We live in a world of “trends”. Whether it’s fashion, food, music, or dances, many people are influenced by what’s “viral” and “trending”. And a lot of that is fuelled by TikTok.
What is a trend?
The Cambridge Dictionary definition of a trend is “a general development or change in a situation or in the way that people are behaving” and for TikTok, a trend is wide-ranging and encompasses anything “from fleeting viral moments to enduring cultural shifts.”
This could be a dance, a song or a sound that gains traction for a short moment on the app, or it can be far greater and actually influence our behaviour.
Do trends really influence us?
Trends have become part of our everyday lives. Take the 'Roman Empire' for example.
It began as a TikTok trend where women would share clips, shocked by how often the men in their lives thought about the 'Roman Empire'.
“My roman empire is…” is a phrase used to describe anything that an individual gives a significant amount of thought to in their everyday life.
TikTok isn't the only platform to set trends - they can work across various social media platforms. The hashtag #romanempire has one million posts on Instagram, the debate continued on X (formally Twitter) and searches for “how often do you think about the Roman Empire?” took the number one spot on Google's most-searched trend list in the U.S. in 2023
What’s trending on TikTok February 2024?
What is 'mob wife aesthetic'?
'Mob wife aesthetic' is one of the latest TikTok trends. It’s a fashion trend, and videos are circulating saying “clean girl aesthetic” is out, and “mob wife aesthetic” is in.
The 'mob wife aesthetic' is characterised by wearing lots of black, as much leather as possible, big fur coats and gold jewellery.
Depop, a second-hand clothes selling app, has seen a soar in the number of sales for items like gold hoop earrings and leopard print clothes, showing how trends can have real world impacts beyond the realms of our phone screens.
What is 'conscription'?
In January videos on conscription took over people in the UK’s TikTok FYP.
The videos you see on your FYP are determined by TikTok’s algorithm and which country you’re based in plays a part in this.
So when there was a news rumour that young people in the UK may be called upon for mandatory army service, known as 'conscription', creators took to TikTok to share their thoughts on being drafted for war.
What is 'coquette'?
Coquette is a fashion trend, famous for its bows, cute pastel colours and girly garments.
Newsbeat found the #coquette trend has racked up nearly 18 billion views and 1.2 million creations.
Not sure if the news you’re seeing on social media is true or false? Can you always tell if the things you see online are real or fake? Learn how to get the other side of the story with our quizzes, videos and explainers.
