TikTok and social media trends have created a nostalgic 2024 summer, and these trends, including music, pop culture, fashion, and food, have bled into politics, marketing, and online culture.
Some of the music that’s been on repeat includes Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!” feels like the nostalgic YMCA dance, as the motions are extremely similar, with Roan leading her crowds in spelling out the letters of H-O-T-T-O-G-O with their arms. Roan, a drag artist and pop singer who has recently gotten viral and has been gaining popularity since, calls out for more LGBTQ+ inclusivity in the music industry.
Another rising artist is Charli XCX, who’s chokehold on TikTok has undoubtedly given us some of the most memorable trends of the summer, including BRAT and the Apple dance. Brat Summer, coined by Charli, is a trend encompassing cool girl style and a notable lime green hue. It’s a lifestyle for girls to embrace themselves and live with a rebellious spirit. In particular, “Apple” took off on social media when famous artists like Troye Sivan, celebrities like Glen Powell, and even the USA Artistic Swimming Team at the Paris 2024 Olympics began doing this dance and posting it online.
These trends, however, aren’t all for fun and games, as the political implications of them are astounding. Charli XCX herself tweeted how Kamala Harris, presidential candidate of the 2024 election, “IS brat,” The official Kamala HQ social media chose to embrace this tweet and center its background as a bold lime green.
Many companies and corporations have also established their presence on TikTok by using viral trends to promote themselves. The UC social media team (@universityofcalifornia) appeals to high school students and urges users to apply to their Universities by participating in these trends. Companies like Chipotle also use trends as marketing strategies to advertise their new menu items, keeping up with times by using popular audios or phrases like “very mindful, very demure.”
Apart from leveraging Tiktok’s platform for marketing, people have used this app to express their sense of self and style. Demetra Dias, a 17 year old girl from New Jersey, amassed followers rapidly when shopping hauls went viral. Now, with over 3 million followers, she is seen to post numerous aesthetic outfits, product reviews, and PR unboxings, making teen girls wistful to have her wardrobe. Her influence is extensive in the fashion side of TikTok, as it is known as the “Demetra Effect.” Day by day, these younger content creators are steering their way through TikTok, boosting consumerism.
In addition to fashion trends promoting overconsumption, Foodie influencers and Mukbangers have played a role in consumerism. Karissa Dumbacher (@karissaeats on TikTok), is known for describing her unhealthy meals with mouth-watering words to engage the audience. Mukbangers like Jelly Bean Sweets normalized eating excessive amounts of fast food at the expense of one’s health, and her followers have even noted her weight gain after she got famous, which is largely due to her need to keep up with the mukbang content her fans have come to expect. The lifestyle these content creators promote can be detrimental to younger generations, as they are regularly exposed to and influenced to go out and eat unhealthy food.
When navigating social media, it’s important to understand the dynamic between conformity and uniqueness. There are influencers on Tiktok who try to utilize their platform to spread positivity and share their experiences and life, but there are others who shadow their own personality just to gain views and followers. Following trends blindly isn’t always the best step to take, and people should always be mindful of the content they are watching on TikTok and take everything with a grain of salt.
