Students reinvent themselves through quarantine trends

Kaylene lin

Two weeks off from school and an extended spring break. At first, it seemed like paradise.

But those two weeks quickly turned into a month. Then another month. Then nine more.

In the 11 months since the start of quarantine, the community that Carlmont teachers, students, and administrators have worked tirelessly to foster has rapidly changed. Following new distance learning protocols, Carlmont’s once lively campus has turned into empty hallways and deserted classrooms.

But in replacement of an in-person community, Carlmont classes, clubs, and events have all moved online. As the future becomes uncertain and more of everyone’s lives are spent through the internet, many students have been taking advantage of social media to remain in contact.

“Because of quarantine, many people are spending a lot more time on social media than before. They have nothing better to do,” Cameron Ward, a senior, said.

In turn, this dependency on social media has allowed trends and online communities to thrive.

“I think even though celebrities had a really strong influence on other people, quarantine definitely upped it a little bit because people are craving change. We’re stagnant, staying at home all the time, and you want to do something different,” Leila Farhi, a junior, said.

TikTok, a social media app that began gaining popularity in 2019, has become a platform for many of these new trends. For example, influencers like Noah Miller have created many popular comedy and dance trends that anyone can recreate at home.

So, even with a lack of on-campus interaction, these trends have enabled Carlmont students to be involved in a broader community.

Along with TikTok, other social media apps such as Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter have also become a breeding ground for trends and influencers. Video games like Among Us, shows such as “Euphoria” or “Tiger King,” and the infamous tennis skirts are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to quarantine trends.

However, this emphasis on online interaction brings up the question of how trends form in the first place, and whether or not they can be harmful.

“Influencers and celebrities influence a lot of trends because of their large following. Their fans will see something they post, whether it be a TikTok dance, a meme format, a video game, etcetera, and think, ‘Wow, well if that person I admire thinks that that’s cool, it must be cool!’ and then everyone hops on the bandwagon, and the trend spreads,” Ward said.

While this may sound like nothing to worry about, this idea of bandwagoning can have detrimental effects. Even though many of the trends that have sprung up over quarantine have been harmless fun, mindlessly following a celebrity or doing something that an influencer does can hurt many people.

For example, the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge a few years ago spurred a wave of people to suction their lips in hopes of making them larger. Inspired by Jenner, many of the people who participated in the trend experienced swelling or bruising around their mouth. Some were even hospitalized after suctioning their lips for too long.

“Social media idolizes celebrities so much that we want to be exactly like them. We think they can do no wrong,” Fotini Argyris, a senior, said.

On the flip side, Argyris still believes that although the ideology behind social media can be harmful, its ability to keep people connected and spread positive trends outweighs its cons.

“My favorite trends recently have to do with fashion and how much people have been experimenting with their style, especially because of quarantine,” Argyris said. “This time to ourselves gave us more insight into who we are and how we want to express and present ourselves to the world.”

Kaylene Lin