By: Gabriela Medina
It is only natural that we’ve made some changes in our daily lives, as we have all been living during the unprecedented times in this pandemic. Being stuck at home has led our curious minds to explore new hobbies and hop on new trends. It makes sense to try something new, especially when there is so much more time on our hands.
Trying something new can be fun and exciting and depending on the hobby, of course, it could change your life for the better. New hobbies allow us to grow mentally, physically, and emotionally. Some people picked up new skills such as exercising, yoga, painting, cooking, baking to better their lives.
Even as things are slowly readjusting back to normal, these hobbies have stuck around, especially those that gained traction on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Both platforms have become homes to videos that showcase new hobbies, inspiring others to explore their interests.
Not only are people trying new things, but they are also making sure to record, capture the art, and put a hashtag on it so that others interested in starting something new can try it out for themselves. It has never been easier for people to look up trends like the newest dance move, painting hacks, and more.
For some, social media itself has become a hobby! Many artists with different backgrounds and interests have become “influencers.” The term is pretty self-explanatory; they have gained supporters and have the platform to influence others.
Although many clubs and dance studios were shut down because of the pandemic, hobbies like dancing have continued to grow and evolve in many ways, all through the power of social media! Several dance trends have had people joining in on the fun. Many people have gained followers just by picking up their hobbies and dancing online.
A TikToker and hip hop dancer who goes by the name “Avemoves” online started his dancing journey for others to watch on May 13, 2020. What started as a hobby for him has become content for others to enjoy. Fitting in with the theme of the pandemic, his first video, which has 275.4k views, was of him dancing while wearing a regular facemask. As he gained popularity, he upgraded his mask to a full, black face mask, hiding his identity.
By November 2021, he had reached one million followers on TikTok. In celebration of his achievement, he made a “one million follower special - a new chapter” video of him transitioning to the same mask in the color white. This iconic mask has become a staple and helped him to gain followers as it is easily recognizable.
People also joined in on the fun and remade his videos for their own accounts. Many of those videos also went viral, continuing the cycle. For those who still find it difficult to follow along with Avemoves’s dances, he has started to make tutorials of some of his footwork. The more recognition he’s gained, the more TikTok users have been interacting with his content; they have even put in requests for songs and other fun twists as challenges for him to do.
Like many other social media users, Avemoves uses effects, transitions, and interesting lighting in his videos to catch viewers’ attention. His videos have continued to get millions of likes and he has received some traction on Instagram. His accounts have amassed 15.4 million followers on TikTik and 1.1 million followers on Instagram.
It is funny to think that some of the hobbies we’ve tried because of the pandemic could have helped shape us to become who we are today. These new activities that we turned to for comfort and peace of mind have impacted our lives; they became a part of our “new normal.” Now that the pandemic is slowly dwindling, it may be difficult to drop these new hobbies because, for some people, they could have forgotten what their “normal” was.