Fads are, by their very nature, trends that come and go in seemingly no time at all.
Sometimes, though, things we thought were fads end up sticking around way longer than anyone would have expected.
Redditor GhostintheCircuit0 asked:
"What fad lasted longer than most people expected?"
Social Media
"Social media."
- Masterofthe3fucks
"In 2012 I read an article that Facebook was bleeding more monthly users than gaining. I was really hoping it would be irrelevant by 2016 and boy was I wrong lol."
- ziggy_zaggy
"I can't tell if people commenting on Reddit about how terrible social media is are being ironic or not."
- Trim_Tram
Reality TV
"I wonder if anyone really thought reality TV would have such legs. One year, many years ago, it really seemed to take hold and it never went away."
-Colonelfudgenustard
"Tv producers did. They saw how cheap Cops was to produce with barely a scrip, no real actors, and the barest of scripts, and ran the numbers. Their eyes turned into dollar signs, just like in the cartoons, and the world of TV hasn’t been the same since."
-thin_white_dutchess
"The real kicker was the writer’s strike in the early 2000s. The Screenwriters Guild went on strike for better pay, and suddenly networks couldn’t air any scripted programming, so there was an explosion of cheap reality shows. A lot of them fell by the wayside because they were just Survivor but worse, but we are still living through the aftermath,"
-BarroomBard
GiphyRap Music
"I remember Casey Kasem proclaiming that rap music was a fad that wouldn't last."
- Gao_tie
"I keep saying the same thing."
"We had the jazz era and the rock era. Aren't we overdue for another radical shift?"
- SeattleUberDad
"The rock era was overtaken by the rap era at least a decade ago."
- kings_lead_hat
Cool
"The use of the word 'cool' to informally refer to things that are very good or excellent. Different alternatives come and go but they do not have the staying power of the word 'cool.'"
-SoloMK
"It fit a niche gap of a word meaning 'interesting' and 'unpretentious' and 'popular' at the same time."
"I think what solidified it was American GIs bringing the concept to places in Europe in WW2, plus the next 70 years of American cultural hegemony, so terms used in American movies and music became common. The Beatles and all the British Invasion bands were copying (mostly Black) American artists and art styles. People would say 'cool' in a movie and almost the whole English-speaking world would pick up on it."
"So now you have a word Boomers/Gen X/Millennials/Gen Z all know and use. Words that almost every speaker of a language knows tend to last in ways teen slang doesn't. Similar words like 'groovy' or 'rad' or 'epic' didn't have the broad usage among several generations."
-comragegritty
GiphyQR Codes
"QR codes really holding on for dear life, tbh."
- VincentStonecliff
"They're used for pretty much everything in half of Asia."
"I'm sick of having to scan them every five seconds."
- LeutzschAKS
"Supermarket in Australia added QR code functionality at the checkout.
"As the cashier is scanning your stuff you can open the app and scan the QR code on the payment terminal."
"Automatically adds your rewards (for me, as I'm an employee of the company that's 5% plus points, $1 =1point, 2000points = $10 discount). Also adds extra points from any running promotions."
"So it discounts my bill, I get points, it uses any gift cards I have and then puts the final tally on my credit card. All from scanning a QR code. It's awesome."
"If you have a good phone (like a flagship Google pixel or Samsung) the QR code scans before I can even centre in the app."
- Ziogref
Video Games
"Video games. In the early 80’s it was just a fad that was going to die out."
-RockySlough
"In a way they were kinda right, the entire video game market crashed in 1983, of course it didn’t last long as the Nintendo Entertainment System came out in 1985 reviving the whole market."
-Night-Monkey15
GiphyTikTok
"TikTok! I thought people would get bored of dancing and making short videos."
- festiveanarchy
"It filled the much-mourned Vine niche!"
- MaximumAsparagus
"It's expanded outside of dancing now."
"One popular TikToker is a woman who cleans headstones in her local cemeteries and posts updates on their transformations over the year, but that particular hobby is very dependent on warm weather, so I have to wait until the spring to watch any new videos."
- Starfire-Galaxy
Skateboarding
"Skateboarding. It's still here all these decades later."
-mike-hellstrom
"I was at Redondo beach the other day, and a dude in his mid 40s (so just a tiny bit older than me) was tearing up the stairs overlooking the beach on his skateboard- in a business suit. His jacket and briefcase were tossed to the side, and he was just working it out. It was truly impressive."
"I used to longboard to class, but I never did any fancy tricky things, just used it for transportation. My husband did though, and he was watching, cheering the dude on, high fiving."
"Suit guy was all smiles. When we got home, my husband pulled his board down from the rafters in the garage. He’s probably going to break an arm or something, but hey."
-thin_white_dutchess
GiphySkinny Jeans
"Skinny jeans."
- TartanApe
"I used to wear these when I was a scrawny young thing, but now I can't pull it off."
"I remember it being very difficult to use the pockets though. My wallet used to uncomfortably dig into my thigh, and I'd get left with a bruise there if I wore them all day."
"A couple of my pairs had wallet+phone shaped marks on the outside of the pockets from where it stretched the fabric out."
