Slate Essay Criticizes Teen Gift-Registry Apps Like Giftful for Eroding Spontaneity in Gift Giving
An essay from Slate examines how gift-registry applications such as Giftful, Giftster, GiftList, and WishApp are transforming the way teenagers approach gift-giving, prioritizing practicality over surprise. The writer recounts an incident where her 14-year-old daughter refused to purchase hair oil for a friend since it wasn't included on the Giftful list. These apps, favored by teenage girls, enable users to create curated gift lists. Although they are advantageous for parents, the author contends that they diminish the thrill of unexpected presents and reflect a larger trend of hyper-personalization among Gen Z and Gen Alpha. She contrasts this with her own cherished gift experiences and highlights her 12-year-old daughter's homemade birthday basket for a friend, emphasizing the importance of personal connections.
Key facts
- The essay appears in Slate and critiques gift-registry apps including Giftful, Giftster, GiftList, and WishApp.
- The author's 14-year-old daughter refused to give a Sephora hair oil to a friend because it was not on the friend's Giftful list.
- Giftful allows users to add product links specifying preferred color, size, brand, and price, and share lists for birthdays and holidays.
- The apps feature Explore tabs with categories such as "Vanilla Girl," "Cottagecore," "Y2K Girl," "Street Drip," "E-girl," and "Old Money Aesthetic."
- The author has four children ranging from elementary to high-school age.
- The author's 12-year-old daughter is phoneless and recently made a homemade gift basket for her best friend Sophie.
- The basket included a 39-cent Walgreens photo, a fish keychain, a homemade card on printer paper, and a bag of Lay's pickle chips.
- The author cites a personal example of receiving a volume of Emily Dickinson's poems from her mother and 50 numbered gifts from her sister during a pregnancy.
Entities
Artists
- Emily Dickinson
- Tim Riggins
Institutions
- Slate
- Sephora
- Giftful
- Giftster
- GiftList
- WishApp
- Netflix
- Amazon
- Walgreens
- Jellycat
- Friday Night Lights
Locations
- United States