Falling out of trends is worth it

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There are plenty of experiences people will go through in life, death and taxes being two of the common ones. Trends are a phenomenon I would put in that category. 

Trends are one of the many topics that help bring people together to connect over something relevant in the moment. Whether it’s a fun piece of clothing to wear or a cool item to collect, trends are a part of life and can help make living fulfilling, enjoyable, and memorable. 

However, it feels like the number of trends are increasing while the length of time they’re relevant is decreasing. Roughly a decade ago, you would see trends like “Gangnam Style” last for months, maybe even a year if popular enough. Nowadays, a popular trend would be lucky to have a presence both mentally and physically in society for a month. 

I’ve seen most trends last only a week or two on average. This is even more noticeable with memes as I see them last for only a few days before a new one becomes popular. 

One side effect of the increased traffic in trends has been overconsumption when it comes to products. Whether it’s clothing, a store to shop at, or a toy to own, more people have been gathering these products, trying to keep up with what’s popular. 

One recent trend where people are participating in overconsumption is the Stanley Cup, and no, I don’t mean the NHL trophy the Vancouver Canucks are going to win by the end of the 2023-24 season. Looking around on social media platforms like TikTok and X, users will share photos and videos of themselves owning multiple cups which all do the same thing. I can understand buying two of these at most, but buying 20 or more of the same product is unnecessary. 

This doesn’t even touch on the amount of clothes people buy to keep up with the most popular aesthetic, only for it to last a few days and be irrelevant for an indefinite amount of time. All this effort and waste of money because some influencers say this is what’s going to help people feel like they’re in an inner circle. 

As much as I enjoy social media, even I admit it has some influence on how trends have been lately. While this isn’t the case with all influencers, some of them are to blame for the consequences of overconsumption. 

One such consequence has been the amount of money people lose from mass spending on products involved in trends. During a time when affording necessities is becoming more difficult, keeping up with trends is becoming a luxury. 

However, I can see why people feel the need to be involved in the latest trends. It helps them feel like they’re a part of something fun and memorable, as if they’re participating in a special experience. 

There’s also a new trend called “de-influencing,” where people bring up why some trends shouldn’t be followed and what people can be doing instead. 

Although life is short and there’s so many trends to stay up to date with, I’ve learned over time to just enjoy what I like and be content with what I already have. There’s only so much to enjoy in a limited amount of time and investing a lot of resources in something likely to be temporary isn’t worth it.