Trends are present in many aspects of our lives. At the time of writing this article, there are certain hairstyles that are popular or are experiencing a resurgence (like the mullet, surprisingly), an item of clothing or outfit that somebody wants to wear due to its popularity, and a dance or challenge on social media that leaves someone saying “Hey, I want to join in on that!”. These are all part of a trend in their respective categories, and it doesn’t just stop there. How does it affect us?
As people, we want to be accepted into groups and be part of a crowd that we have things in common with. We may choose to conform with what people are doing or follow what’s “trending”. After all, we are only human and we want to be accepted. An online article from Nu Sci Magazine, which is Boston’s Northeastern University’s student-run science magazine, noted that trends and popular culture can “give people a sense of unity or harmony with each other” through the creation of a sense of tribalism or a herd.
Digging deeper, a Psychology Today article titled “The Science Behind Why People Follow the Crowd” explains that groups can influence our behaviour. We may use the decisions of others as a heuristic, which is a mental shortcut, such as going with what is popular. If wearing a certain type of clothing was made popular by a celebrity and somehow became widely worn, no matter how odd, it might have you considering if you should also give it a shot. The same may be said for buying products that are popular.
In terms of social media, people might be intrigued by what’s popular or trending. From showcasing places to visit, food, the types of photos to take and even challenges, I think a new trend can always be found online. There are some that are completely harmless or even promote doing good. However, there are those that are either dangerous, brainless or simply just don’t make sense. Sometimes, you get that all in one.
The “devious lick”, a Tik Tok challenge that went viral in 2021, is an example. This “trend”, which the platform has banned, had students in middle and high schools in North America recording themselves vandalising school property and posting a video about it or posting about what they stole from school, which Wikipedia says was typically the school bathroom. This example shows that it is important to keep an eye out for, and to be selective of the trends that we choose to follow, especially for those who are younger.
Moreover, there are so many trends that exist in the world right now, and another effect that they might have is that it might cause some to fear that they will miss out by not following suit. However, it is important to not be so caught up in following the latest trends, at least in my opinion, as they do not last forever, or at least not always. One minute they are there, but before you know it, they might just fade away into oblivion while the next one rolls in.
The results of a “trends 2023” search on the Internet. – Photo: Rui Pastorin
