How Social Media Breeds Pockets of Conformity

An AI-generated image of people in nearly identical outfits at this year’s Coachella. Image: Erisa Mani x Gemini

By ERISA MANI

This year’s Coachella felt more like Clone-chella. The theme amongst the attendees’ look was clearly “Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V,” a symptom of how our social media feeds are being blown up with nothing unique, each person’s outfit just a blur of someone else’s. It’s exhausting.

Think bohemian dresses adorned with fringes, rhinestone-studded denim, prairie-inspired maxi dresses, and leather chaps paired with barely-there crop tops. Coachella had it all, even a sparkle of Y2K, with low-rise jeans, chunky platforms, and loud accessories. It seemed as if everyone had some sort of clothing that represented these trends. But why?

Well, let’s just say that with social media, conformity has increased, only now with smaller, competing norms. In other eras, people’s opinions were shaped mostly by family, school, and local culture. Now it’s platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

“It feels like now we’re all just expected to fit in with a certain style and will get judged if we don’t adhere to the trends,” sophomore Abigail Figueroa said.

People are finding highly specific groups that match their interests or identities and conforming to smaller subcultures, whether it’s fandoms, political groups, or lifestyle communities.

“Different people occupy different corners of the internet, so it can influence them in different ways,” said Ms. Zoe Piccolo, an AP Environmental Science teacher. “If you’re around people who occupy that same corner, you might feel like everyone is the same because of the algorithm.”

Social psychologist Leon Festinger argued that people evaluate themselves by comparing themselves to others. On platforms like Instagram or TikTok, users constantly see influencers and peers presenting curated, idealized looks that lead to an imitation of these popular aesthetics to align with what is seen as trendy or attractive.

Ming Le ‘28 said, “I personally think that people are pretty similar to one another nowadays as they want to fit in with each other. Diversity is slowly fading.”

Recently, Instagram featured the rise of the “clean girl aesthetic,” where users constantly saw polished, minimalistic looks, then proceeded to compare their appearance to these influencers. Mmany adopted the same style. 

A 2024 study in Discover Psychology found that upward comparison on Instagram significantly decreased body-esteem. When users see “better-looking” or more fashionable people, they feel worse and are more likely to imitate those looks, reinforcing uniform standards. 

There’s also the bandwagon effect, which is the tendency to adopt trends simply because many others are doing so. This is accelerated by social media. As more people jump on trends, unique or unconventional styles get pushed aside. On TikTok, trends explode quickly because people copy what’s already popular. 

“Things get around very fast, kind of like a rumor,” said Nevaeh James ‘27. “Additionally, things also get overhyped, such as matcha or Dubai chocolate. People try them, share the reviews, and persuade others to get them, similar to an advertisement.”

A computational study on Instagram found that users and influencers operate through “mimetric” behavior where audiences and creators reinforce each other’s content patterns. Basically, people don’t just independently choose styles, they copy what is already popular, especially when it’s getting engagement.

For example, we had the “Stanley Cup aesthetic," where a few viral videos of influencers styling outfits with a Stanley Quencher tumbler led to millions of users replicating the same look. The trend spread simply because it was everywhere. 

Fashion choices also signal status, and social media amplifies which styles are considered “high value.” The popularity of brands like Skims or Aritzia are just some examples of this. Influencers present these brands as “aspirational,” wearing them to signal taste. People then converge on the same “approved” brands and aesthetics.

Senior Rana Nagi is one of many who has admitted having at times “copied trends like getting similar shoes as everyone else, and trying to fit certain criteria according to society’s standards when it comes to brands.”

“If you come across multiple videos talking very highly about a brand, then you might feel obligated to purchase said brand to look cool and not have FOMO,” said Benson Luo ‘27.

But social media isn’t the only thing puppeteering this development. A study in the Journal of Youth Studies also found that adolescents themselves explicitly give advice like, “Be yourself, but don’t be weird.”

Young people are aware of the narrow boundary of acceptable individualism. They feel that standing out too much risks social exclusion. Basically, teens are afraid of judgement, so they tend to agree with popular opinions online, dress similarly to peers, and avoid controversial or unusual viewpoints. They copy others to avoid embarrassment or rejection.

“At first when I started seeing all these styles that people had, I thought it would be cool if I could give off the same vibe,” said Irena Sze ‘27. “But I was scared that people would find me cringe, and I would have this fear of being judged.”

Of course, people have followed trends in every era, so what makes today different? Well, now we have technology, globalization, and economic systems all amplifying each other at the same time. This loss of diversity isn’t just about fashion or trends. It has wider consequences for creativity and even democracy.

Senior Daoud Mirza said, “Without the necessary friction of opposing viewpoints, self government fails to protect the rights of anyone who is different.”

We’re facing complex global problems such as the rise of AI, climate change, public health, and many more. These pressing demands require novel thinking, not uniformity. 

In a world that quietly rewards sameness, choosing to be different is not just courage, it’s how progress begins. The future doesn’t need more copies. It needs people willing to stand out. Let that person be you.