Social Media Trends of the Year

                                                    By Edwin Melara

 

Do you remember a few summers ago, when the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge went viral on social media? Or how about way back in elementary school, when we all used to own and wear Silly Bandz? Man, they were sensational.  The Ice Bucket Challenge was an activity where people would film themselves drenching themselves with a bucket of ice water and post it on social media. They would then nominate their friends to do the same. This was done to increase awareness for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and support the ALS association. 

 

While that was a popular trend a while ago, there are still many popular trends today- just look around the high school. We have the Mannequin Challenge, bottle flipping, and dabbing just to name a few.

 

The Mannequin Challenge: This trend entails a group of people who remain frozen in action, like mannequins, while being filmed by a moving camera. During this sequence, songs such as "Black Beatles" by Rae Sremmurd typically play in the background. This trend is reported to have been started by a couple of students in Jacksonville, Florida who posted the first mannequin video back in October. Many sports teams posted similar videos, and before long, many people took up the mannequin challenge! A look through Instagram or Twitter under the hashtag #mannequinchallenge, and you'll find over a million postings.

 

 

Bottle Flipping: We all hear and see it almost every day-  a plastic water bottle being flipped with the hope of landing it on its base.  Admit it, most of us have tried it more than once.  The person holding the bottle continues to flip it 360 degrees, in an attempt to make it land upright. Sound familiar? Yes, this is the bottle flipping challenge. Earlier in 2016, a North Carolina high schooler named Michael Senatore performed the first ever water flipping trick for the school talent show. The video was soon uploaded and became an overnight sensation. Soon (and continuing to this day) many people worldwide flip bottles in hopes of mastering the perfect toss. Want to hear a secret? They say that filling the bottle one third of the way will make it easier to flip. Also, it has been shown that Deer Park Spring Water bottles, due to their hourglass shape, make it much easier to successfully flip.

 

Dabbing: When somebody succeeds in something rather difficult, as a form of celebration/dance, they might perform a dab (after successfully flipping a bottle, for instance). A dab is when you diagonally raise your arms and bring your face to your elbows.  There was some controversy as to who started the dab, but it was later settled that it was originated by Flippa Da Skippa in Atlanta hip-hop.  The dab gained popularity after a dab by Cam Newton, football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, during a game against the Tennessee Titans back in November 2015. 

 

 

These trends can be seen being performed all around Mineola High School, and nearly everywhere you go. It doesn't end there. While the following are not as popular as the former(thankfully for two of them!), here's a list of other well-known challenges. (WARNING.  SOME OF THESE CHALLENGES HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO CAUSE HEALTH PROBLEMS.)

 

 

Andy's Coming: This challenge, fortunately, is much safer than some others. Remember in Disney Pixar's "Toy Story," how the toys have to drop to the ground and remain still whenever Andy, their owner, comes? Well, that's exactly what this challenge is about! A group of people will be together, and when somebody shouts, "Andy's coming!" they all drop to the floor. This is usually filmed and uploaded on social media. 

 

We’re not sure why, but some people have also done:

 

Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge: Putting a small glass or cup to your mouth, holding it more a few minutes, and before you know it, you have big, puffy lips! But be careful- this challenge might seriously hurt and irritate your mouth. Plus, if the glass is too small, it may shatter and cause even more injury.

 

Cinnamon Challenge:-  For the cinnamon challenge, one must attempt to consume an entire spoonful of ground cinnamon in under a minute without drinking any water or fluids. This may cause gagging, difficulty in breathing, and throat irritation.  It’s also really just gross.

 

The new year has just begun.  I wonder what new trends will emerge this year through our expanding social media…