Social Media Trends

In today's online culture, social media is used as a space where users can come together and bond over their love or interest for a given topic. This can be seen through music, sports, books, movies, musicals, news, writing, and so much more. Social media creates community spaces for people to connect over certain topics that are going on in mainstream popular culture. It also allows for underrepresented groups to express themselves and raise awareness. Expression of interests is the key idea in social media content sharing. From gatekeeping on Instagram to the different communities represented on TikTok, social media is a key function of online culture today.

## Social Media and Gatekeeping

The main way for members of a fandom to communicate is through social media. Social media sites such as Twitter and Instagram make it easy to share fandom related content with other users quickly and efficiently. Much of how this is done is through the use of algorithms which digital platforms such as Instagram uses to share content with multiple users within the same space. The goal of such algorithms is to promote user interaction with the space, while providing content based on popularity of the post, location of the individual, and ultimately previous digital footprint that the user may have when utilizing the platform. Most of the time, fandom behavior on these sites is friendly and civil but sometimes it can get out of hand.

Instagram has gained lots of attention for being a social media site that many fandoms use to share content on. One community on Instagram has taken a step towards gatekeeping content that is posted on the site. When users post travel photos on Instagram, many times they will tag what location they traveled to. It can be as specific as the exact city or as broad as the country they traveled to. However, many users have turned to gatekeeping their travel photos by eliminating geo-tags on their Instagram posts. Gatekeeping is defined as "the process of selecting, and then filtering, items of media that can be consumed within the time or space that an individual happens to have."

Geotags "represent the location data that is appended to a photo." Many users have stopped tagging their photos with these specific identifiers because they don't want anyone else to go to the destinations they found. This could be because users have found a cool secret spot that they don't want others traveling to so it can stay hidden or various locations such as towns and historically preserved areas can indirectly discourage tourists from visiting to preserve the natural state of the area.

Many towns that are located near National or State Parks in the United States have encouraged tourists to adopt the Leave No Trace guide which advises visitors to hike on marked trails only and to dispose of all trash that they may accumulate. These principles are put into place in order to preserve the natural environment that is present in these national and state parks. Overcrowding of tourists in these parks causes permanent destruction to the environment that over time are not able to be reversed. Constant posting on social media at travel destinations allows for other social media users to see these travel posts and plan their own trip there. Many believe that leaving out geotags in these travel posts will mitigate the amount of travelers coming to these destinations. The only way to truly stop the influx of visitors to a specific location is to put visitor limitations in place, which to an extent can be done through limiting disclosure of geographical locations, resulting in less tourists gathering at the locations collectively and therefore reducing human pollution.

Posting vacation photos on Instagram hasn't single-handedly contributed to over tourism but it does play a role in inadvertently promoting certain destinations on social media. When visiting a natural environment, we must all be cautious of how we impact the destination when we travel there.

## TikTok

### TikTok and the LGBTQ+ Community

Since the introduction of TikTok to the social media atmosphere in 2018, the social media app has grown into something big. TikTok is a place where users can share short videos on their page up to a minute long. Many popular uploads include dance challenges, comedy, or lifestyle videos.

Before TikTok came to be, it was first launched in Shanghai as Musicl.ly in 2014. Two years later, in 2016, the Chinese company ByteDance launched a similar app called Douyin. ByteDance thought that Musical.ly was successful and wanted to combine forces so in 2018, the company bought Musical.ly and launched TikTok.

Within TikTok there are many subcategories. One of the most popular debates going around right now is "gay" And "straight" TikTok.The “gay” side of TikTok has become a place where many members of that community have posted “thirst traps” or videos that are supposed to be sexually provocative and still meet TikTok guidelines. Furthermore, the “gay” side of TikTok usually makes videos that are the same trend as “straight” TikTok but with an added twist. For instance, there was a red-light challenge that featured shirtless men but on the “gay” side of things there would be red-light challenges with Kermit the Frog. On the “straight” side of TikTok users mainly just post lip syncing videos or fun dances. Likewise, TikTok has become a place for the LGBTQ+ community to find support.

