Allison Stroman - People thrive on information. Ambiguity and uncertainty, even in small amounts, destroy credibility and cause more confusion. Conversely, access to correct and complete information “addresses our fears…gives us a sense of connection…[and] calms anxiety”. Information is incredibly powerful, so having access to it is essential. Despite information’s current ability to rapidly spread over short social media clips or posts, people gathering to get information goes back to the agora in ancient Greece where men would learn their information or debate topics. Information is powerful in high stress situations and in everyday situations as it informs decision-making.
If information is so powerful, how do we know what we are reading or seeing is accurate and trustworthy? With social media, information, accurate or not, comes to viewers in short, easily shareable chunks which can lead to incorrect or incomplete information gaining heavy traction. Additionally, social media has a psychological pull. According to Psychology Today, humans are social beings, so the pull of social media makes sense in terms of evolution and because “our ability to cooperate in groups might be a big reason for the success of our species”. Then there is the ease of access to information from social media: “each time we refresh the page on our social media sites, a totally new feed appears. So now we don’t have to navigate away from whichever website we were using. There's enough content there to make us scroll endlessly”. This ease of access can lead to information overload which is not as positive as it may seem at face value: “However, the problem comes when society is faced with so much more information than it actually requires. Information has become increasingly abundant with the emergence of social media platforms, which has led to a serious explosion of the same information repackaged and repurposed over and over again.”
Another key player in social media’s strong pull is dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter and chemical in our brain involved in many processes including “pleasurable reward and motivation” and attention. Also called the “feel-good hormone”, dopamine provides pleasure and further motivation to continue whatever gives that hit of pleasure. When dopamine gets too high, people can experience trouble sleeping, poor impulse control, and increased aggression. In terms of social media, Psychology Today refers to social media influences as a “dopamine democracy” in which “people will become so overwhelmed by a rush of dopamine from social media that they cannot think rationally and will behave impulsively”. This impaired thinking can worsen the spread of mis- or disinformation which can come from any source:
A simple way to slow this process is to pause and breathe. Take some time to figure out where the information is coming from. If the person is claiming they are an expert, check their credentials, like degrees or job titles, and search them up to see if their credentials are as they present them. Furthermore, the information cited could give you more clues to how credible this particular source is. If that information leads to sources like academic papers or peer-reviewed studies, it is likely well-researched thoroughly backed. That being said, two reports on the same events could be radically different. This difference could be a warning of possible issues with credibility. Cross-checking what you hear from one source with other sources like reputable news platforms or government websites can let you know if the information comes from a consensus among actual experts or if it is mainly for clickbait or shock value. Outside of social media, an easy trick is to look at the end of the URL. Websites ending in .gov, .org, or .edu tend to be more reputable than .com or .net, but that does not mean following other steps to check credibility goes away.
For news in fashion, there are many sources that are reputable and commonly referenced by consumers and professionals alike. Within those sources, a few stand out as having particular information on the intersection of fashion and sustainability.
The United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network is an online platform that “plays a key role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by connecting industry stakeholders, media, governments, and UN entities.” The Network recognizes that the fashion and lifestyle industries heavily impact the environment, causing a pressing need for a change to climate-positive action. The Network holds “for transparent, inclusive, and transformative engagement among global stakeholders” at the core of their mission. With an emphasis on reaching the SDGs by 2030, the Network provides news on how the fashion and lifestyle industries are progressing with tags for the different goals and the size of the entity. This provides another layer of transparency in their reporting.
Headquartered at the London College of Fashion and the University of Arts London, the Centre for Sustainable Fashion is a research center dedicated to subverting the “status quo in fashion”. A collaborator with “universities, businesses, and other organisations around the world”, the Centre contributes research, educational resources, and news to inform consumers about the fashion industry. This research focuses on “fashion’s ecological, social, economic, and cultural agendas” with an emphasis on “contributing to a system that recognises its ecological context and honours equity”. Their resources page has educational guides, research publications, and online courses to increase “knowledge of fashion and sustainability”. The Centre also has a blog with a range of articles on the intersection of fashion and sustainability.
A mainstay in the fashion news sphere, Vogue and Vogue Business have dedicated sustainability editors and dedicated pages full of articles. With a range of topics including environmental impacts and worker’s rights, Vogue and Vogue Business offer information backed by professionals and reported on by credible journalists.
Focusing on textiles and the supply chain, Ecotextile News is both an online source and a magazine published six times per year in print and online. In addition to reporting on news in the fashion industry, Ecotextile News publishes major reports on how different materials like cotton impact the environment and how to lessen these impacts. Other reports focus on transitioning the textile sphere so it can “transform from a liner to a circular business model”. Ecotextile News also partners with organizations to improve accessibility to climate information. Their articles range from covering government initiatives related to textiles to scientific advances.
In addition to the Fashion and Lifestyle Network, the United Nations Alliance for Sustainable Fashion “works to support coordination between UN bodies working in fashion and promoting projects and policies that ensure that the fashion value chain contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals’ targets” with support from United States agencies and partner organizations. The Alliance oversees efforts to improve conditions from the start of producing raw materials to manufacturing to distribution. In addition to environmental initiatives like wastewater reduction, the Alliance focuses on worker’s rights and improving work conditions. The Alliance is committed to “turning fashion into a driver of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals”. Their news page has articles on the different efforts they engage in to better the fashion industry.
A part of the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, The Fashion ReModel is a “demonstration project involving leading brands from across high-end, activewear, retailers, mid-range and high-street” that aims to create solutions and dismantle obstacles between brands and a scalable circular business model. A circular business model means that pieces and materials remain in circulation, less materials get consumed, and brands promote climate-positive action. The Fashion ReModel calls for more resilience in the industry which they define as “one where businesses create diverse income streams and foster new connections with customers, and where policymakers support the enabling conditions for circular business models to thrive”. The Ellen Macarthur Foundation has a wealth of resources around fashion within their content library. These sources range from articles, videos, and podcast episodes, providing multiple forms for interested people to learn new information.
For a comprehensive guide of fashion resources, The Library of Congress has a resource guide with sources for trade news, fashion history, and retail.