Social Media Norms

An example of something that becomes popular out of nowhere and is seemed to be used by many individuals are hashtags. It may have taken a while for the hashtag trend to come about but, as hashtags are created there seems to be some that are unanimously used and understood. Even hashtags that are used as acronyms are understood. For instance, #tbt, is universally agreed to stand for Throw Back Thursday, with some exceptions. It’s as if hashtags have taken a part in becoming a norm in the social media world. Social media has made it easier for social norms to happen. When something is started and is seen on your friend’s timeline and their friend’s timeline you start to wonder if it’s something you should start doing. However, the “trend” you swore you’d never fall in to somehow creeps in without you even realizing it. And the person who may have started a hashtag may have either moved on to something new or stopped completely. Yet, even though it may still be used, it eventually leads to no one really knowing where it started or why they still decide to use it. It reminds me of social conformity where we have that human desire to feel accepted and fit in which can influence our behavior. Below is an example of how someone who has no idea why or how the "trend" started yet, keeps it going.