Many people that come out to their friends and families can have major backlash and TikTok has given them a place to vent about their experiences and how it has affected them. Furthermore, many Transgender people have been able to get support and founding by making content on TikTok. This illustrates more clearly how “gay” TikTok operates and can be a support system for many people in the community. As the community for LQBTQ+ members of TikTok has grown some problems have came up. For instance, some straight content creators pose as a member of the LGTBQ+ community to take advantage of the algorithm in TikTok. The way TikTok works is it sends out the content people create to only a small group and if that group reacts well the pool of users that see it gets bigger. Content creators have now learned that content that appears to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community has been getting more likes. This causes issues because it can hurt people in the LGBTQ+ community or give them a false sense of security with a creator that might not really be a part of the community.

Iif algorithms are utilized correctly on digital platforms, they allow individuals with few connections to promote businesses such as blogs or allow for development of gaining a large following when trying to convey a message such as what the LGBTQ+ community had done utilizing TikTok. Furthermore, using hashtags on Instagram can be used to ensure that the algorithm is able to suggest the content produced by one individual to many other people who one may not have a direct connection with that specific person. To do so, many of the same functions would be utilized such as suggesting the original content trying to gain popularity or go viral to multiple people who are already being exposed to similar content or actively searching for the related hashtags and content. By doing so it is likely that the original content would appear on the “Discover Page” or “For You Page” of Reels, a function similar to **Tik Tok** [8]. Some ways that individuals can further utilize algorithms and promote user interaction, contributing to a post going viral, is by asking questions to promote people to interact with the posts, optimizing posting time and frequency, variation in post content such as including videos, and finally measuring analytics collected through algorithms.

Algorithms also allow for more efficiency when participating in a digital space to experience personal growth as opportunities to gain some level of expertise within ourselves towards a specific topic is achieved. This is because it provides similar content that would benefit our foundational understanding while presenting a variety of perspectives toward the topic of interest[9]. Often when using digital platforms, people tend to focus on one perspective that most resonates with themselves, which is then reinforced by algorithms. However, to effectively work against social polarization and gain complete understanding of a given topic, hence working against algorithms, it is crucial that individuals when exposing themselves to sensitive topics, that they gather information from multiple sources in order to gain a holistic perspective about algorithms and avoid a biased perspective from developing, much like what is developed through filter bubbles.

### TikTok Trends

In today's social media world, trends are all the rage. It's the easiest way to insert yourself into a community and participate in a current activity that is happening. A trend on TikTok is usually created when a user posts a video that goes viral and other users on the platform then follow in their steps and recreate the TikTok or put their own spin on it.

The most popular trends on TikTok are dance challenges. This is when a user makes up a new dance, usually to a current popular song, and posts the video to their page. Most of the time new dance challenges are found because they gain popularity by popping up on other user's "for you" pages. The "for you" page on TikTok is a place where videos relating to your interests will appear based on an algorithm. Many popular videos on TikTok are discovered on the "for you" page so that is why there are always new dance challenges surfacing on the app daily.

Back in October 2020, a TikTok video went viral when TikTok user 420doggface208, or Nathan Apodaca posted a clip of him skateboarding holding a bottle of cranberry juice while the song "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac played in the background. As soon as this video went viral, a flurry of users started recreating their own versions by skateboarding with cranberry juice in hand. Not only did users recreate this trend, but they started using Fleetwood Mac's song in the background of videos that were being posted around the time of October 2020.

Due to the resurgence in popularity surrounding Fleetwood Mac's song, many users of the TikTok app began to discover the band's music for the very first time. Since most users on the social media app are Gen Z or Millennials, many of them did not grow up listening to Fleetwood Mac. The popularity resurgence surrounding this song upset long term fans of the band and people started accusing these individuals of gatekeeping music. Many users were upset that younger generations discovered the song because they heard it on TikTok instead of growing up with the music being played in the background of their lives.

Since the video was first posted by Nathan Apodaca on September 25th, 2020, the viral video gained the attention of Fleetwood Mac themselves. Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks both took it upon themselves to recreate the viral video and hop on the trend as well. Not only did Apodaca get attention from the band, but the viral TikTok made the song "Dreams" re-enter the Billboard hot 100 almost two weeks after the TikTok was initially posted.

