Every decade has its fad. The 50’s were a time for poodle skirts and sock hops, the 70’s had bell bottom jeans and disco music, and the 90’s were characterized by boy bands and hair scrunchies. Likewise, shorter time periods also have their own trends. The most popular manias of summer 2015 are as follows:
- Smorgasburg
Although it originally opened in May of 2011, the Brooklyn food festival has massively increased in popularity over the past two years. Smorgasburg is a spinoff of The Brooklyn Flea, which was founded in 2008 by Jonathan Butler and Eric Demby. Every weekend from April to November, 100+ food vendors set up shop at either the Saturday location in Williamsburg or the Sunday location in Prospect Park and sell their tasty treats.
Social media has had a significant impact on Smorgasburg’s popularity. It is not uncommon to see pictures of the Brooklyn-based foods on Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.
Senior Noah Lubin went to Smorgasburg one day during the summer of 2015 with his sister. He said, “we had a lot of great food while we enjoyed our day in Brooklyn and saw the New York City skyline. All of the food was amazing, but my favorite vendors were Duck Season, for their fried duck confit, and the Colombian vendor selling mangos on a stick.”
- Selfie Stick
While freshman Paige Maizes says “I am not a fan,” other people around the world encourage the selfie stick phenomenon. This monopod, which is essentially a device to aid in the selfie-taking endeavors, is most commonly used for group selfies so that an entire crowd is included in a picture, or for sightseers to capture their entire background in one image.
Although the selfie-stick is overwhelming endorsed in the international community, various tourist attractions have banned the device. In New York, the U.S. Open created regulations against the gadget, as it obstructs the view of tennis spectators. Likewise, Disney theme parks prohibited the contraption as a threat to customers’ safety.
- Snapchat Update
On September 15, 2015, Snapchat changed the way the world “snaps.” The popular social media app allows users to send a picture to friends for 1-10 seconds before the photo disappears into cyberspace. The application’s newest update allows the “snapchatters” to press and hold on their face when in Selfie-mode to activate Lenses, a feature that puts a filter on the face of the person taking the snap. Every day, one lense is deleted and another one is added.
Snapchat also added a replay option so customers can purchase three snap-replays for 99 cents each day. This allows the app user to reopen a photograph that they have received from a friend. Finally, Snapchat added “Trophies” to reward users for using the app.
- Facebook Dislike Button
Prominent social media outlet Facebook is contemplating launching a “dislike” feature. The dislike button is in response to popular demand saying that the like button does not fit certain situations and status updates, such as a family illness or death. Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and Chief Executive of Facebook, says “It’s important to give people more options than just ‘like'” to help express empathy and sympathy. Not every moment is a good moment.”
- Buzzfeed
Buzzfeed is a social news and entertainment company that posts online articles on a wide range of topics for readers of all ages. It is common to find links to Buzzfeed articles shared on Facebook and Twitter. Content such as quizzes and videos has generated much popularity and exposure internationally for the media source. Sophomore Madison Goldberg says she likes “how Buzzfeed has so many different elements and it doesn’t just ask me how well I know a show, but it also tells me about things happening in the world around me.”