The Urge to Join Meaningless Trends: A Psychological Exploration

From going viral dances to weird fashion fads, social media is always flooded with trends that become overnight sensations.

Some are enjoyable, some are important, but others leave us wondering. Why are millions of people racing to replicate something that doesn't matter at all? The thing is, these "useless" trends aren't so useless when you look at human psychology.

1. The Need to Belong

One of the most powerful human desires is the desire to belong. We all want to feel like we belong to something, and becoming part of a trend is a simple way to say, "I'm in this too." Even simply liking, sharing, or replicating a video provides us with evidence that we're "in" on the crowd. In that way, partaking in a trend is not so much about the trend itself. It's a way of demonstrating that we belong and won't be left out. 

2. FOMO – The Fear of Missing Out

The other huge reason is FOMO. If everybody else is doing something, we kind of get nervous that if we don't, we'll fall behind. This fear compels us to participate, even if we don't particularly like it. Online, where visibility and attention are critical, being left out of a trend can even cost one "social points." So, we participate just to be included.

3. The Bandwagon Effect

This is what psychologists have termed the bandwagon effect doing something because everybody else is doing it. When we notice millions of people reposting, sharing, or liking a challenge, our minds think that it must be something we should do too. This behaviour traces its roots back to ancient survival instincts: copying the pack once kept us alive. Now, it just keeps us addicted to fads.

4. A Way to Express Ourselves

It might not feel like it, but even pointless trends permit self-expression. For instance, in a dance that went viral, individuals add something unique or personal. This is an interesting paradox: we both feel special and are part of the group. In psychology, this is the conflict between being different and belonging. Trends permit us to do both.

5. The Brain's Reward System

Our brains are also in on the act. Each share, comment, or like we get when we post rewards us with a little shot of dopamine, the "feel-good" drug. We feel rewarded and go for more. The process is repeated over time: trends do not deliver actual value to us, yet they release real pleasure encouraging us to continue playing along.

6. Finding Meaning Where There Is None

Even if a trend appears stupid, folks tend to find personal significance in it. Perhaps it's the giggling we enjoy with friends as we do it. Perhaps it's simply knowing that we belong to something greater.

That small sense of belonging makes it significant, even if the act itself isn't.

Of course, not all trends are safe. Hazardous challenges or unhealthy fads also tap into the same psychological hardwiring making it wise of us to stop and think before we mindlessly follow. At first glance, hopping on meaningless trends seems shallow. But if you examine more closely, it reveals something very human:

• We want to belong.

• We're afraid of being left out.

• We use others to inform our behavior.

• We like attention and approval.

Trends are a reflection, a mirror of what we value connection, identity, and being noticed by others. So while most trends pass in days, the whys behind joining them last forever. Most times, wanting to join senseless trends isn't about the trend. It's about us, our psychology, our social needs, and our quest for connection.

In this perspective, meaningless trends are not meaningless at all. They are tiny but potent reminders of how profoundly human the need to belong and be accepted actually is.