# 401. The psychology of microtrends Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-psychology-of-your-20s-4434262/401-the-psychology-of-microtrends Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-psychology-of-your-20s-4434262/401-the-psychology-of-microtrends.md Podcast: [The Psychology of your 20s](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-psychology-of-your-20s-4434262) Published: 2026-03-30T16:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://omny.fm/shows/the-psychology-of-your-20-s/401-the-psychology-of-microtrends Audio file: https://pdrl.fm/f842d9/podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/bc44988a-a82a-4291-ab8b-afdd01187fa8/40c1948a-ebbb-4554-84b9-b41b0040981a/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=39e2f432-53df-43b8-a7b9-afdd01187fc4 Processing state: processed JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-psychology-of-your-20s-4434262/episodes/401-the-psychology-of-microtrends Duration seconds: 2806 ## Resource We all want to feel that we fit into a social group. But how does this play out when it comes to trends? From ‘mob wife energy’ to ‘cottagecore’, rapidly-evolving microtrends put more aesthetic-driven content in front of us than ever before, and it can feel hard to keep up. In this episode, we explore the ways that social media, fast fashion and ‘dopamine culture’ can pressure us to buy, how microtrend fatigue is giving way to a new type of self-expression, and how we can healthily navigate our own consumption of microtrends. We explore: The 5 stages of a trend, and how microtrends are different How world events influence microtrends Why social contagion, social conformity, and individual expression influence our behaviour Why social media and fast fashion have led to an explosion in microtrends The role of ‘dopamine culture’ on our brains Microtrend fatigue, and how ‘vibes’ might be replacing them When to buy, and when to wait Watch on Netflix: HERE Follow Jemma on Instagram: @ jemmasbeg Follow the podcast on Instagram: @ thatpsychologypodcast Subscribe on Substack: @ thepsychologyofyour20s For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com   The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-psychology-of-your-20s-4434262/episodes/401-the-psychology-of-microtrends/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-psychology-of-your-20s-4434262/401-the-psychology-of-microtrends.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.