TikTok’s algorithm means that things spread and gain views very easily, including fashion trends. Libby Sparks reports.
Compared to other social media platforms, Tik Tok allows people to find and move trends particularly easily. You don’t need to follow someone and unfollow someone once your opinion changes on their content, the algorithm does that for you. You stop engaging, you stop seeing similar content.
Your engagement determines what you see, and this means if you’re seeing a fashion trend and enjoy it, you have a higher chance of seeing more of it.
In this way, it ‘groups’ us almost, meaning that those with a certain fashion ideal can see other similar content and communicate with others with the same style.
Due to the fact you don’t necessarily search for anything on Tik Tok, it means that more people have been introduced to styles they did not perhaps know about, but now identify strongly with.
This is the case for styles such as y2k, egirl and gothic, which perhaps were under the radar for before the platform grew in users.
With this there are downfalls, such as new items being hiked up in price due to a sudden rush of demand as comes with Tik Tok trends (such as the Slazenger skort).
This also leads to a rise in people taking advantage of this on sites like Depop, however ultimately Tik Tok has given people a platform to be more expressive, whilst knowing they will be placed relatively safely in a community with similar views and opinions.
