How social media is reshaping the way we do things

FROM food and fashion to TV, travel and beauty, social media has made a massive impact on how we live. Former stylists, students, at-home cooks, budding bloggers and everyone in between is sharing ideas online for anybody to consume.

Here are some ways that social media has had an impact in how we do things in our daily lives:

Fashion

Fashion trends may be born out of street style, from decisions made at the headquarters of major labels or from celebrity influence – but social media is where these seeds are sown, germinate and spread across the globe like wildfire.

Social media has been especially influential in breathing life into rising trends, mainly because these apps are notoriously used by Gen Zers.

This group is steadily moving into a position of having significant buying power, making brands and businesses very willing to hear them out and cater for their every need and demand.

Before retailers stocked up on brown in every shade for winter, Gen Z had begun bleaching their old black clothes into a burnt, beige hue.

The same can be said for anything from the tye-dye craze to the Y2K aesthetic and the ever-so-1970s-inspired looks that social media has been lapping up. Brimming with stunning outfit inspirations to help you pull off all the latest trends, the fashion side of the apps is more welcoming and embracing than any fashion mag in the 2000s ever was.

With every video shared being under a minute long, you can learn how to tie the perfect knot in your oversized T-shirt or cuff your jeans so that they look flattering instead of bulky, in just a few scrolls.

Food

From world-renowned chefs sharing their gourmet delights to students

impressing with nifty hacks for meal prep and the weird and wonderful food trends that go viral – the foodie scene on TikTok will sweep you away on a culinary journey.

Many of the web’s most popular food trends have roots firmly embedded in TikTok. Some were a little bizarre, like mini pancake cereal, while others seemed too enticing to resist.

During the pandemic, TikTok was

the perfect distraction from the chaos surrounding us, but so was being in the kitchen, whipping up a loaf of banana bread. The app has shaped the way we view cooking recipes.

The clips are short, the visuals are worthy of television and the instructions are concise, making for easy viewing and replication.

The new generation to get online, along with the rest of us, have evolved to

prefer instant gratification, so being able to digest information in bite-sized pieces is ideal. One could reach for a recipe book or click over to the food channel to brush up on recipes for dinner parties or date night, but nothing beats experimenting with new and exciting recipes like creamy baked feta pasta, pesto eggs, breakfast tortillas, or baked oats. Beauty

The painted on an Instagram make-up look that everyone and the Kardashians donned since 2013 is no longer what’s turning heads on the streets. “Skinimalism” is a new beauty trend that’s pushing the focus from harsh products, airbrushed complexions and caked-on make-up to embracing skin that is glowing and perfectly imperfect. Rosy cheeks, glossy lips, dewy skin and natural brows offer a youthfulness that everyone seems to be after.

Clear skin with a natural glow is the hallmark of health and beauty and Pinterest and YouTube are the platforms to get it. There you’ll be exposed to actual dermatologists who share their insight on which serums to use and what facials actually give skin the most benefits. It seems people will try out anything to achieve beautiful skin at home. Whether it’s adding several extra steps to night time skincare routines or learning how to effectively make use of the products already in their bathroom cabinets, there are so many effective ways to give your skin a rejuvenating boost.

Pop culture

Pop culture’s greatest happenings are dissected on social media faster than they can reach any tabloid or newspaper. On social media, anyone can share their opinions on music, film fashion, art and more. Instead of being subscribed to a gossip magazine or to Vogue, you can check out red carpet looks and have people with an actual backgrounds in fashion assess them.

Or, if you’re more into analysing films, there’s a trend going around across various platforms where people are sharing the popular movie tropes they can’t unsee. With so much access to information, you can search for the content that sits right with you, whether that be utter gossip or more cutting-edge exposés on celebrity culture, you no longer have to take the media’s word for it.

Travel

Travel inspiration once came from picture-perfect accounts flaunting, filters, edits and photographs of popular tourist attractions that seemed like ghost towns in a bid not to detract from the slender silhouette of a tall, tanned, influencer in focus.

Apps like TikTok, Pinterest and Instagram Reels are allowing us the opportunity to get more than a taste for reality, instead open our eyes to the most ’gram-worthy spots.

People are realising that they would rather venture down the road less travelled, scouring the web for hidden gems, mom-and-pop shops and local hangs that will offer them a taste of what it really means to live like a local.