Quarantine boredom inspires several new social media trends

Since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on Wednesday, March 11, countries across the world are experiencing school and work closures, and people are self-isolating in their homes. The search for new ways to stay entertained during the quarantine has sparked a wave of trends and challenges on social media platforms such as Instagram.

One of the first and most popular trends to emerge is the “Until Tomorrow” challenge, where people posted an embarrassing photo of themselves on Instagram with the caption “Until Tomorrow.” The post must be visible for 24 hours before it’s deleted.

“It was crazy how many of these posts I saw on my feed,” sophomore Angie Pace said. “One second everything was normal, and then, all of the sudden, post after post kept popping up with the caption ‘Until Tomorrow.’” At the height of the trend’s popularity, there were around 2.3 million posts, according to an April 2 article by Khon2 News.

In another Instagram trend, girls posted a flattering photo of themselves on their story and tagged other girls to join them. Sophomore Charlie Slan said that “the challenge was meant to support women and help spread positivity during these tough times. A little positivity can go a long way.”

Sophomore Lily Khabie also participated and said that challenges like these are going to get people through these rough times. Khabie explained that “this quarantine has truly displayed the importance of social media in connecting people and keeping people happy and entertained.”

In another Instagram challenge, participants were expected to post a message on their story telling their followers to swipe up and respond. In exchange, the poster would reveal a song that reminds him or her of that follower.

Sophomore Ellia Torkian took part in this challenge, saying that she hoped to “spend all of this new free time in an entertaining and sweet way.” Torkian added that she saw this as an opportunity to “have fun with the friends that [she] hasn’t been able to see because of the quarantine.”

While the global pandemic may continue to keep people isolated, Torkian explained that these social media challenges can help relieve the boredom and sadness that a lot of people might be experiencing right now. Whether it be uploading silly photos of yourself to Instagram or posting something fun on your story, Torkian says that “participating in these little challenges can make this whole experience just that much better.”