit, sit down for your coffee, reject materialism, dress in well-made clothes with no brand names displayed.”
Many online agreed with the Redditor, also sharing their take on the matter and what they do to distance themselves from the American way of life.
“I'm more worried about importing (more) crypto-finance-capitalist brain rots and their ridiculous work culture,” suggested one user online, taking into account the country’s infamous hustle culture.
Some users explained how this situation made them shift their focus to their own culture:
“I've been thinking about this too and acting on it. I am celebrating more Canadian culture now than ever before.”
Other users also noticed how rejecting American consumerism made them change their daily habits: “No more stupid landfill purchases from Amazon. Less time bandit scrolling on Instagram. More cooking at home. A more mindful existence. I’m loving it.”
Some users also revealed that they no longer use certain social media channels or have stopped watching American movies or TV shows.
The change in people's perceptions of the American environment has led some to consider changing their jobs.
“I'm a Dane, working at a US owned company in Denmark. I'm considering quitting my job. I'd rather find a new one first, though, but I feel like a hypocrite all the time,” wrote Redditor, with users in a similar situation chiming in as they’re looking for the right opportunity to switch their jobs.
Resistance that fits into a shopping cart
It isn’t the first time that consumers express their support or hostility through consumption. When the war in Ukraine started, many refrained from Russian or Russia-affiliated brands, trying to find more Ukrainian-based businesses to support instead.
Once again, an application proved useful in this situation. One such app was Zrada, which can tell you if the product you bought has ties to Russia.
While putting more thought into what we add into our shopping baskets could serve as a silent resistance, some consumers note that it’s sometimes hard to choose between one’s morals and everyday comfort, considering how many products come from or have ties with the US or Russia.