- Renwaldo
"It's crazy the lengths we would all go to. If anything feels that good to take off, just don't put them on to begin with."
- TartanApe
"I take it you aren't familiar with the bra."
- JuniperHillInmate
Pokémon
"A lot of people thought Pokemon was just a fad. They were wrong"
-Sable mint
"Even Gamefreak themselves thought that, Pokémon Gold/Silver were meant to be the last games in the series."
-a_little_toaster
"Pokémon is the most valuable media franchise the world has ever seen with over 90 billion dollars in revenue."
-eastbayweird
GiphyHomemade Slime
"Slime videos."
- Skittles_the_Jester
"Those still exist?"
- Alternative_Ad7856
"There are actual slime online shops where they sell slime made from various things."
"I actually like looking at slime videos, where YouTubers review a slime shop."
"These slime shop owners would actually make really well done slimes, some would look like food and have the smell of it."
"You'll be a little impressed by them if you search them up."
- BellalovesEevee
Crocs
"Crocs. I’m 27 now, they first came out when I was in elementary school and people are still wearing them today."
-LexTheSouthern
"I love my crocs. I work in a kitchen and it's great that if I spill stuff all over them i can just hose them down in the dish pit."
-tenjuu
"Crocs have been my most worn shoe of all time, and I don’t even wear them in public that often. They’re cheap and last me an extremely long time compared to my other shoes. They’re also stupid easy to clean if you don’t count the fuzzy ones."
"Need an easy and quick to put on shoe for around the house? Crocs"
"Don’t want to track mud into your truck? Put your muddy boots in the bed and slide them comfy Crocs on."
"Crocs are better that flip flops imo."
-DuckAHolics
GiphyFortnite
"Fortnite! Holy sh*t!"
"I remember seeing the game advertised in its original format, horde defense!"
- SucksAtCluedo
"Fortnite aint no fad. It's an amazing game that has a little something for everyone."
- NinjaMelon39
Leggings
"Leggings."
-Quinn inn
"That booty will never go out of style."
-JoieDeVivre
"Leggings were just ok when they were just emerging. When they started making them with pockets though, I mean if regular pants don’t follow suit very soon they face a grim future."
-yuxngdogmom
GiphyTattoos
"Getting Japanese tattoos."
- Much_Committee_9355
"I'm glad tribal tatts went away."
- Wizdad-1000
"My talented tattooist friend talked me out of this one when I wanted a koi on my arm."
"He bluntly said he was tired of doing Japanese koi and refused to do any more."
- Renwaldo
Jeans
"Jeans. Somehow they transcended fashion and are just kind of unquestionably normal now. There's a lot of kind of pants out there but jeans and slacks are like the only normal ones for the last few decades and that's weird."
-T-MinusGiraffe
"I also love how the blue denim color is considered a neutral. Doesn't clash with any color even though it's technically blue."
-RocinanteMCRNCoffee
"Jeans and a burgundy solid tee: totally normal."
"Burgundy pants and an indigo solid tee: interesting choice"
-PretendMaybe
GiphyMillennials
"Marketing and media tying everything to 'Millenials'."
"I remember being in a work meeting almost a decade ago discussing the next generation that we were going to focus our branding toward because millenials were now older and settling down etc..."
"Well f'k me if we can’t let hyper fixation on that poor generation die out, all because it’s an instantly recognizable buzzword. It’s so stupid and I really feel bad millenials get tagged into or blamed for everything."
- Giveushealthcare
"I don't get why they're trying to appeal to us when we have no money."
- ChristmasSkeletor
Minecraft
"Minecraft. A friend started playing it the first week after it was released. Then he went to PAX and it exploded. Thought the lame graphics would kill it in 6 months."
-Wizdad-1000
"My young son and I got into Minecraft last year. Its appeal is that it's limited only by your own imagination."
-boredsittingonthebus
"Minecraft is essentially Lego now. There have been other games with better mechanics and excellent features, but at the end of the day they will always be seen as knock offs, no matter how good they are."
"I remember getting it when it was a free exe you could download from some dude. My pre-teen son is sitting beside me at this very moment building an automated potion vending machine on a server that also has 20 of his classmates playing."
"His math teacher also plays. I still play."
"I can't believe it is still working on JRE with all of the stuff they have added. I don't think it is ever going to die."
"Like I said, Legos. I was playing with them in the 1970's. They are still awesome."
-phenolic72
GiphyWorld Wide Web
"The internet."
- Lady_of_the_Seraphim
"Funny that Bill Gates got this wrong."
- 01kickassius10
And Finally...
"Rickrolling."
-hamsandwidth
"Jesus, its still happens to this day. I've been rick rolled for over a f*cking decade... in internet time thats like a century. A century of getting rick rolled."
-Notesandstuff
"I have a QR code on the lid of my laptop, which people often ask me about. I always say, scan it, to which their hesitant, but it shows the link as YouTube and so they are like 'well what's the worst that could happen?' This is the worst that could happen. Get played son."
-Dowzer721
"Or Foo Fighters rickrolling their audience by playing the song and then actual Rick came out from back stage with a mic and sung the song with them."
