The underlying concept of trends is the culture that plays a determining role in shaping generation. Undertaken by a large proportion of the society, trends outline positive and negative impacts on our society. For instance, the term selfie which is defined as a self-taken photograph traces back the year 2002 where it was first used as a word, and the year 2013, when it was added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Even before the embarkation of the term, self-taken photographs have existed for much longer. What has been downplayed way back can still resurface today or in the near future; is one of the characteristics of trends. There have been repetitive actions of people depending on the influences and impact they make. For example, in the early 2000’s selfies were typically flash-blinded self-portraits in the bathroom Myspace users take. Later on, when Facebook dominated the social online network, the Myspace type of selfies has become an indication of bad taste as Facebook users now take more formal, intricate and sometimes taken by other photos. With this, mobile photo applications like Instagram and snapchat led selfie to be wide spread that they have been so easy to create and share. Trends nowadays comes in different forms. May it be a political, physical appearance, economic, and environment.
I have chosen the selfie trend to reflect and make example on this specific lesson because it covers almost every element of a trend there is, also selfie is a venture that everyone in this planet should be discreet about. As every trend goes and like what I’ve stated in the former paragraph, trends have positive and negative impacts on our society. Discretion and prudence should be grounded among ourselves in everything we do. As we live in a digital era, where almost everything can be accessed with a tap or a swipe, as inventors make all else easier for us, hence the easy access to all types of social media, troll accounts, hackers, identity thieves, internet predators, and pedophiles are spread everywhere easily waiting for their next victim. Another example is the corset trend centuries ago where European females wore corsets despite being uncomfortable for most. Still they wore corsets because individuals who do not follow the trend are considered to be non-conformists who do not wish to be recognized with the society they live in. Thus, it can be said and proved that following a trend is often fueled by social pressure. When the real deal is, sense of identification and belongingness in the society should not be acquired through conforming with the ‘greater acceptability image’ of a society. What if an individual is not financially capable of keeping up with the tangible goods of a trend? This can result in depression in the population which may have health consequences. These trends may have positive or negative effects on people. Considering the chance of an individual to be pushed into depression due to inability to keep up with the trends, it can be said that the negative effects outweigh positive effects. Therefore, we should always anticipate and regard the possible outcomes of the things that are happening and changing around us in order to avoid circumstances that threatens the life of every individual.
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