In 2021, TikTok toppled Google as the most popular domain on the internet, and now it looks like it will take over Instagram as the ultimate home for fashion influencers.
With one of the biggest audiences on the planet, TikTok is responsible for the rise and fall of many trends. When TikTok talks, people listen. Lately, however, TikTok fashionistas have been divided over the potential resurgence of a very specific and iconic trend: the hipster.
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Even if you're not familiar with the word, you'll probably recognize the look. Think of the ModCloth aesthetic of early 2013 – sweeping fringes, Peter Pan collars, cute cardigans, skater skirts with printed tights, red lipstick, ukuleles and typewriters.
Essentially, look at almost any image of Zooey Deschanel circa 2011-2014 to get hit in the face with hipster fashion. It was an incredibly popular aesthetic, especially among the Tumblr crowd.
On the one hand, some users are convinced that the trend is making a comeback, prompting fashion followers to get their flats and berets ready. Others, however, are dismissing it as the latest in a line of TikTok algorithm blobs destined to peter out in speculation and drama.
Regardless of whether it's back, though, it's already facing backlash. So why is one aesthetic so divisive?
Here's the thing: it's not really about fashion. When you boil it all down, the underlying issues of the debate aren't based on clothing choices. They are based on deceptive algorithms, negative online behavior and fear of a cyclical internet.
The TikTok bubble effect
TikTok's algorithm is designed to know you better than you know yourself. It offers loads of personalized videos that pay attention to your interactions, all to make sure you see exactly the content you love.
But the funny thing about humans is that we actually have a very poor understanding of scale and relevance outside of our own bubbles. So if you're being inundated with a specific sound or trend on TikTok, your brain will likely think it's a much bigger deal than it is.