In today’s society, people can’t just find fashion only in magazines or have to go to a runway show to see people show off new trends. They can see it through a screen as well. Platforms like Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram have transformed the way people view and express styles. Beyond the viral trends is an overlooked psychological force that choices what people wear and how they present themselves.
Social media has made style influencers go viral overnight. A small fashion trend can go viral in less than twenty-four hours reaching millions of likes and views.
Pinterest boards are constantly showing non stop fashion inspirations. This fast moving cycle of trends makes people feel like they need what is “in today.” This is known as fast fashion psychology.
Fast fashion psychology makes people feel like they have to have what’s new and trendy even if they are out of style. The result of this is a psychological cycle of comparing one to another, how one presents their appearance, and how one consumes trends.
“We as humans gravitate towards wanting to fit in and wanting to belong,” Psychology teacher Nina Kerns said.
When someone posts something on Pinterest, TikTok, or Instagram, people are open to receiving feedback through comments, likes, and shares. With every like, a small dopamine rush is triggered, making people feel approved.
This is like the reward system for the brain, it plays a huge role in why people change their own styles to fit into a more popular style. People associate wearing liked outfits with social acceptance. This leads to social conformity where people adjust their style to look like what is trending on line even if it isn’t what they are comfortable with.
Fashion is known for being a form of expressing oneself but on social media it’s a personal brand. Platforms allow people to personalize an aesthetic such as vintage, Y2K, clean girl and many more. This carefully assembled identity can help motivate people to explore different styles.
But at what cost?
Seeing unrealistic, usually edited versions of people dressed neatly can spark social comparison. People compare themselves to others who they think are “more looked up to” or “more put together,” which affects people’s self-esteem.
Feeling pressured to look put together online can make people feel anxious about their outfit choices and body image.
“We feel pressured to meet a certain standard or dress a certain way or act a certain way to be accepted by other people,” Kerns said.
Influencers play a huge role in forming fashion trends on social media. Seeing their outfits often shows people what is ”in” and what isn’t.
The algorithm on these platforms uses popular content, making trends by showing viewers what they are more in touch with. This creates yet another cycle known as the feedback cycle.
Viewers repeatedly see a trend start to like it and eventually start to conform to it. Not necessarily because they like it but because they feel like they have to because it’s being normalized. This is called the exposure effect the more one sees a trend the more they start to like it.
Interestingly enough people are becoming more aware of how strong the psychological toll of social media is, and in response they are turning fashion into a form of self expression rather than trying to please others.
The impact that social media has on fashion is far from trendsetting. It shapes how people value, think, and feel about themselves. Although it helps people be more creative with self-expression, it also comes with psychological pressures.
Following creators who help people motivate people rather than pressure people to wear what they feel good in and that style should be a form of expression and not trying to get validation from others.
“Social media really influences everyone’s style. There’s people who want to blend in and people who want to stand out but overall fashion is a way to express yourself,” Elle Dye (12) said.
