From social media dimming to cultural tendencies.
Ideas begin in the suburbs before entering the main flow. Everyone notion that we take as good today began life in complete darkness. Persian cavalry invented high heels in the 10th century to help them ride horses. In the 17th century, King Louis XIV popularized high red heels in Europe as a symbol of power and wealth. Until the 1800s, women began to wear high heels as a fashion statement. It took 800 years for high heels to become a global trend. Limited information networks, slow transport and resistance to foreign ideas cultural exchange stunned. Marco Polo spent three years traveling from Venice to Beijing by boat, horse, camel and foot. In 2025, a message can travel around the world within seconds.
New ideas spread faster and more widely than at any point in history. The spread of information has changed the understanding of what is a tendency. A trend used to represent a changing model of values, ideas and behaviors. The trends were emergency, transformative and semi -permanent. Like the revival of classical Greek and Roman culture in the Renaissance Italy. Mixing African, Latin and European music by African -American communities during the Jazz era in the 1920s. that lasted for decades.
In contrast, trends are now seen as flying moments, invalid of cultural meaning. Brands and traders should apply Lindy effect when exploring and analyzing culture. The Lindy effect claims that the longer it has been, the more likely it is to continue to exist. About 7.5 million blogs were posted daily. More than 500 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute. And 34 million videos were posted on Tiktok daily. Most people are not seeing the same content at the same time. We no longer have a common cultural reference framework. The rest of this article explores how we arrived here and why brands should escape from ticking of cultural tendencies.
Meme
Andy Warhol said famously: “In the future, everyone will be world -renowned for 15 minutes.” The same premise can be applied to social media trends. All trends go through five main stages: entry, growth, roof, decline and suffering. The stages have not changed, but the volume has increased, and the speed has accelerated. We end up confusing social media fashion for cultural trends. These flying memes have such a short life expectancy that they are often difficult to remember after disappearing from attention. In the words of Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu: “Flame that burns twice as much as half long.”
Remember when the Stanley Cup turned out viral? The 110-year-old brand became an indispensable accessory for young people. Company revenues increased from $ 75 million to 2022 to $ 750 million in 2024. But now, the brand is experiencing reactions to being the latest overload symbol. What about Barbie-Maria? For a month, everything was Barbie Pink, with brands trying to take advantage of Hype about the film. But very soon, Barbie-Maria gave the place Brat Summer, a trend that was approved by the Kamala Harris campaign. Marketing departments often keep such moments-with paid influenza-but micro-trees usually take their life when early adopters share and recover content on social media.
Micro-trends always change. What was hot last week is irrelevant next week. The transitional nature of the micro-tributes makes it impossible for brands to hold the last memes. The short window to capitalize results in a lot of effort with little return. With every micro trend comes an equally strong reaction against the so -called trend. Brands and traders must distinguish between flights of flight and cultural tendencies. The difference resembles Sigmund Freud’s iceberg model, where the tip of the iceberg – in this case, social media fashion – represents 10% of the equation despite being more visible and easily accessible. The remaining 90% of the culture is below the surface.
The sea of the oneness
The spread of information and the micro-Trendi cycle has forced brands to undergo the algorithm of the all-day, powerful social media. City has replaced authenticity. Mardo brand, regardless of its history, audience and category, is thrown into the same micro-trends in the hope of appearing important cultural and attracting a new generation of fans.
A quick move on social media will discover hundreds of social media managers by commenting on the same trend videos for influence. Undoubtedly, a small part of the Challenger brands can benefit from the advantage of the first movement, but the rest will simply fade to the page for you (FYP) as a well -mixed soup, without a special aroma or structure. Except for a handful of brands with unique personalities like Duolingo, Ryanair and Scrub Daddy – most brands have no proper space game. Brand’s unsolicited conquest in social spaces accelerates the death of micro-trees. Vibe killing for young people and communities online. As a random stranger trying to interrupt a conversation between friends.
The new approach from the brands underlines the fragmentation of the media and the decentralization of culture. Historically, brands had the power to set the agenda and make people embrace new trends. Now, most brands are algorithm servants, randomly commenting on trend videos in the hope of being part of the conversation.
Build your platform
Brands are desperate to jump into the other micro-tribute, but most have nothing original to share. The purpose of a brand is to be special and memorable, staying out of competition. Being distinctive makes it easier for people to think about your brand in a shopping situation. Following micro-tributes and screaming in the abyss of social media is a losing game with reduced returns.
Brands can actively contribute to society without promoting cultural moments and discourse. The first step is to have a unique brand platform and something to share with the world. This creates the foundations for community cooperation and long -term cultural programs that add real value to people. The distinction between flights of flight and cultural tendencies is almost impossible to detect through desktop research. Brands and agencies should partner with the cultural underwear that is forming the future in useful and non-equist ways. The most iconic brands do not follow trends; They embrace the future and strengthen cultural movements.