It’s no joke that social media has somewhat taken over our brains. It’s just endless scrolling, with a new sound, pose, phrase or outfit coming up every week. Now, it’s not “cool” anymore to have that outfit, use that sound or say that phrase anymore. But what really impacts these trends and how do they start? Is it the audience watching or the people posting?

Trends are constantly changing. I feel like I can’t keep up with what people are doing or saying. I’m always scared that something I do or say won’t be considered “cool” anymore, and it’s suddenly untrendy. I don’t have TikTok, but I do have Instagram and Snapchat to get a sense of what is going on in the world. But the biggest influencer party seems to be on TikTok, where all the trends are born.

Not only do trends constantly seem to be changing, but the people who seem to be setting them are as well. Five years ago it was people like Charli D’amelio, Addison Rae and people in the “Hype House”. Jumping far ahead, five months ago, trends like mewing — particularly popular among Gen Alpha — and phrases like “I hope they play Fe!n” were everywhere.
But why aren’t these trends popular anymore? And why do they seem to last for such a short period of time?

Influencers have a big impact on people’s lives. People will change things about themselves for online attention. While influencers can make trends themselves, there are people posting the most random videos you could think of, racking up 20 million views out of nowhere.

While trends are constantly changing, I automatically assume that there are influencers behind them — but that’s not always the case. Some of the trendiest phrases now came from people who I bet you wouldn’t be able to name: for example, the “hyperpigmentation” trend, came from people who weren’t influencers and just wanted to post a funny video online.

There are many different kinds of trends, from clothing to songs to hairstyles people wear. I believe some of these trends come from influencers, and others don’t. Trends that include sounds and phrases, such as the hyperpigmentation trend, don’t seem to come from influencers. But trends like fashion and makeup seem to always come from a more influential population.

Trends also seem to be coming back from a while ago. But who brought these trends back, and why do they come back so quickly?

One of the biggest trends that is making a comeback is the “Low rise jeans” from the 2000s. “Low-rise jeans” is making a comeback primarily due to the resurgence of Y2K fashion. Gen Z embraced this nostalgic style which was popular in the late 90s and early 2000s, often seen on celebrities like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Today, this style is seen on influencers like Julia Fox and Bella Hadid. These celebrities, being big influences on people today, led people to follow in their footsteps.

I think influencers do have an impact on trends, but they aren’t the only ones. Their popularity allows people to follow their lead on a trend. However, trends can also emerge from some unexpected places. It might just be some random person who just wanted to share a funny video of their grandpa online. Who knows, maybe you’ll say something that will be the next trending sound online.