In one way or another, 2016 has been an emotional trip for almost everyone. With this year finally in the past, and 2017 in full swing, here are a few social trends around campus that Valley believes should stay in the past.
Extremely Uncomfortable Terms of Endearment
We’ve all heard them. Those awful pet names in relationships that take any PDA situation, and turn it from bad to worse. In 2016, these sometimes inappropriate terms of endearment seemed to spread like wildfire, and haunted social media and real-life situations for months. When it comes to leaving these pet names in the past, however, it’s all a matter of discretion; whatever anyone says in their private lives is no one else’s business. So instead of saying we should “leave behind” this trend in 2016, we should really say “keep the pet names private and not ever post them on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook” in 2017.
Dabbing
When some hip-hop tracks started to incorporate “dabbing” into lyrics, many began to follow suit. Soon, dabbing was not only a dance move anymore, but was so much more. Dabbing became a greeting, a way to emphasize the end of a sentence, and a quick substitute for a “goodbye.” Name any situation and there is a way that dabbing could be thrown into it. But this trend that took over 2016 should be seeing the end of its days. Kayla Bert, a Penn State freshman, had a few things to say about dabbing.
“It used to be funny, but now I think that it’s been way too overused,” says Bert. “Where did it even come from? I’m not really sure, but people look ridiculous. It really has to go.”
Harambe
Out of every trend that 2016 brought forth, this unlucky gorilla took the cake. Everyone knows the story— a child fell into a gorilla enclosure and Harambe took all the blame for the unfortunate accident. But what no one— not even Harambe himself– could have ever expected was how quickly this tragedy spread. What began as unexpected and upsetting news quickly became something completely obnoxious. Soon, too many college dorm windows were lined with PostIt notes spelling out “Harambe,” and every social media platform was filled with post after meme after post revolving around the gorilla. With all due respect to Harambe, let’s let him rest in peace in 2017. There’s no doubt that he’s fed up with the entire collegiate population of America flashing him.
So please, say goodbye to these trends in 2017. Sure, they made us laugh throughout the year but 2016 is in the past and Valley believes it is time to make way for some new funny material.
