Many say that social media is influential in lots of different ways: fashion, food, our dialect and more. But oftentimes, the impact social media has on people’s day-to-day lives is overlooked, as it affects everyone more than many may think.

As students are scrolling through social media like TikTok, specific trends and trending videos can easily get stuck in one’s head and then are used in everyday discussions. For instance, the quote “BFR,” meaning “be for real,” was widely popular on TikTok. As students walked through the hallways of WCHS they will constantly hear kids saying “BFR.” 

“I am constantly scrolling on TikTok and so are all my friends,” WCHS sophomore Julieta Matus said. “We pick up trendy phrases from TikTok and put them into our conversations.” 

Social media is a huge part of WCHS students’ lives. Students are constantly on social media— whether it is in the hallways, in class or during lunch— making it seem that almost everyone is on some form of social media. As a result of that, people pick up things from what they see online whether it is intentional or not. 

“Anytime my friends and I are talking we always end up quoting something from TikTok,” WCHS Sophomore Rediate Berhanu said. 

Social media also changes the definition of words and puts them into new contexts. For example, the word “help” is often used as needing assistance, but now because of  TikTok’s influence, whenever someone says something funny people will respond with “help.”

“I say ‘help’ all the time with my friends,” Matus said. “I say it in text and I say it in person, it has just become a habit that I say all the time.”

While social media has been around for many years, it has influenced this current generation at a greater rate than ever before. A lot of times people will see information on social media and believe it to be true, even when it is not, suggesting that social media’s influence goes far beyond our logic.

“I tell my mom all the time about the things I see on Tiktok and she never believed me because she says they make things up, that may be true but in the moment I believe it when I see it,”  Berhanu said.

Many could say that without social media WCHS students could not survive. Although a bit of an exaggeration, it does have some truth. Oftentimes, students do not watch the news on TV or read articles, instead getting information from social media threads like TikTok videos or Instagram infographics. Social media also serves as an escape from reality and a fun break from the real world. 

“Social Media affects my day to day life whether I like to admit it or not, it affects everything I do. Social media is the biggest influence in my everyday life,” Matus said.