BeReal, the Griddy, CapCut, Instagram Notes, and YouTube Shorts are trending this year but are they here to stay? Art by Sara Bhatt.
By Sara Bhatt, Staff Reporter
In a world where almost everyone is an influencer (or thinks they are at least), trends are sure to come and go. Whether it’s the latest new app or another dance, here are five trends that I think either popped off or totally flopped:
1. BeReal: Totally Flopped
The BeReal app caught major attention last year, as it introduced a concept to social media that has been absent for so long – being real. However, just like any other social media platform, it quickly became another way to highlight the best parts of your life. The concept of BeReal is to post a photo within two minutes of the random notification once a day to show what you are doing at that very moment yet users still have the ability to post “late” and therefore can choose which part of their day they want to share with their friends.
This may be a hot take but if you ask me, the BeReal trend is finally starting to die off, as it should. All it has done is further create the feeling of needing to constantly post on social media.
2. The Griddy: Popped Off
This trend is a little different however it has definitely taken the world by storm. The dance move, which first went viral in 2021, has proven that it’s here to stay. Justin Jefferson, wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, re-popularized the dance when he used it as a touchdown celebration this past season and it has continued to be relevant ever since then. Like any good trend, it has taken over TikTok and I firmly believe it’s a dance we will see trending for a while.
3. CapCut TikTok Edits: Totally Flopped
Speaking of TikTok, this leads me to my third trend – CapCut TikTok edits. CapCut is a video editing app that has a plethora of transitions, green screens, and video templates available. Recently, the app has collaborated with TikTok since the two are owned by the same parent company ByteDance, and pushed out a large selection of TikTok trends. While the convenience of the app is great, I think that the videos created using CapCut can be a little cheesy and very overplayed.
I personally enjoy seeing original content on my TikTok feed, so seeing a slightly different variation of the same video over and over again just isn’t my cup of tea. I have started to notice that as time goes on, the CapCut edits aren’t going viral like they first were. Instead, everyone hops on the trend and their video is lost in the millions of others.
4. Instagram Notes: Totally Flopped
The new Instagram notes feature was introduced in December and was very short-lived. The idea behind this feature was to post a short message (up to 60 characters) for all your followers to see in the direct messages section of their account. At first, users were intrigued with the new feature but quickly realized that if they wanted their followers to know their thoughts, they should just head to Twitter instead.
I think Instagram thought that copying this idea from Twitter (just like they did with stories from Snapchat) would be a hit, however, it was the exact opposite.
5. YouTube Shorts: On the Come Up
YouTube is a video platform that has been around for many years now, however, YouTube Shorts is a recent feature. The Shorts feature allows for shorter videos to be highlighted and posted in their own section as opposed to only being uploaded as regular videos. While you may not have heard of YouTube Shorts before, I am confident that this is the year it will really take off. With short videos on TikTok growing in popularity and shrinking the average attention span, YouTube Shorts is bound to pop off.
Many brands and companies are beginning to utilize Shorts to build their following on the YouTube platform. One example of this is the makeup brand, Glossier. Last July, Glossier used YouTube Shorts to create their own viral YouTube challenge where influencers and users of their products were encouraged to recreate a look to show off how they individually use their Glossier eyeliner. By utilizing Shorts, Glossier was able to market its new eyeliner and sell products successfully, all while staying relevant with its online presence.
