(NewsNation) — From fashion to music and design, pop culture trends are coming and going faster than ever as social media shrinks the life cycle of trends. And the real-world implications are bigger than they seem.
Previously, creative fields followed a 20-year trend cycle, where pop culture trends across industries came and went every 20 years. Any shorter than that and the trend would be considered corny or outdated rather than retro and cool.
Social media, particularly TikTok, has made this rule virtually obsolete as micro trends speed up the trend cycle to the point of near collapse.
In the fashion world, the traditional trend cycle follows five stages: introduction, rise, peak, decline and obsolescence. But with social media fueling the rise of aesthetics from “glazed donut” and “coastal grandma” to “mob wife,” the trend cycle is running from start to finish within a matter of months or even weeks.
And it’s not just fashion. Trending memes, sounds and slang are going in and out of fashion at breakneck speeds, leaving some companies struggling to keep up with the younger generation.
“Trend cycles used to start on the runway before eventually filtering down through the high street, spiked by the odd pop culture moment or celebrity co-sign. Today, viral “aesthetics” can blow up overnight and fall out of fashion just as quickly — but not before brands capitalize on the surging interest for products that help emulate the vibe,” Vogue Business wrote.
Over the past holiday season, the viral Stanley tumbler took TikTok by storm, causing retail chaos as some shoppers camped outside stores for the newest releases. But now, some trend forecasters say the Stanley mug trend might already be over.
“In my experience, most trends start with cool youth, and then once they trickle down (to younger kids) and up (to adults), the cool youth move on,” said Casey Lewis, a youth consumer trends analyst. Lewis explained that since Millenials and children as young as 11 have picked up the trend, it has fallen out of favor among the Gen Z.
This constant proliferation of micro trends and subcultures has changed the way brands are engaging with their consumers, capitalizing on the explosive and short-lived nature of modern trends.
Former Forbes Councils member Sophia Rascoff explains that the brands that are able to tap into micro trends as they have their moment in the sun are creating stronger relationships with consumers, while the brands that are late to the trend end up coming off “too corporate”
“Virality revolves around speed, giving you an opportunity to insert yourself into the conversation and demonstrate relevance. When brands get caught up in the nuances of participating in a trend, such as content approval processes, and they post after the trend has passed, it loses all effectiveness,” Rascoff wrote in Forbes.
However, some are raising concerns about how this trend cycle collapse is contributing to a culture of overconsumption.
“Microtrends encourage overconsumption when we should be future-proofing our wardrobes and not buying for the short term,” said Franny Collingham, a fashion sustainability expert. “Whilst shopping second hand is better than buying new, we should be discouraging such behavior and looking for durable, versatile and trans-seasonal clothing which can be with us for years.”