-Jumper5353
GiphyFads often die out quickly, but sometimes things we thought were going to be just fads turn into cultural cornerstones.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.
- Baffled Adults Reveal The Weirdest Teen Trends They've Seen ›
- People Confess Which Trends Were Ruined Because Too Many ... ›
- People Describe The Home Design Trends They Find Terrible ... ›
- People Share The Stupid Fads They Were Most Happy To See End ... ›
- People Confess Which Trends Were Ruined Because Too Many ... ›
- People Reflect On Trends They Want To Bring Back From The ... ›
- People Explain Which Fashion Trends They Cannot Stand - George Takei ›
Unlike introverts who tend to shy away from engaging in random discussions, those who are comfortable–or too comfortable–in their own skin love to get all chatty.
That doesn't mean they have anything significant to say.
"What’s the weirdest thing someone casually told you as if it were totally normal?"
People whom you don't know tend to overshare as these Redditors experienced.
A High Request
"A story from a friend - in Colorado, someone once asked, 'Could you watch my wolves, I can pay you in weed.'"
"There's a lot to unpack in that question!"
– surlymoe
"You don't unpack wolves, you keep them together."
– hwarang_
Unsolicited Prediction
"Husband (30) and I were pushing our shopping cart out of the grocery store when a random man (who honestly looked like dumbledore) looked at my husband and said 'take my hat, you're gonna need it, you'll be bald very soon.' Obviously my husband didn't take it. It was super odd of him to say because my husband had a FULL head of hair."
"Three months later, my husband was diagnosed with a condition that made him lose all of his hair. Weird coincidence."
– hollyjollyaf
Self-Casting
"A guy once told me how he loved the feeling of wearing casts, so he'd put casts on himself- for days or weeks on end. Even if it meant he couldn't drive and would be stuck at home the entire time. He'd use vacation time just to wear full leg & arm casts."
– Present_Dust_2308
Homophobic Homosexual
A homophobic guy I know: 'Being gay is a choice.'"
"I said something like - ok, choose to be gay for a day, an hour, a single minute if you can."
"Guy - That's easy, I'm attracted to men all the time, I just choose to only like girls because I'm not gay."
"Me - Ummm..."
– discostud1515
Longheld Grudge
"Once, an older woman came up to me on the street, took hold of my wrists and simply said 'they ripped out my afterbirth', and then carried on walking."
– JennyW93
"It's strange to grab strangers. But one day in Walmart, my granny walked ahead of me, and reached to grab me to show me something, without looking and she was pulling on an old lady's arm obliviously, and the old lady's eyes were like O.O."
"My grandma didn't even apologize, she just let go and yelled at me to stay closer."
– chzygorditacrnch
A Hairdresser-In-Training
"I was getting my hair done this last weekend by my daughter at her cosmetology school. One of her fellow students was excited to meet me. She talked nonstop and eventually told me that she has hemorrhoids and that she has her husband push them back in. So much TMI from a stranger!"
– Digjam823
You never know about the personal lives of people you see on a regular basis.
Squeaky Clean
"I had a college professor on the first day of class say that she is obsessed with Q-tips and cleaning her ears and that her family has to limit her to 3 a day-"
– lokeilou
Here's The Story...
"That they have 6 kids, all with different dads & each dad is in prison."
– ChyCgx2
"I once had a coworker who had seven kids with five different women and he'd constantly complain about how most of his paycheck went to child support. You uh, dug your own grave, pal. I'm really not sympathetic to your plight."
– apocalypticradish
It's the end of the world as we know it.
End Of Civilization
"I know a guy, we don't talk often but due to business we cross paths on occasion. More or less every time we talk he asks if I'm ready for the total societal collapse coming next week, or Tuesday, or at the end of the month.. and so on."
"I just tell him that it's not gonna happen; he usually then asks about my "crystal ball" so I remind him that I've been right every time."
– rkpjr
Zombie Apocalypse
"I went to a ComicCon type event in my city years ago(Walking Dead was a new show, first season for reference) and went to a panel about zombies. They talked about historical zombie lore, the first zombie movies, and the exciting first season of the new show Walking Dead, with some actors on the panel. When they opened it up to the audience for questions one of the first ones was, 'what kind of zombies do you predict we’ll have in a real zombie apocalypse? (Fast vs slow)'…panelists don’t really know how to answer, each gives their personal favorite or worst case scenario. Then we get to, 'What do you think the timeline is for the start of a coming zombie apocalypse?' Panelists are kind of like….? Talk about how things usually play out fiction."
“'No, but exactly WHEN do you think we’ll need to be fully prepared for zombies in real life?' Like, guys, these are actors and media studies academics, first of all they don’t have the level of belief you do and second, the people you should be asking about this stuff are probably biologists."
– AlternativeAcademia
Whenever I feel threatened by a homeless person who is pressuring me to hand over them cash, I tell them, "I''m allergic to corn."
The random phrase throws them and in the brief moment they assess what they heard I'm afforded more time to distance myself from them.
It always works, especially when they realize I'm all kinds of crazy and not worth targeting.
