Social Media Influences on Trends & Culture

Everyone is on or is familiar with social media, whether it’s Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook, it is very rare that someone you meet does not have an account for at least one of these platforms.
 

Social media has become deeply ingrained in our society, influencing many of our interests and habits sometimes without our awareness.

It dictates what we listen to and what we tend to wear, how we view our society and which popular movement to follow.
 

Platforms like TikTok push certain trends onto us, and make them into our personal interest or routine.
 

The most recent example was the revival of Sherine’s song, Kalam Eineh, released in 2018.
 

In the recent weeks, the song has been trending on TikTok, and is now a part of many people’s playlists because of the consistent exposure. 

TikTok is not the only platform that influences individuals, and that influence does not stop at music.
 

Shein hauls were quite popular prior to the discovery of the poor conditions its employees are working in.
 

It was very typical to see videos titled ‘Shein Haul’ with boxes full of the cheap garments and accessories.  These clips, promoting the company, led to its viewers wanting to be part of the style that was popular, causing them to also begin shopping at the online store. 

On the other hand, social media is helpful in finding your own fashion sense, away from the Shein hauls and trends circulating explore pages.
 

People have begun to move away from the uniform fashion trends with everyone following the same styles and modes, and have instead embraced individuality.
 

More and more, people are becoming viral with their distinctive looks and designs. Instagram influencers amass thousands of followers with their unique attire and closets.

While social media tends to enforce uniformity and a sense of group mentality, it has slowly begun to outgrow that, and people are starting to explore their own identities. Being unique is now the new trend on Instagram, everyone is encouraged to be as different as possible from each other. 

Instagram and TikTok are also overwhelmed with ‘Get Ready With Me’ videos, consisting of an influencer detailing their routine to get ready for the day, and showing their many products to their audience.
 

Social media greatly promotes overconsumption, and leads to viewers thinking they must have certain productions or their hair, skin, etc. will not look as they desire.
 

However, it’s not always a negative ordeal. Instagram is helpful in people finding a community of people like them.
 

Those with curly hair who do not know how to take care of it, or with very dry skin and struggle, they often turn to social media in hopes of finding help and others like them.  

Social Media platforms have a hand in eating habits as well. Instagram explore pages often house influencers sharing what they eat in a day, or a video of someone on a diet sharing their secrets. Videos as such enforce an unhealthy mentality on its viewers, and create problems in terms of eating and how they think of food.
 

Social media has become such a significant part in younger generations lives, that it essentially decides many of their choices. Trends such as ‘girl dinner,’ a glorified snack being called a meal, tend to harm audiences, and influence their eating habits. 

It is important to realize how much of our lives are swayed by social media, and how much of the decisions we make and trends we want to follow are from these famous platforms.