by Caitlin Blackmon | feature editor
‘Everything in Moderation’ should be posted on billboards everywhere during 2017, just as a reminder of the repetitive nature of 2016, and how we must never return.
“Satisfying” Instagram videos – Why watching people repeatedly poking green slime on video is labeled as “satisfying,” the world will never know. There is no telling how these ridiculous videos became a trend, but Instagram piled these into their suggested section so that you must suffer scrolling through them. Go get your own slime and poke it if you must, but watching a video of someone else do it is a little weird.
The dog Snapchat filter – We get it. It makes your face glow and hides your less admirable features, but if you keep posting a selfie where you look like a dog, your friends may start to believe you really are a dog. Plus, that licking noise is cringe-worthy and does nothing for your reputation.
Water bottle flipping – Like many other trends of 2016, this one makes no sense. Surely it originated because some twenty-something frat boy was bored and kept flipping a water bottle out of boredom. He thought it would be a great idea to video himself being bored so others would know how truly bored he was. Then, something incredible happened. He flipped it, and it made a perfect landing. And thus, the challenge was born, and all the other bored people lived happily ever after.
The mannequin challenge – ‘Don’t move guys! This will be really cool, especially with this rad new song playing in the background!’ Oh, the mannequin challenge. Short-lived, and rightly so. You can only stand still for so long, and in so many settings.
Memes in general – Memes were basically the theme song of sorts in 2016. Some are clever, some are not. Some are worthy of likes, others are not. While there are a variety of memes out there, their repetitiveness is bound to result in some throwing their phones at the wall. So Kim Kardashian has some pretty interesting photos, but there’s really no need to edit one photo twenty times with funny (or not so funny) captions.
Contouring with everything – This one may make the least sense of all. New makeup tips are cool, but once there’s a whole banana awkwardly resting on your face, it’s gone too far. And of course it couldn’t just end with a banana, a select few were eager to find different household items to press against their cheekbones. Knives, shoes, chocolate bars, oh my! You name it, someone’s found a way to use it. Anything can be used to create the perfect contour, with a little imagination and a lot of bravery.
Bath bomb videos – Now these are kind of a different story. Bath bombs add a Hollywood glamour to an otherwise mundane and routine chore. The vibrancy of the colors mixed with its sweet and relaxing scent set the perfect mood for an enjoyable Saturday evening. It’s an awesome experience to witness, but also an intimate one, so it’s kind of odd to share with others on Snapchat. That’s a really cool bath bomb, and your candles are hypnotising, but not everyone needs to know your bath time rituals.
Excessive rose gold accessories – Okay. Rose gold is a stunning combination of two already-stunning shades. Almost every rose gold item out there is mesmerizingly gorgeous. However, if you happen to be strolling around with a rose gold iPhone, scrolling through the latest rose gold accessories on Pinterest while listening to music with your rose gold earbuds, which keep getting tangled with your rose gold earrings, it’s clear you have an addiction and should probably cool it before you turn rose gold, too.
Trying to be politically correct on social media – With all the events of 2016, combined with a monumental presidential election, some decided it was their chance to not-so-quietly broadcast their political Looking at how far technology has come like opinions on the world wide web. Admittedly, some of these rants are quite humorous, but if you don’t know what you’re talking about, it’s probably better to just keep it to yourself. By all means, if you must have your opinion heard, share it with a small group. This way, you’ll only look like a fool in front of a select few and can spare yourself from becoming the weekly meme.
Everyone getting overly upset over the advancement of technology – Yes, your parents’ childhood looked a lot different than yours, and you’ve probably found yourself comparing your childhood to those of kids today at some point. Lots of this can be attributed to technology, but it’s also just a generation gap. Progression is a natural part of society, and it’s as simple as that. Some may be fearful of turning into robots within the next decade, but then again, our world is supposed to look pretty similar to that today, at least according to Back to the Future. We can all just sit tight and rest assured that we made it through another year just fine.