## Fanfiction

Fanfiction platforms, such as Archive of Our Own and Fanfiction.net are common spaces where fandoms are easily found and interacted with. Fanfiction echoes the purpose of fandoms as it provides spaces where people who have ideas that differ from an original book, movie, tv-show, etc. to express those ideas through writing something of their own. The fandoms found in these sites and within fanfiction are numerous, ranging from 13 Reasons Why, to Harry Potter, to The Lion King and much, much more. It’s difficult to not be able to find some fandom within fanfiction that you have an interest in. These fandoms might center on a specific character that the author felt was more intriguing than originally portrayed, create an ending that the author felt would have better work, or create new and interesting plots. It also allows the author to create new experiences (such as divorces) and relationships (such as LGBTQ+)  between characters to represent groups that are underrepresented in real life. In fact, queer relationships are some of the most common pairings seen within Archive of Our Own. Such fandoms allow both the author and their audiences to feel a sense of inclusion when the original work was not able to do the same. Additionally, It makes way for such lifestyles and experiences to become more normalized both within real life and in created works.

## How to Avoid Social Media Traps

Avoiding the blackhole of social media is easier said than done. In order to ensure that we don't contribute to the false information and gatekeeping that occurs on a daily basis on these sites, one should always think before you post. Posting a negative or mean comment is quick and easy to do, especially when it is done through a computer screen and not in person. However, that fleeting moment of calling someone out on social media can negatively effect the individual on the receiving end.

Cyberbullying and hate speech on the Internet have become an all too familiar ideal that should be avoided at all costs. The beauty, and downfall, of the Internet is not almost everything is anonymous. You can alter anything about yourself such as your age, sex, the town you're from, and where you go to school. Because of this, you never know who you are saying harmful things to over the Inter, and even if you do know exactly who you're talking to, it's never okay to bring someone else down.

Pretending you are a part of the LGBTQ+ community when you're not and gatekeeping simple things in life are never okay. By doing this, one is demeaning the experiences others have been through and using it to their own advantage. Through a computer screen, we never know exactly what someone is going through so keeping hateful comments to ourselves ensures that we don't unintentionally hurt others with our words. Furthermore, what we post on the Internet is permanent and what you may think is funny and harmless today may not ring true in the future.

1. ↑ https://masscommtheory.com/theory-overviews/gatekeeping-theory/
2. ↑ https://www.cntraveler.com/story/the-geotagging-debate-is-really-about-gatekeeping-in-the-outdoors
3. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53640724
4. ↑ https://mashable.com/article/alt-tiktok-straight-tiktok-queer-punk/
5. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/24/style/tiktok-gay-homiesexuals.html
6. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/01/28/tiktok-has-become-soul-lgbtq-internet/
7. ↑ https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/20/fleetwood-mac-fans-are-done-with-people-gatekeeping-music-after-viral-dreams-tiktok-13453325/
8. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9465600/viral-dreams-tiktok-timeline/

## Sources

Aniftos, R. (2020, October 14). *Here's a timeline of the viral 'dreams' TikTok, from cranberry juice gifts to Stevie Nicks' recreation*. Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9465600/viral-dreams-tiktok-timeline/.

Davie, G. (2018, November 2). *Gatekeeping theory*. Mass Communication Theory. https://masscommtheory.com/theory-overviews/gatekeeping-theory/.

Griffin, L. (2020, October 20). *Fleetwood Mac fans are done with people 'gatekeeping' music after Dreams tiktok*. https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/20/fleetwood-mac-fans-are-done-with-people-gatekeeping-music-after-viral-dreams-tiktok-13453325/.

Moss, T. (2019, November 18). *The geotagging debate is really about gatekeeping in the outdoors*. Condé Nast Traveler. https://www.cntraveler.com/story/the-geotagging-debate-is-really-about-gatekeeping-in-the-outdoors.

 Tidy, J., & Galer, S. S. (2020, August 5). *TikTok: The story of a social media giant*. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53640724.

Hawgood, Alex. “Everyone Is Gay on TikTok.” *The New York Times*, The New York Times, 24 Oct. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/10/24/style/tiktok-gay-homiesexuals.html.

Ohlheiser, Abby. “TikTok Has Become the Soul of the LGBTQ Internet.” *The Washington Post*, WP Company, 28 Jan. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/01/28/tiktok-has-become-soul-lgbtq-internet/.

Sung, Morgan. “The Stark Divide between 'Straight TikTok' and 'Alt TikTok'.” *Mashable*, 21 June 2020, mashable.com/article/alt-tiktok-straight-tiktok-queer-punk/.

Fagan, Eric. “The Importance of Fanfiction.” *The Nerd Daily*, 22 Sept. 2020, thenerddaily.com/the-importance-of-fanfiction/#:~:text=Fanfiction%20is%20a%20completely%20free,with%20to%20create%20new%20stories.