Participation at best, copying mechanism at worst.

It’s getting tiring.

Too many templates being recycled, almost abused for a week or two, and then once a new one pops onto our feeds; well, the internet moves on like it never existed. On to the next climax, the search for the next dopamine hit.

Maybe it’s the fatigue we’re all experiencing with social media right now? (actually, for a good minute now.) Maybe it’s people trying to capitalize off a trend to earn more followers and boost their social media clout? Could be both and Could be neither.

But one thing is for sure here - as soon as a new trend pops off, it spreads like wildfire. Everyone wants a part of it, without even stopping to think about what that moment actually represents.

Always wondered how the person who started a trend actually feels about it.

Do they even know what they were making at the moment? Was it intentional? Was that the actual purpose? Do they ever look back and take in the magnitude of potentially millions of people taking part in something they started?

That gap between the initial intention and the end outcome has always fascinated me since the internet doesn’t even stop to think about who started something, or what their purpose was in making it.

So why do we follow those trends?

Observing without participating is fascinating, as you notice how the human mind falls in line, urging us to do something we would never do if that template never existed.

perhaps it’s herd behavior? Wikipedia defines it as - “Herd behavior is the behavior of individuals in a group acting collectively without centralized direction.” Are we just following because our friends did?

Sometimes it's for a great reason. Take the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge back in 2014; over 17 million people participated, resulting in the ALS Association reportedly receiving $115 million in donations!!

And then you have Sami and Moiz. You have Trax (legend!) being copied all over Instagram for his situation with Akay Diamonds. You have GRWM and fit checks on TikTok and Instagram; some with purpose, some just for the sake of it, some clearly trying to sell something. And we still choose to participate, actively or not. We're part of it, and there's really no getting away from it.

It is participation at best, copying mechanism at worst.

Participation is fun! it allows us to bond with family and friends, feel like part of a community. But when those reasons are replaced by larger ones, that's when it turns into something else. Some even sacrificing their “dignity” for the clout, and in the moment it's fun and all, but revisit it in two to three years - holla at us then.

And then of course, the business angle.

If you’re making money out of it, the equation is different. It allows you to provide for yourself and yours, and nobody can knock that. Also, history is filled with names who turned this into a business that completely exceeded the social media platform itself; we don’t need to mention those, We trust you to close your eyes for a minute. Promise you’ll come up with plenty of names.

"Forgettin' all I ever knew, convenient amnesia" - Jay-Z.

The internet always moves forward, often in cycles of two weeks when it comes to trends. So yes, like Jay said: “convenient amnesia”, absolutely.

And that cycle says a lot about us. How quick we move from one thing to another, be it projects, outfits, music, food, literally every aspect of life.

There is no one to blame but ourselves for participating in this digital age.

Maybe that's why the newly enforced trend is "IRL activations" as if that's something new? those activations existed before and will exist long after. It was you who stayed glued to that screen and declined to show up.

Convenient amnesia, someone?