I, a 19-year-old woman, used a fidget spinner for a week to prove that internet fads are a waste of time
Anyone remember Pokémon GO?
About a month ago, you might’ve seen fidget spinners all over your news feed. It was the social media sensation everyone loved, even Donald Trump’s son, Barron, got in on the action.
Lately, however, there has been less and less spinning happening on the TL, and why would that be? I’ve always thought giving in to internet crazes was dumb. They keep you occupied for all of five minutes, and then you’re on to the next one. Remember back in 2015 when people were willing to get seriously bruised by sucking their lips into shot glasses to look like Kylie Jenner? Good times.
I’m not one to give into internet trends, but I figured I would take a shot at using a fidget spinner for a week to see why things over the internet become so popular (as well as die out) so fast, and why people would go crazy over a toy.
Day one
The first time I laid my hand on a fidget spinner I was shocked; as much as I hated to admit it to myself, this was actually kinda fun! It’s weird how amusing seeing a piece of plastic rotate can give someone so much joy.
Day two
I made sure my spinner went with me everywhere: work, the beach, and even the store.
Fidget spinner is bae
I definitely got some weird looks throughout the day though. By the look of their faces, I could imagine their thoughts were along the lines of, “Oh you must think you’re sooo cool with your fidget spinner”. I wanted to scream, “No! I hate internet trends more than anyone!!!”, but alas. Just spin away the haters Alyssa.
Day three
By day three I noticed I was using my cellphone less and less. Considering how much I love my iPhone, this was a big step for me. I used my phone as a crutch, something I kept in my hands at all times so that I wouldn’t feel awkward in moments where I didn’t know what to do with my hands. My fidget spinner made it so that I no longer needed to unnecessarily drain my battery. That way, I can use it for more important things, like watching videos on insta of cool fidget spinner tricks.
Days four-six
For three days straight I didn’t use my fidget spinner AT ALL. Even after that big revelation I had in Day Three, I went back to my cellular crutch and my spinner got lost in the abis that is my purse, along with some lint and spare change. It was just that quick for me to completely forgot about it’s existence and go back to my normal life, pre-spinner.
Day seven
This last day I forced myself to use the fidget spinner. I had to keep reminding myself, “Just try to keep it in you hands as much as possible”. With that being said, that didn’t work considering the fact I was walking into an eight hour shift at a fast food restaurant, where, if you’ve ever worked fast food before, you know you don’t get much free time where you’re first thought would be “let me go play with this”.
With that being said, I now understand why internet trends die out so fast. I can see why it’s fun for some people to do popular things they find on the internet, either they truly enjoy it or it could just be used as a conversation starter. For me, though, the fidget spinner just wasn’t realistic enough for me to want to continue using it. If anything, it was a waste of five dollars. And I wanted to like it, I really did! Once the hype of it wore off over the first few days, however, I knew that a fidget spinner was nothing more than a child’s toy that went viral.