Across social media platforms, an unusual trend has emerged; students are romanticizing the act of studying for school.
To romanticize something means to make it more attractive or interesting than it really is, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. It becomes more appealing, something that students actually want to do.
The TikTok “studytok” trend is appealing to students because of the aesthetic look of the videos and the motivation boost. The videos often entail either a cozy study corner or studying in cafes or libraries. People will use cute, aesthetic stationary to set the scene to study effectively.
Student Kaydee Leong (12) believes that being proficient at school is the goal, and these videos seem to be a key to achieving success.
“I think being a good student is what a lot of people want to be and they see these videos and they’re like I want to be like that and they try it and it’s harder than they thought, it makes them admire those videos even more,” Leong says.
Leong also states how seeing the videos across her TikTok page acts as a catalyst to encourage students to be more productive.
“I think seeing other people get stuff done, it makes me feel bad about laying in bed and being on tiktok,” Leong says. “So coming across a video with gentle music and ambient lighting and they’re getting stuff done makes me feel like I should be doing more.”
Mirah Levine (11), another Kalani student, feels that the trend is ironic and didn’t expect it to take off and become so popular because she “actually hates studying” — despite being a good student.
Although the trend seems to be a good motivator, Levine explains how it may cause more harm than good because “it might not be so sustainable” in the long term. She believes that studying shouldn’t just be an aesthetic way of life.
“I study because I’m really lucky to have the opportunity to be in these classes and have these opportunities, so I don’t want to pass it up, but I feel like if you’re studying just because it looks cool, you’ll lose motivation over time,” Levine says.
Levine stresses that for studying and learning to be viable, proper breaks are needed.
“Sometimes when I see the videos, I’m like yeah, I should study, but sometimes it’ll make me feel bad for not studying,” Levine explains. “I’ll look at those videos and be like, they’re really doing good. I should probably do that too, but I also think another side that they should add to that is also taking breaks and stuff because as much as studying is important, so taking care of your health.”
What’s most important to remember with this rising academic trend is to take care of yourself and not put yourself down for trying.
“It’s okay if you’re not getting exactly the grades that you want; the whole point of school is to learn and grow as long as you try to improve,” Levine says. “Don’t beat yourself up if you’re not doing as well as you hoped; it’s okay. You can do it next time!”
