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Jump on the Bandwagon

Do we, the human race, rely entirely too much on society to decide who we are? Everyone has heard or seen things on TV, in a magazine, on a social network, or even around them in school or at work that we take a liking to all because someone else has it or said they liked it. What does this do to our society? Does it make us come closer together because we wear and do the same things as everybody else or does it take away our individuality? As I sit here and ask myself this I realize that I too have been subjected to the “bandwagon effect”. But that doesn't necessarily make my opinion on the topic positive or negative; it actually gives me experience with the said topic of bandwagon, giving me the ability to see both good and the bad.

So with that said, what is one of my opinions on bandwagon in society. Well, I think that most people especially people in my generation, are dependent on other people’s opinions of them. Thus they in a sense become a clone of one another, adapting the same speech patterns, fashion sense and so forth. With the need to be accepted we change who we are, trying to become today’s society norm.

What is it in us that tells us that we need to be or having things other people have? I think that even social psychologist have a little trouble answering this question. It is in my opinion that this “effect” has horrible consequences on us young people. If from a young age we see that to be liked we must be like someone else, what happens to our future? How will we survive without striving for social acceptance, will we forget what it means to be our own selves, or is this just a stepping stone to realizing the ugly truth in our world, that everyone is the same and we need to do something about it.

But like I said previously, I too have “jumped on the bandwagon”. There are times when the “bandwagon effect” helps people realize who and what they want to be seen as in society. How is this? Well I believe that someone can want to be seen as part of the larger group and be forever know as a social butterfly by using the “effect”, or maybe they want to understand what other people are into and doing nowadays yet still be themselves.

I think my ultimate opinion is that people shouldn't “jump on the bandwagon” just to be viewed as popular and in the now as many magazines would call a trend. So people should be who they are, and society shouldn't expect people to follow every trend because a celebrity wears a piece of clothing or says a new phrase.

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