The deception that falls behind the trend
As the years come and go so do that trends that follow closely behind. Thanks to an increase in fast short content the length of trends seem shorter while the amount of trends has seemingly increased. Honestly it’s almost weird how one day you go about your day like any other and the next you’re seeing Owala water bottles everywhere you go. It makes me think is it cool we all collectively decided something was cool or does that prove how sheep like we can be? With how fast the trends seem to come and go it’s almost impossible to keep up. Yesterday I had posted an article on the increase of ads and I think that can overlap with the topic of trends. Now that being an influencer is considered a job many more companies are taking sponsorships with them a lot more seriously. But what does that exactly entail for trends to come?
How Trends Start
The easiest way for trends to grow is often times the hype it not only receives online but also by the influencers who promote it. Part of being an influencer is keeping things exciting and always keeping your eye out for the next big thing. Influencers nowadays also have a lot more power then they once did. Everyone is clamoring to be the next Charli D’Amelio or the next Kai Cenat but the road to fame often takes a long long time and it’s never guaranteed. So with all this power comes the opportunity to influence the masses and the most common way we see this done is through trends. Now while not every trend is created by an influencer they are often the ones who introduce the idea to their followers which then spreads like wild fire from there. Many fans hinder their decisions based on what one person says online, maybe your not even into water bottles but your favorite influencer is obsessed with her Stanley and while there is nothing wrong with being into things it goes to show how much we value these influencers as role models. I am not immune to this hype either, I have definitely bought things because an influencer I trust has recommended it and while sometimes the hype was worth it a lot of the times the hype is a bit overrated. But how much do trends really affect us?
Death For Fame
Since everyone and there mother (literally lol) wants to be an influencer these days it’s no wonder we see so many people trying to hop on trends and post their ideas about a topic all over social media. Honestly it is nice in a way that so many people are contributing to online content these days. Now you are no longer getting just the big voice’s opinions but also the opinions of regular people just like me or you. But that chase for fame has lead a lot of people to hop on trends that came with a lot of risk. Even a 5 year old could probably be smart enough to know not to eat tide pods yet we saw grown ass men eating them like candy back when that was a trend. Or the devious licks challenge where people were vandalizing public places all on camera and all for that chance that it might go viral. This need to go viral also pushes people to go past the danger zone and try different ways of making a trend more and more unsafe for that true shock factor effect. Soon a trend that was already kinda stupid in the first place turns into a tragedy that not only is sad but it also makes the rest of young people look dumb to the other generations. While I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to be an influencer it is a lot of responsibility I think a lot of people don’t consider. At the end of the day it is your own decision if you decide to do something dumb like eat a tide pod but we can’t deny the fact it doesn’t help when someone with a million followers does it to.
An Ongoing Tradition
Now as much as people like to clown on the goobers we see doing all sorts of things for fashion or virality trends the truth of it is trends have always been around and won’t be going away anytime soon. The main difference is just how publicized trends have become, your no longer getting all your trend updates from movies or magazines. With how often videos are being uploaded every single day it’s no wonder we move from one topic to the next so easily. But what does this all mean for the future of content? Many companies seek to profit from these trends and with it has come both good and bad side effects. A lot of companies will repost popular memes, do some of the smaller challenges, or even make themselves known under well performing video’s comment sections. It’s both funny and weird but besides that, another side effect is all the fake reviews that have been made public. A lot of influencers have been faking reviews and it can be easy to see why. On a moral level we can all agree how bad that is but from a selfish level both the influencer and the company profit. We tend to move on so quickly we often brush past these shady business deals and even when their lies come to light people will still go out of their way to buy a product their influencer is selling. The good news is we are beginning to see a bit more push back as many people are now posting alternatives to products as well as de-influencing videos to stop people from jumping on trends that don’t help you in any way. While participating in a harmless challenge or buying the latest thing isn’t a bad thing it’s important to remember they are just trends. The phase will pass and we will all move on but your body might not if you go out of your way to make these trends go way out of hand. So everyone stay safe out there and even if it’s annoying I strongly encourage you to do research before participating or purchasing a product fresh of the trend train. No you don’t need to do a full on scientific deep dive but at least get an idea of what other people are saying first before you act. It may end up saving you a lot of money and stress in the end. Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed, as always if you like today’s writings be sure to leave a like and even subscribe and please let me know in the comments what you guys think about today’s topic!
With love, Veronica Fox
P.S. my very first YouTube video will be up at 9pm Pacific time tonight. Feel free to check it out at pixelpeachy13 and let me know what you guys think!
If you enjoyed what you read check out some of my past articles for more! <3
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