TikTok Era?

Before the era of social media, unique citizens, unusual situations, and societal developments determined what would be trending in the coming season or, as we said back then, what was "in". Whether it was that one uniquely dressed young person, a period of frequent wars, a prolonged economic downturn, or even an interest in cultures different from that of the average Dutch citizen… There were trendsetters, simply on the street, in the pub or nightclub, or at specialised fashion designers'. It spread like (slow) fire and was picked up by multiple young people. Once they had seen it several times, it might be translated by international panels of colour experts, trend watchers, sociologists, and designers - through analyses of macrotrends in art, fashion, technology, and economics - into all kinds of applications where colour or form can be a determining factor for sales. Accompanied by nice explanations as to why a trend had been chosen (I have already dedicated a "colour of the year" blog post to this)…

The latter still happens in this way; see for example (google translate of the Dutch description): “Pantone® has declared the Colour of the Year 2026: Cloud Dancer. A soft, airy white shade that radiates calm, clarity, and balance. For the first time since the start of the tradition, a white shade receives this title. That is no coincidence, but a reflection of our times.”
They are absolutely right! In these turbulent times, we could certainly use some calm and balance.
And quite conveniently too (I think), because of all the pigments and dyes, TiO2 will still be reasonably available.

But those macro trends seem increasingly to be merely a reflection of the times and the “state of the world.” I get the impression that there are fewer and fewer “ordinary” people walking around with a unique, independent, and highly individual style who, whether intentionally or not, set a potential trend without being trend-oriented. Trends that experts can identify with what is going on with the youth, what tastes are circulating, what they desire, and for which they can subsequently define corresponding trends (for there was never just one). And… with sufficient room and options for everyone to put their own spin on it… focused on inspiration, individual development, and price (there was always an expensive option and an affordable variant).

But for the individual contribution to macro trends, nowadays we have TikTok and influencers; you know… the ones behind the among others “Crompouce” or “Crookie”, how did we ever manage without these products (!?), causing even a completely unknown small bakery to have an unexpected kilometer-long queue outside its door because one of those influencers labeled it “the Best Delicacy in Amsterdam.”
Notes for the non-Dutch and/or non-Netherlands tourists:
Crompouce is a fusion of “Croissant + Tompouce” and Crookie is a fusion of “Cookie + Tompouce”.
And a “Tompouce” is a traditional Dutch pastry consisting of two layers of puff pastry filled with pastry cream (or vanilla custard) and topped with a distinctive layer of smooth, bright pink icing.

With all those algorithms on social media, impressionable people, often young, are pushed towards whatever generates the most likes or needs for selling, and above all, it has to be trending… no options are offered anymore, causing to decline any creativity, self-development, or even uniqueness or the will to be different. It seems like such a one-size-fits-all, everyone vanilla… and boring, by the way. I miss the time when you suddenly saw someone with a mohawk or blue hair!

By now, we know there is a revenue model behind it; the more clicks, the more advertising revenue for the influencer.… and also with TikTok, it doesn't even have to be a trend, it is simply made into a trend, and very quickly!

The trendsetter of the past has given way to the influencer of today, who are paid by companies and marketing... Which sometimes results in ridiculous hypes.
By the way, I still hold it against Jan de Bouvrie, a famous (at least in Netherlands) Dutch interior designer and the first influencer, in my opinion (only on TV back then), where the Dutch switched
en bloc to white and beige… About 5 years later, there must have been a peak in paint sales to paint over all that boredom with more chroma.

In my opinion, a (potentially) more dangerous consequence could be that this results in a generation that merely follows, no longer thinks creatively or innovatively for itself, is less unique or wants to be... and that could have an impact on many more areas. Whether it is unique music or paintings or inventors in science or elsewhere... are we forming fewer connections in our brains, because of this?

For what if social media were to produce a sort of discussion, where people could reply with their well-considered opinions, whether for or against? But no, we seem to have forgotten how to discuss things in a healthy way… there seems to be no middle ground between either agreeing wholeheartedly or unleashing all sorts of terrible tirades. Social media seems to be impoverishing our cohesion rather than enriching it… and good social connections and collaboration are precisely the reason we have come so far as humanity, where we learn from each other and develop together.

When I look at my expertise as a Colour Expert - which I believe is a wonderful mix of both my analytical and creative sides - I acquired this not only through extensive studying, but also by discussing with and learning from many other experts and… by trying out many of my own ideas. Of course, you make mistakes and some attempts are even bad, but there are always good ideas among them.
And let’s be honest, you learn just as much from your mistakes as from your successes!

I am a strong believer in including a discussion, evaluation, or idea generation component in every study program for young people. Independent thinking, development, and innovation must continue to be encouraged... a subject, item, development, or whatever it may be, must become trending because people (and especially young people) come up with it themselves, and not because the umpteenth sponsored influencer, acting on behalf of companies (!), is blindly followed. Incidentally, it is normal within a herd to have one trendsetter, about five (or something) important trend followers, and the (silent) remainder tagging along. But with that first trendsetter, it is essential that an individual came up with it, and not a group of companies wanting to sell their product!

And do not get me wrong, I have nothing against TikTok and influencers, it is simply the current era for trends, but what makes it different in my opinion is that there is too little development (both individual and group) and too much of it being finished all at once and everyone being the same... diversity is what makes life beautiful and, in a sense, further develops all of humanity.
And I think this is the difference between the hype of today (artificially created, fleeting, short-lived attention and "madness," hardly any follow-up) and the trend of the past (personal development, more depth, longer lasting and with more sustainable impact).

And back to that Crompouce for a moment, which an influencer turned into a (well-paid) hype… if only that baker had posted it on TikTok and it might had become trending… If this were then analysed and translated by trend watchers into colour or interior design as, for example, “a need for something new with a hint of the past,” and thus broadened with optional variations that sustains for at least a year, then in my opinion, you have once again captured the desirable form of trendsetting… the Crompouce hype has lasted a bit longer than one season, but is about to be discontinued from the range. The tompouce will survive I think.

You could say that with the current system of TikTok and influencers, “what is trending” is not the right term, but rather “what is hyping”!
By the way, in my opinion, it is not to be said that some kind of hype won't carry over into a trend…