In social media circles, there is always some new inside joke, trend, or meaning that those who are "in the know" know about, and the rest of the world finds out later on. Sometimes long after the the shelf life of the trend has expired. (I'm talking to you, Mr. Principle who has just found out about "Humpday" and proudly repeats that word in the hallways between classes every Wednesday.)
I think it's interesting how some people place a lot of value on being hip without realizing that it's unsustainable. Eventually your circle of influence and information changes, and you're not in the center of the insider groups that thrive on being up to date on the newest fad. You'll be in groups that are more meaningful, more beneficial to yourself, family, and society. You may even be in groups that are cutting edge and cool in their own way. Yet, we all eventually will be judged by a group that feels like it has enough clout to condescendingly judge anyone who hasn't kept up to date with the new definitions, symbolisms, memes, jokes, and behaviors that they have.
This page isn't meant to keep us up on trends so that we can be hip, although it might help prevent you from stepping into a pile of social media dog doo that you didn't know existed. (I still smile at the mom who, for two or three years told friends, relatives, and neighbors about her son's "manscaping." She thought it was about him learning to shave his face. One day, when she wondered why her son got so upset about her talking about it, I suggested she look up the term on urbandictionary.com. I haven't heard her use the term since.)
A good purpose for this page, though, is to document some of the trends so that we can analyze the type of content, the attitudes, the topics, and the culture, demographics, and psychographics they represent. It can be good for analyzing the half-life or shelf life of the trends. How long is a thing a thing? Twenty years from now, who will understand your reference to "gray sweatpants season?" Will it only be you and a few others who are considered old and weird by teenagers who haven't been born, yet? Or will Gray Sweatpants Day be a national holiday? Part of it is up to you and what you decide to promote and encourage now.
I apologize if some of these are of questionable nature. Such is the life of social media trends.
Helpful Resources
Charity
- Ice Bucket Challenge
This is a Thing Now
- Gray Sweatpants Season
- How Gray Sweatpants Became the Unofficial Symbol of Fall HorninessThe seemingly innocuous garment sits at the intersection of sex, fashion, and social media. BY MAX BERLINGER. September 28, 2020
- The enduring, endearing cult of gray sweatpants thirst: Gray sweatpants season, explained. By Rebecca Jennings@rebexxxxa Mar 12, 2019, 12:40pm EDT
Memes
- Eduard Khil: The Soviet Union Pop Star Who Became a Meme. BY JAKE ROSSEN SEPTEMBER 5, 2017
Trolling
- Tidepods
- Tide Pods are being mentioned every 6 seconds on social media. By Lauren Hirsch. TUE, JAN 23 20185:13 PM EST, UPDATED TUE, JAN 23 20185:39 PM EST