What Will Students be Cringing Over in The Future?
Big hair in the 80s, the grunge of the 90s, and velour sweatsuits in the early 2000s. No matter how old you are, there are most likely trends from your past that you’d like to forget. The past few years have been filled with trends like TikTok dances, a heavy reliance on technology, and even wearing pajamas in public. When The New York Times asked high school students to weigh in, they said all of these things will be cringe-worthy in the future. But what stood out as what students will be embarrassed by most is their use of social media.
But what does “cringe” even mean?
Cringe is that feeling you get when something is so awkward that it makes your skin crawl. It can be a funny moment or an embarrassing one, but either way, it’s sure to make you wince. Sometimes we cringe when looking back at younger versions of ourselves, as we may be embarrassed by our decisions in how we dressed, talked, or the trends we took part in. No matter what makes us cringe, it is a universal emotion that we can all relate to. So the next time you feel that twinge of humiliation, just remember: you’re not alone!
Ever-evolving social media and tech make trends come and go quicker than ever before, making it common for students to cringe at their past decisions. Students from various high schools weighed in on the “normal” things we do today that will likely make us cringe when we look back on them in the future. From social media habits to oversharing, playing video games, (or even eating meat!), students think these things will eventually become outdated and cringe-worthy.
The Cringe Factor of Social Media
The most popular response from high school students about what would be the most cringe-worthy thing to look back on in the future was their use of social media. Social media is a huge part of students’ lives, and with its abundance of clout-chasing, oversharing, dancing, and drama, it took the cake for likely being the most cringe-worthy topic in the future.
- “I think we will most regret the amount of time spent on social media. Every student knows the feeling of blowing off school work to spend time on social media, most notably TikTok. I think as we mature, we’ll regret not studying harder or working as hard.” -Alyssa, New York
- “I think one of the things we look back on and will be embarrassed by is how we handled social media. The major thing is hate. How people can go into random comments and hate somebody that they don’t even know.” -Alex, Bville
- “Something that I would see as cringe about 20 years in the future would be stupid social media challenges like the tide pod challenge, or that bald head slapping challenge or the milk carton scaling challenge … These challenges are not only dangerous to the individual … it is also a threat to those who they influence on social media” -Mitchell, St. Peter High School
- “I think that canceling culture is going to be cringe because other people being able to control how you act shouldn’t be a thing, especially when you do something and others just agree that it is wrong and there is no actual reason why you can’t do whatever you want to do.” -Alena, Saint Peter High School
As technology and social media cause trends to come and go at hyper speed, it’s likely inevitable that students will grow to think some of their past actions were silly. By empowering students to play to their core while navigating social media, educators can help them look back at the way they used social media as students and be proud, rather than cringe.
Students play to their core when they post and share things online that reflect their values, character, and interests. Equip your students to play to their core by encouraging them to:
- Post with the future in mind
- Share what represents their core values
- Align their values with their actions
The Social Institute’s Student Ambassadors huddled up with actor, author, and filmmaker, Justin Baldoni, to talk about how he is on a mission to motivate students to play to their core. Watch this interview to hear what he has to say about student well-being and how to stay true to who they are.
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The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in understanding student experiences and creator of #WinAtSocial, a gamified, online learning platform that equips students, educators, and families to navigate social experiences — online and offline — in healthy ways. Our unique, student-respected approach incorporates topics like social media, technology use, and current events that have a significant impact on student well-being. Lessons teach life skills for the modern day to inspire high-character decisions that support the health, happiness, and future success of students, while capturing data that provides insights to school leaders to inform school policy and communications, and enable high-impact teaching and a healthy learning environment. For schools, our turnkey technology allows for easy implementation and a comprehensive game plan to support the well-being of school communities. For schools, our turnkey technology allows for easy implementation and a comprehensive game plan to support the well-being of school communities.