How Tik Tok Can Accelerate Conformity and Erase Individuality

Social media — apps such as Tik Tok and Instagram in particular — is home to many of the strangest and unusual trends to date. I remember scrolling through my feed a few months ago only to find that people were starting to apply makeup so as to mimic exhaustion-fueled under eye-bags. Something that many, in the past, tried to conceal with makeup and expensive creams had now become the newest “look” — strange, I know. But as outlandish as some beauty, fashion, and appearance-based fads may seem, tons of Gen Z users follow along in an almost sheep-like manner. Why is social media able to spur trends so quickly? And further, why are young audiences so willing to conform to trends without any questioning?

It has been documented that users in their teens, ages ten to nineteen, make up 25 percent of Tik Tok’s user base. These are very young, malleable minds that are more likely to be susceptible to “group-think” tendencies. Most young adults seek to conform to others their age, for many reasons — acceptance, friendships, to avoid ridicule. According to the Journal of Adolescence, conformity is surely age-dependent, and young adults display a greater susceptibility to social influence, from peers, than adults.

Some of the trends that emerged on Tik Tok started small, but before we knew it they were unavoidable. I recall seeing a few influencers and Tik Tok stars sporting pearl necklaces; days later the Vivienne Westwood website was sold out of all Bas Relief Pearl Choker Necklaces. Some of the other trends that took the Internet by storm were beaded phone straps (selling for a whopping $70! — I mean c’mon guys, you can make these yourself for under $10), e-boy/e-girl clothing styles, bleaching the two front strands of your hair...and these are just a few of the seemingly strange trends that young adults took to with eagerness. Granted, none of these trends are putting anyone in danger — but some of the things that circulate on high-speed social media sites like Tik Tok are not as safe or commendable. 

Many influencers, such as Tik Tok’s Danielle Cohn (who boasts an impressive following of 18.3 million) advertise harmful products, such as “waist trainers” for example. I thought we had debunked these weird gadgets back in 2016, after the Kardashian’s faced backlash for endorsing dangerous, health-adverse waist trainers. These are not the types of examples we need to be setting for today’s youth. It doesn’t just stop there. 

Some of the other dangerous trends circulating on Tik Tok include the silhouette challenge — in which one posts a video that shows off their silhouette backlit by only one bright light — full face waxing, injecting hyaluronic acid into one’s skin for “skin care related benefits”, jaw exercising....yeah, I could keep going for days, but you get the point. All of these trends were proven to put users’ health at a serious risk, let alone affect their body image and self-esteem negatively. Instead of promoting to young demographics that there is always something that needs improving, we should be spreading the notion that we are all beautiful as the individuals we are.

The dangers of a world where everyone is aspiring to one uniform prototype have been warned many a time in dystopian novels and films. Being unique is a great thing. It is our collective differences that makes us each our own person, and these things should be celebrated. There is nothing wrong with partaking in fun trends, maybe you want to change up your hair using a dye tutorial you found on Tik Tok, or you got some styling inspiration from an influencer’s page — do your thing! But when conforming to trends online begins to interfere with your mental health, self image, and overall well-being, it may be time to distance yourself from social media, and to log off.