Social Media As Trend-Starter

If Facebook were a country, it would be the largest in the world. Mark Zuckerberg’s brainchild accounts for 15.8 percent of the time people worldwide spend on the internet every day. And in addition to Facebook — think Snapchat, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, and 100 other sites — at least 2.1 billion people use various social media globally.

It’s no surprise, then, that social media has become one of the fastest ways to spread trends. Just look at this election. GOP candidate Donald Trump has used Twitter to speak directly to the people, and during the three presidential debates, the tweet-rate was at an all-time high as the social media platform became a place for a national conversation.

‘Juju on That Beat’ has gone viral.

Celebrities are as plugged into social media as anyone — probably even more so. When they post anything, 10 billion people see it and tend to follow suit.

Take, for example, Kylie Jenner’s lip challenge. When Jenner had her lips cosmetically altered in 2014, girls everywhere wanted the same results but without the expensive fillers or surgery. The outcome was pure absurdity. Girls quickly learned that sucking the air out of a cup to enlarge their smackers not only made them look like sick trout — it was painful and potentially risky. Still, the pouty trend went viral, much to the chagrin of parents everywhere.

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Then there was the Harlem Shake fad that began and, thankfully, passed in 2013 — but not before spawning thousands upon thousands of ridiculous (and occasionally really funny) videos. Besides celebrities like Anderson Cooper, Jimmy Fallon, Ryan Seacrest, and even the Simpsons, everyone from college students to sports teams, hospital staff, and entire offices were uploading 30-second videos of themselves dancing to Baauer’s catchy, annoying, and mercifully brief song. In February of that year, there was a Harlem Shake video upload every 21.6 seconds.

More currently, the Mannequin Challenge has become popular as groups of people stand still and take a video or photo and share it. And “Juju on that Beat,” set to the music of Crime Mob’s song “Knuck If You Buck,” has also gone viral.

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Self-proclaimed internet star and rapper Zay Hilfiger, 15, says it took about five minutes to pen the lyrics, and it didn’t take much longer for the earworm to rocket up the Billboard Hot 100. Within three weeks, it rose to No. 11. He presented his creation as the TZ Anthem Challenge, daring YouTube viewers to copy his series of dance moves.

If you don’t know what “Juju” is, just watch a teenager or tune in to Vine, SnapChat, YouTube, and Twitter. Even NBA star Shaquille O’Neal and his kids have accepted the assignment, dancing and shaking in their living room to the amusement of their fans.

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But social media isn’t always used for inanity. It can also generate a lot of good. The much-celebrated ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised awareness of Lou Gehrig’s disease and a ton of cash for a good cause. Hundreds of celebs took part, with everyone from Justin Timberlake and Chris Pratt to Bill Gates and Lady Gaga gasping when the glacial chill hit them head-first. The videos of their icy showers are enshrined on YouTube.

“Movember” is another good cause and it’s back this month. If you’ve seen hairier male faces during November for the past few years, it’s because two Australians decided to promote awareness of, and raise money for, various cancers among men in 2004.

“Mo” is Australian slang for mustache, and their goal was to “change the face of men’s health.” They did — but it wasn’t until a lot of guys posted pictures of their autumn facial hair on social media that the movement really took off. Expect to see whiskers and fundraising galore in the coming weeks. Sly Stallone, Justin Bieber, David Beckham, and Leo DiCaprio have all grown lip stubble for the movement, posting their pics on social media.

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Like it or not, and follow it or not, social media and celebrities reign over our fads and fuel our whims. Their hashtags promote everything from fashion, love, new songs, selfies, puppies, political stances, and everything else on the planet. People are eager to jump on an interesting bandwagon — whether the trend is medical, charitable, fashion-related, or Hollywood chic.

Trends will come and go; some are more helpful than others. The reality of social media and stars fostering fads, however, is here to stay.