7 Reasons Why I Avoid Social Media Trends and Challenges

Another day, another social media fad. Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and the like are full of social media challenges and trends, but I will not be participating in any of them. And there are so many reasons why you should avoid them too.

1 Challenges can be dangerous

A quick glance at the news will tell you how dangerous some of these social media challenges can be. Yes, some are only meant to be fun or even raise money for charity, but the real consequences of these trends can be serious.

The tanning challenge saw people create ‘body art’ on their bodies by drawing a picture using suntan lotion and leaving the rest of their body to burn in the sun. It is clear that repeated exposure to the sun in this way can lead to skin cancer.

However, other challenges seem innocuous at first. These challenges often involve eating something to make fun of someone, or even produce effects similar to drug use. Notable examples include the salt trend and the nutmeg challenge, both of which show the consumption of these foods. However, when consumed in large quantities, they can cause nausea, diarrhea, seizures and, in extreme cases, death.

I’m not talking about the corncob, dragon breath, TidePod and many other challenges. These risks are simply not worth taking.

2 They can hinder future employment

What you share online stays online. You can delete content, but nothing is completely gone. We’ve all seen posts come back to people years later. The average person may not likely be terminated, but what we share online can still stop future employment.

Take for example the trend of people posting videos of themselves getting dumped on TikTok. This trend has seen those fired by employers via video calls and then fired from the company.

It may seem like rebelling against authority, but it’s the wrong move. If future employers see that you have done this, they might get the wrong impression of you. What’s more, by sharing these videos, you may be violating privacy laws. It’s just one example of TikTok’s challenges going too far.

3 Trends can influence others

I hate it when people are inconsiderate, and that’s what a lot of these challenges involve. There is a trend of people sharing videos of themselves working out at the gym only to be interrupted when someone else dares to walk in front of the camera or wants to use the same equipment.

Then there are the pointless videos that you think don’t affect anyone, but actually have invisible consequences. The toilet paper roll challenge involved emptying a full roll into the plane’s toilet while flushing: the effect is admittedly cool as the suction continues until the roll is finished.

However, this ignores the lack of provision for flights, which has an impact on anyone who arrives later. Similarly, aircraft waste tanks must be emptied at the end of each flight. On LinkedIn, aviation professional Renish C. warns that “flush rolls and toilet paper rolls cause serious clogging and external force may be required to release the contents into the dump truck. This can cause a serious health hazard to the employee, as the contents can be spilled directly over him.’

4 They can result in cheating

We are all so attuned to sharing private information online that it becomes second nature. I do it too. But if you think you’re unlikely to be cheated, guess again. Everyone is a potential victim of cybercrime.

Trends can lead to scammers. These can include simple quizzes and personality tests. Since everyone seems to be doing it, you’ll think you can do it too. What a shame, right? However, some of these quizzes will require access to your profile in order to participate.

It may seem simple, but scammers can learn a lot from your profile. If you give them access, it could mean they’ll bypass your privacy settings and see exactly who you are, who you’re friends with, and what you’re interested in. Such information can lead to pyramid schemes, phishing attempts and even identity theft. .

5 You might reveal too much about yourself

Providing even basic personal information (PII) can have a serious impact on you. I often see posts on X, aka Twitter, that exist solely to find answers to security questions. This could be through your “drag queen name” or something like what scammers pretending to be normal users say is “your mother’s maiden name and your first pet’s name combined”.

If any of your private information ever found its way onto the dark web, the answers to these posts can give cybercriminals enough information to pass security questions and reset your online accounts.

6 They are largely driven by consumerism

Social media trends have been hijacked by big brands. Simply participating means you’re either wasting money and time on a passing fad, or acting like an unwitting publicist for a major corporation.

TikTok is the perfect place to find trends driven by consumerism. While some are somewhat altruistic, such as those that encourage people to buy books, others are purely to promote sales of specific products that you don’t actually need.

The popularity of the Stanley Cups is a prime example of this. They are simply glasses with straws and massive handles. Once created for construction workers, social media rebranded them as women based solely on TikTok and Instagram interest. It’s a clever move, but it leaves me feeling empty and cynical about how trends can be created just for marketing purposes.

Stanley cups can be useful sometimes, but they’re only popular because social media tells people they’re the latest cool product that you have to own to fit in.

7 They lack creativity and originality

These challenges and trends are ultimately pedestrian and boring. They are a total waste of time.

I’m all for creativity, but things like the gallon challenge — which involves drinking that much milk without throwing up — are stupid and unoriginal. They add nothing significant or thought-provoking to the world. They are satisfied only because of the content.

There are influencers who entertain their fans by doing something productive or informing them about something interesting. However, they do not tend to become trendy. The things that generally become social media phenomena are things that people can replicate. It’s usually not something mentally stimulating. It’s something pointless, like filming yourself committing a crime, like the “kia boyz” trend that hit the headlines.

Challenges on Facebook, X, TikTok, Instagram and the like are simply not worth participating in.