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Looking like the Algorithm

By: Matthew Virtucio

“Everyone wants to be different… by being exactly the same.”

Walk down any city street like BGC and Salcedo on a sunday or go to any flea market events or pop ups or scroll through TikTok for a few minutes, and the pattern becomes clear: everyone dresses the same, listens to the same trending music/artist, and adopts the same personality tropes. Microtrends like oversized streetwear, Y2K revival, indie sleaze, clean-girl aesthetic, cottagecore, office siren, dark academia, downtown girl. The list goes on and all of it is recycled, repackaged, and relentlessly duplicated. It is like a people are wearing a uniform 

In an era where self-expression should be more accessible than ever, individuality seems to be on life support. The question arises: Are we in the middle of a personal style extinction? And if so, how did we get here? In this article, we’ll investigate how platforms like TikTok, the rise of microtrends, and the fear of standing out have slowly killed personal style and authenticity. Spoiler alert: the algorithm is winning. This is an investigative article on how we lost who we are

social media can only cover so much of what exists around us geographically or algorithmically, there are plenty of different forms of expression yet to make its way to a person’s feed.” Says Jasmine, a frequent social media user “.social media only shows a slice of the pie that holds the reality of the rest of the world.” she added.

TikTok, the world’s most influential platform for youth culture, has become both the creator and destroyer of individuality. With trends moving faster than ever before, sometimes rising and falling in less than a week, users are incentivized to conform rather than innovate. TikTok birthed cores and when consuming these trends you have to eat the food, have the habit, or do the hobbies that the aesthetics represents. 

“Mga people kasi they want to belong or fit in” says fashion enthusiast Elle Virtucio. “And sa social media spaces naman, fitting in means dressing, looking, and behaving kung anong naga labas sa feed mo sa Tiktok or Pinterest.”

Creators who stray too far from trending audio, aesthetics, or styles are often buried by the algorithm. In contrast, those who copy successful formulas see rapid growth in views, comments, and shares. The result is a social media landscape of clones with different faces but the same fashion, same music taste, and same energy. Tiktok filipino content creators who focus on fashion like Kiel the great, Justin Bangsil, and Jeff ong are some who goes for the trend many fashion content creators on TikTok often showcase styles that feel more like copies of each other than genuine expressions of individuality.

The platform’s fast-paced, trend-driven nature rewards repetition and viral aesthetics, leading creators to mimic popular outfits, poses, and aesthetics to stay relevant. As a result, fashion content can become formulaic, with everyone wearing the same outfits styled the same way, leaving little room for personal interpretation or creativity. This widespread imitation makes it difficult to distinguish one creator’s style from another’s, creating a culture where originality is sacrificed for algorithmic success, and personal style becomes less about identity and more about fitting into the latest viral mold.   

The state of fashion is a prime example. Microtrends like "blokecore," "balletcore," "barbiecore,” or “coastal grandma,” dominate for a few months before disappearing into digital oblivion. Fast fashion giants like Shein, Zara, H&M, Forever 21 and Top Shop capitalize on this, flooding the market with cheap replicas of TikTok trends within days.

This shift has reduced fashion to costume. Rather than a medium for personal storytelling or cultural heritage, clothing is now just a visual tag for whatever subculture is trending this week.

Fast fashion can negatively impact individuality by promoting conformity over originality. With trends changing weekly and mass-produced styles dominating the market, people often feel pressured to follow what's popular instead of exploring their own unique tastes. This constant cycle of buying and discarding trendy clothes discourages self-expression and personal growth in style. Rather than developing a thoughtful, authentic wardrobe that reflects their identity, many individuals adopt the same looks seen on social media, diluting their sense of self in favor of fitting in.

Moreover, fast fashion encourages a shallow relationship with clothing, where appearance becomes more important than meaning or quality. This can lead to people valuing external validation over personal satisfaction, especially when likes and trends drive their fashion choices. In trying to keep up, individuals may lose touch with what truly resonates with them, trading creativity and individuality for short-lived popularity. Over time, this erodes not just personal style, but also confidence and authenticity.

Music is not safe either, music once a deeply personal space of identity, is now largely governed by streaming algorithms and TikTok virality where everyone now listens to the same artist and songs discovering new artist on the app is great but, songs aren’t discovered through deep listening or subculture exploration anymore they’re discovered through 10-second clips attached to a dance challenge or meme. 

Beyond music and fashion, personality itself has become performative. The TikTok persona, whether it’s the sarcastic "hot girl," the soft-spoken "sad boy," or the hyper-positive “that girl” is an act. Real-life individuality is flattened into digestible, algorithm-friendly archetypes.

Underlying all of this is a cultural shift toward fear of judgment and obsessive relatability. The drive to “fit in” has overtaken the desire to “stand out.” And for good reason standing out often means getting ridiculed or ignored online.

The irony is that everyone is trying to be different in exactly the same way.

This cycle, powered by platforms that favor mimicry, is eroding the space for creative risk-taking. Originality takes time, experimentation, and often failure, luxuries that don’t fit neatly into a 15-second TikTok video.

Authenticity is rewarded only when it’s aesthetically curated. Vulnerability, humor, confidence all must be framed within the boundaries of what is currently trending.

As a result, many young people report feeling disconnected from their real selves. And that this persona often doesn’t reflect their true identity. Despite this bleak landscape, all is not lost. A growing counterculture is pushing back against algorithmic sameness. Slow fashion, niche music scenes, and underground art communities are beginning to reassert the value of personal expression over performative trends.

But reclaiming individuality in the age of algorithms will take conscious effort and a willingness to be ignored or misunderstood at times.

In a world obsessed with copying, being original is now the most radical act.

The death of personal style isn’t just a fashion issue, it's a reflection of how we construct identity in the digital age. TikTok didn’t create this phenomenon, but it accelerated it. It rewards mimicry, punishes risk, and feeds us prepackaged personalities.

If we want to rediscover ourselves, we may need to step away from the feed and look inward not outward for inspiration.

credits to the owner of the image (mochee.com)