It’s Okay To Embrace Garbage Trends … I Guess

Remember a year ago when sea shanties were a thing? No? Neither do we. But it was totally a thing. The flash-in-the-pain trend that was sea shanties is what is now known as a “garbage trend.” And it wasn’t the only one. 

“Garbage trends … are kind of like fast fashion.”

The term “garbage trends” comes from Vox journalist Rebecca Jennings. 

“They sort of come out of nowhere, they seem very of the moment, everyone showers them with attention and, in some respects, money and time and meaning and then the next week they’re in … the figurative landfill of ideas.” 

There Is Nothing New About This

One can watch a video of Josephine Baker dancing to the Charleston fad of the 1920s and immediately relate. It looks almost like an old-timey TikTok, no?

There have always been fads and trends. There have been quite a few in the past decade. 

Remember fidget spinners? 

Cronuts? 

How about Tebowing?

And, of course, the Harlem Shake.

There’s more. ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, Pokemon Go, Words With Friends, Heelys, Mannequin Challenge. There has never been and never will be a shortage of garbage trends. 

But, in our increasingly virtual/digital lives, garbage trends are coming and going faster than ever. 

TikTok Ruins Everything

“The spread of these trends that come and go is much faster.

“I think TikTok and these other algorithm-based platforms are a huge part of it.”

There is an entire South Park episode all about how quickly these trends come and go. Who can’t relate to catching up with a trend only to learn that it’s over? 

The youths can’t? Well, **** em. They will relate one day… 

“Barely anyone knows how these algorithms work. [Even marketers] test something and then if it doesn’t blow up, they’ll just get rid of it.

“If it does [blow up], they’ll shove it in everyone’s faces and then move onto the next thing.” 

It does feel pretty random, doesn’t it?

Garbage Trends Aren’t Going Anywhere

Ultimately, is there anything wrong with garbage trends? Do they really hurt anyone? (I don’t mean physically, I’m sure someone’s been hit in the head by a fidget spinner.) Outside of that insult to cuisine that is baked feta pasta, garbage trends are at least fun. 

They’re a moment in the present that we often take for granted. We live in a time where we’re embarrassed by our past and anxious about our future. It’s nice to have these stupid little moments of levity. They keep us sane, if but for a moment. 

Onto the next one…