“Gift guide for the coolest girl you know.” “Gift guide for the niche luxury chic girl.” “Gift guide for the guy that has everything.” “Gift guide for your whimsical friend.” “The only gift guide you’ll ever need.” By now, your TikTok FYP has probably been flooded by gift recommendations, and that’s before heading to Instagram to see what retailers and publishers are suggesting, or your inbox to read the guides authored by your favourite Substackers.

Gift guides have long been a holiday season staple, but as short-form social content continues its reign, they’re ballooning far beyond traditional media. Algorithms increasingly shape how people shop — serving hyper-specific micro-personas and niche lifestyle archetypes — and gifting content has followed suit. The act of choosing a gift ha

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