This article first appeared in Digital Edge, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on November 14, 2022 - November 20, 2022

At least once in our lives some of us would have wished for psychic powers to read other people’s minds or to know what people think of us when they interact with us. Oftentimes, many just accept it is beyond their ability to control how people perceive them. Ignorance is bliss, after all.

Social media somehow has made this notion a reality, especially on platforms with an immense user base such as Instagram and TikTok. #becarefulwhatyouwishfor

An example of a trend that has piqued the interest of many and is steering them to religiously click on every Instagram story for the fun and drama is the “NGL” or “not gonna lie” link. This link shared by Instagram users allows their followers to send them anonymous messages and honest opinions. 

Social media apps, including Instagram, typically do not come with incognito features. Indeed there are options to pose questions or generate quizzes on the app, but account owners can view those that replied to them. This could hinder users from getting honest responses since most people are unlikely to share their real opinion when their identities are not concealed. Here’s where the NGL app plays a role. 

The identity of followers who respond on the NGL link is kept confidential, which creates excitement over the mysterious person who has just confessed his or her crush on you, or curiosity over the anonymous follower who openly cussed you out.

Another trend that has been circulating on TikTok is the “If I Was A” trend, which has garnered at least 111 million views on the app. This trend innocently started with couples asking their partners what they would be if they were a colour, season, animal, flower and more. 

Again, this allows them to find out how their significant other sees them. But the trend then evolved and fellow TikTokers tailored the trend for best friends, co-workers and siblings with other questions. Each question is then responded to with images of the colour or season in which they were visualised, in a short TikTok clip using background sound from the Run Boy Run song by Woodkid. 

These trends exist because subconsciously, we all would like to know how we look in the eyes of others. Did the outcomes of these trends satisfy or disappoint you? Either way, trends should not alter the way you look at yourself. 

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