Microtrends – fleeting styles, aesthetics and consumer habits that can emerge and disappear within weeks – are gaining rapid visibility on social media, accelerating a cycle of consumption driven by platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.

Typically adopted by relatively small groups and short-lived, microtrends have become an increasingly visible part of everyday life as social media changes the way users interact with content.

A clothing style, makeup trend, interior design aesthetic, food or lifestyle choice can be copied by thousands of users in a short period, only to lose its popularity just as quickly.

Social media algorithms contribute to the rapid spread of these trends by promoting content based on users’ interests. As content creators and brands join the process, the time between a trend’s emergence and its widespread adoption is shrinking, while users are increasingly quick to embrace – and move on from – the latest trend.

The phenomenon extends beyond digital culture and can also influence consumer behavior.

Frequent shifts toward what is considered "new” and "popular” may encourage users to quickly replace products they own or change styles they have adopted. The desire to remain visible and relevant on social media can further reinforce the cycle.

Youth on social media

Professor Katherine Hampsten, a professor in the Department of Communication Studies in St. Mary’s University’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and Camila Berumen, a student in the university’s communication sciences program, spoke to Anadolu Agency (AA) about how microtrends emerge, why they spread so quickly and how they affect user behavior.

Hampsten said younger generations increasingly rely on social media to express themselves. She said their interest in microtrends can provide insight into their consumption habits and the cultural values that develop around those habits.

Berumen described microtrends as short-lived fashion movements, products that suddenly become popular or emerging aesthetics. She said their popularity on social media can last anywhere from a few weeks to three months.

Influencers spread trends quickly

Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram have fundamentally changed consumption habits, Berumen said, noting that the amount of content presented to users each day has increased at an unprecedented pace.

Social media constantly delivers new and engaging information, she said. Algorithms favor shorter content because users tend to scroll rapidly and respond positively to short videos.

"If you make a short video about a particular topic that people like, that content will continue to be promoted at a high frequency,” Berumen said.

Berumen and Hampsten also pointed to the role of instant gratification on social media and the influence of content creators whose appealing qualities can attract and shape the behavior of younger audiences.

Social media fatigue rises

Before the rise of social media, similar trends spread largely through celebrity and fashion magazines, Berumen said. The difference today is the scale and speed at which trends can spread.

Social media allows millions of people to see, watch and imitate a particular trend, she said, turning a single style or idea into a global phenomenon within days.

Social media profiles can also effectively turn individuals into brands, Berumen said, noting that it has become common for people to search for someone on social media soon after meeting them.

But the constant cycle of rapid change and consumption appears to be creating a form of fatigue, Berumen and Hampsten said.

That fatigue can itself influence behavior, including encouraging people to step away from social media.

"Interestingly, from what I’ve noticed recently, this has itself become a trend,” Berumen said, referring to a growing interest in analog media, spending less time on phones and finding other activities to do.

She said the shift reflects an effort to distance oneself from the digital environment that has dominated everyday life in recent years.