In today’s fast-scrolling, fast-fading digital world, individuality is rapidly being swallowed by a phenomenon we’ve all witnessed – herd mentality. The latest example? The sudden, almost irrational craze for Labubu dolls, collectibles that now sit in glass shelves not because people truly love them, but because everyone else seems to.
What are Labubu Dolls?
They are collectible designer toys that are part of a popular art toy series called The Monsters, created by Kasing Lung, a Hong Kong-based illustrator and artist. These toys are produced by Pop Mart, a Chinese company known for its blind-box collectible figures.
Why do we do this? Why are people so easily pulled into trends that, on paper, make little sense? Why has our generation become addicted to validation through sameness, not uniqueness?
Fame Over Fulfilment
It’s not about the doll. It’s about the status symbol, the Instagram post, the “look what I got” moment. The average person isn’t buying Labubu or whatever else is trending because it sparks joy, they’re buying it because it sparks attention.
Fame or even a flicker of it, has become more important than genuine fulfilment. It’s no longer about whether you like something, but whether it will get you likes. That’s the new currency. And the result? A generation stuck in a loop of copy-paste consumerism.
The Marketing Trap
Brands know this. Influencers know this. Entire marketing campaigns are built not on product value, but on engineered FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). If you don’t have it, you’re not part of “the club.” And people fall for it – hook, line and wallet.
Instead of thinking critically, people often follow blindly. They no longer ask, “Do I really want this?” they ask, “What will others think if I don’t have it?” This isn’t empowerment; it’s manipulation. And honestly, I don’t blame the brands. They’re in it for business and they know exactly how to play the game. But what’s alarming is how easily people fall for it. Why have we become so quick to surrender our choices to trends? It’s the same blind worship we see with celebrities and influencers, idolised with zero personal gain. I truly struggle to understand how anything that becomes popular so easily hijacks people’s identity. Where is the strength to think independently? Where is the awareness to question what we’re consuming and why?
Superficiality Masked as Trendiness
This culture encourages surface-level living. Show, don’t feel. Display, don’t reflect. And in that pursuit of looking like everyone else, people start to lose the most precious thing they have – themselves.
The saddest part? Many are spending their money, time and energy chasing products, aesthetics and lifestyles that don’t align with their values or needs. All for what?
Where Are We Going?
When we start defining our identity through trends, we lose touch with our authentic desires, creativity and depth. The goal becomes to fit in, not to stand out. And that’s a slippery slope for any society.
What could people be doing instead? Exploring their passions. Supporting meaningful causes. Building real skills. Cultivating originality. But those things don’t always come with hashtags or clout – so they’re often ignored.
Choose Depth Over Hype
The world doesn’t need more clones chasing the next viral thing. It needs more people who think for themselves, who invest in what they genuinely love and who dare to live unapologetically offline from the performative culture of trends.
Not everything popular is meaningful. And not everything meaningful will be popular. But meaning, unlike trends, doesn’t expire after a week.
So pause. Ask yourself. Is this what you want.. or what the herd wants? And remember: just because something is common, doesn’t mean it’s wise.
What are your thoughts?
A Philomath’s Journal 