tech
‘A long hot summer of copy, paste on social media’: why everything is kinda chic now
The latest craze on Instagram reveals how quickly personal expression can be absorbed into a homogenised feed and exploited by brands
TL;DR
- A new social media trend uses the phrase "Kinda chic to" followed by an image of a non-traditional chic trend.
- The phrase has become ubiquitous, with Google Trends showing a 5000% search increase and thousands of posts on Instagram and TikTok.
- Influencer MariaBegins is suggested as an early instigator with body positivity posts.
- The trend is seen as a humblebrag, adaptable to aspirational or relatable content, making it broadly appealing.
- Critics like Brenda Weischer call it "template slop" and Bella Younger notes a "long hot summer of copy, paste on social media."
- Celebrities like Drew Barrymore and Reese Witherspoon, along with brands like Boots and Aldi, have adopted the trend.
- The word "chic" has become diluted, losing its original meaning, leading to repetitive and homogenous content on social media.
- Some suggest social media algorithms reward these proven formats over creativity, making unique content difficult to find.
- A Reddit forum shows frustration with the trend, with one comment humorously suggesting "It's chic to not be annoying as heck."