Want to feel old? Here’s what high school kids are into right now
Want to feel old? This year’s graduating class is the last one in which most of the students were born in the ‘90s. I’m one of those students, born in September of 1999. I was still in diapers during the Y2K freak out and just learning my first words when the iPod debuted in 2001.
And trust me, Millennials, high school has changed a lot since you were walking the halls listening to Nelly’s “Country Grammar” and watching TRL while talking to your friends on AIM after school. (I had to ask for help from the C5 editors for those references, since “Country Grammar” came out before I turned 1.)
Just to make you feel even more old, I’ve compiled a list of some noteworthy things my friends and I are into these days for your reading pleasure — and possible discomfort.
(1) Fidget spinners are everywhere.
This gadget is a boredom and stress reliever for adolescents, initially targeted towards those with ADHD. These things, which are shaped like mini ceiling fans, are blowing up now, coming in a variety of colors and styles, including one that looks like the Golden Snitch from Harry Potter. You basically press the center of the contraption and spin the blades around your fingers– and annoy everyone around you in the process.
(2) We stalk our friends with an app.
This iPhone app displays the location of all your friends. Your contacts can only see where you are if you accept their request, but once you do, your location is disclosed indefinitely. It’s just as stalker-ish as it sounds — but also very useful. Example: Your friend isn’t responding to your texts? Just casually stalk her with Find My Friends to make sure she’s actually babysitting and not at her ex’s house again.
(3) MTV is dead.
Remember when the whole world revolved around the Music Television Channel? Now MTV is really only relevant on cute vintage T-shirts from Urban Outfitters. (Which is why I had to ask my editor what TRL was.) Now we get our music from streaming services like Spotify and Soundcloud.
(4) Facebook is cool, even though we would never admit it.
Sure, we say that we only made an account in order to find a college roommate, but in reality we use Facebook for so much more than that. Facebook is perfect for posting the pictures that weren’t cute enough to make your Instagram or wasting an entire afternoon watching Tasty videos for recipes you’ll never make.
(5) Snapchat streaks are sacred.
If you Snapchat the same person every day for at least three days in a row it’s a Snapstreak, and it’s arguably the most important part of Snapchat.
Snapstreaks can last for years — I have a friend with a 528(!!)-day streak. Going out of the country for two weeks with no cell service? Just give your friend your login info so that they can keep up your streaks for you while you’re gone. Snapstreaks are no joke.
(6) There’s a whole other side of Instagram that you don’t know about.
You probably at least know about Instagram, but what about “Finstagram”? Finstas — fake Instagrams — are secondary accounts shared only with close friends, most often used as a platform to post embarrassing pictures, tell awkward stories and complain about anything and everything. Not to be confused with Rinstas — real Instagram accounts.
(7) Big eyebrows are so in right now.
In the ‘90s, stars like Kate Moss and Drew Barrymore popularized the pencil-thin eyebrow, over-plucked to perfection. Today, bushy brows are all the rage, and the newest eyebrow trend, microblading, even involves tattooing semi-permanent hairs onto your eyebrows.
Teens will do just about anything to ensure their eyebrows are on fleek.
Photos: Paul T. Erickson; Charlotte Observer file; Maya Elliott; Flickr
This story was originally published May 31, 2017 at 1:37 AM with the headline "Want to feel old? Here’s what high school kids are into right now."