It’s been over a year since stay-at-home orders were enforced around the United States and the world, and even though the pandemic has stopped a lot of activities, trends on popular social media apps such as TikTok have cycled since the pandemic began. Whether it be viral food trends or new TV shows, here’s what has differed from over a year ago!

Food & Beverage Trend in 2020: Whipped Coffee

Whipped coffee skyrocketed into popularity shortly after stay-at-home orders were introduced in mid-March. The drink is made by whipping equal parts instant coffee powder, water, and sugar and putting it over cream.

Food & Beverage Trend in 2021: Feta Pasta

This viral pasta emerged in early 2021, and it was so popular that feta ran out in Finland. It consists of baking a block of feta, tomatoes, and spices and combining them with pasta.

Fashion & Hair Trend 2020: Dyed Hair

This trend rose in popularity in March of 2020 due to the stay-at-home orders. People would often use drug-store hair dyeing products, as drug stores were one of the few businesses open during the shutdown.

Fashion & Hair Trend 2021: Mask Fashion

Though the trend was somewhat popular in 2020 as well, lots of designer brands are just now making masks that not only protect people from COVID-19 but also can make a fashion statement.

Communication & Learning in Early to Mid-2020: Friend Zooms and Continuous Learning

A big reason as to why many students were glad of the stay-at-home order was because school was not required. Students were, however, presented with continuous learning opportunities during the fourth quarter of the 2019-2020 school year. In addition, lots of students used Zoom to communicate with friends

Communications and Learning in Late 2020-2021: Online School and Socially Distanced Gatherings.

Throughout most of the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year, students spent more time online than in person. Online learning was criticized by many students because of the lack of engagement for students. Since then, most students have gone back to school full-time, but some still are in remote learning.

Bizarre Trend of 2020: No Toilet Paper

Perhaps less of a trend and more of a novelty, stores ran out of toilet paper when stay-at-home orders were introduced. Videos of people buying toilet paper in bulk went viral. A major cause of the shortage was the overall shift in the demand for at-home toilet paper.

Bizarre Trend of 2021: Nature’s Cereal

This trend became popular on TikTok in February 2021 due to it being tried by celebrities such as Lizzo. ‘Nature’s Cereal’ consists of ice cubes, a variety of fruits, and coconut water. Many people find the taste to be overly bitter, but it allegedly has health benefits.

Popular TV Show of 2020: Tiger King

Tiger King was released to Netflix on March 20th, 2020, right as stay-at-home orders were introduced. This led to the show’s extreme popularity. Tiger King is a documentary about the life of several large feline animal sanctuaries and the drama that surrounds them and their owners.

Popular TV Show of 2021: WandaVision

Marvel Studios’ WandaVision is a TV series released on Disney+ between January 15 to March 5, 2021. Told in the same style as 20th-century sitcoms, WandaVision follows Avengers Wanda Maximoff and the Vision as they try to conceal their powers from their small suburban town. And, as per usual in the Marvel universe, things aren’t quite what they seem.