By Noah Elmaleh Preuss
A trend is something that’s been developed or created and it becomes so popular or so “hip'' during a certain period of time that everyone will want to copy it and clone it over and over again. Many people tend to assume that trends are usually cool or good things that will go around, but trends can be created in a range of different ways and also a range of intentions. Some are fun, some are amazing, some are disgusting, but no matter how long they last, a new one will always form and replace the old over time.
Trends gain popularity in many different ways but one of the biggest ways they start to spread especially today is through social media. On social media, one person who might be the lucky first viewer to see that creation (possibly soon to be a trend) might get hyped or absolutely shocked by it and then they will post it. Overtime it will be posted and reposted by more people over and over again. Soon enough, it will spread so quickly that it will gain enough popularity to be recognized as a trend. But remember, that trend might not always be positive. It might be disgusting, obnoxious, a disgrace to society, etc. No matter the meaning behind the trend, it will always be seen by society and will be judged by people in many different ways.
A few Harbord Collegiate Grade 9 students were asked what their thoughts were about the intent behind trends. Here are some of their responses:
When asked about his thoughts on the intent behind trends, grade 9 student Lance Galura said, “It depends on what the trend is, some trends can be harmful but a lot of the trends I see are for entertainment.”
Another grade 9 student, Emma Dong, said, “I think trends contribute to waste production because take for example fashion. When items trend, they go out very quickly then once a new trend is formed, they get very quickly wasted and thrown away.”
Lastly, another Grade 9 student, Christian Samianza, said, “It depends on the trend and it also depends on the targeted audience. Some can negatively affect people, some can positively affect people. For example, the Devious Lick trend was bad because it was influencing people to steal in schools. But the Angelic Yield trend was positive because it encouraged people to give back the things the students had stolen.”
Based on most of the responses from Grade 9 students, trends themselves are not inherently bad until you know what the trend is and what the intention is on society. A good tip is that before participating in a trend, think about whether it’s going to be a good influence on yourself and possibly others.