Trends, Then vs. Now

Photo Illustration by Kylee Weber

Social media, technology and athletic apparel all have one thing in common: They are constantly changing. Over the course of 2018, we have had new and popular trends occur on campus here at Ottawa. Compared to the past trends, such as Facebook, Beats and Nike, these trends are making more of an appearance with students. New trends for campus include Snapchat, Apple Airpods and Adidas apparel. These are becoming so popular, many students believe they can’t live without them.

Social media: the many applications on students’ phones that we become so involved in on a daily basis. College students remember Facebook as the older social media platform we had when we were younger. Our childhood consisted of updating our status after school and letting everyone know what we were interested in. Now we see it as a useless app on our phone that very few college students even use. Many students use it as a way to let family know how their college experience is, but for that reason only. Facebook is a dying app, as it has been replaced by newer social media, such as Instagram and Snapchat. The most popular way students communicate with each other is Snapchat, due to its messaging system.

“Snapchat is easier to talk to other students,” OU sophomore Cole Davis says. With Snapchat you simply must add the other student’s username, wait for them to add you back, then you can communicate through pictures, messages and videos. Most students find it uncomfortable to give their number to someone they just met, so giving a username allows students to choose who they communicate with and keep some things private. Social media is not the only thing that has constantly changed for the past few years. Technology has also, and now every company is looking for a smaller, faster electronic device.

Headphones: the small plug-in to technology that keep students from listening in class and avoiding conversations on their way to class. Beats became the most popular headphones for students due to their wireless option and sound quality. However, over the past 6 months, Apple AirPods have become the hottest headphones. AirPods are wireless and look like the previous apple headphone, only without the wire connected to them. Compared to Beats, AirPods have made their trend not only on social media but also on campus.

“AirPods have been the best thing for me; they are smaller than beats and, in my opinion, have better sound quality,” junior Hannah Hall says. These hot new headphones are being sold everywhere and are taking over the headphone industry for students around the world. AirPods have also hit the fashion industry to become part of a college student’s every day outfit.

Along with AirPods, college students’ fashion has changed drastically over the years. Nike was the top-selling brand for college students, giving them a comfortable “groutfit” for those dreadful 8 a.m. classes. However, on campus, the students are found wearing more Adidas clothing. Adidas is one of the sponsors for athletic teams here, which automatically gives the students more athletic gear with an Ottawa/Adidas logo on it. Over the years, Nike’s prices have gone up while Adidas prices have gone down. The difference between a $30 hat compared to a $15 hat is considerable for broke college students.

These trends have been popular over the course of 2018. What will be the new social media trend be on campus? What will be the new technology trend for students? What will be the new “fashion” or athletic trend be? What will 2019 consist of? Only the future knows.