Are we normalizing trauma by turning it into trends online?

On one hand, people sharing their trauma online has created a language for pain that earlier generations never had. Ten years ago, you couldn’t openly talk about anxiety, toxic families, or burnout without being judged. Now, someone makes a reel about it, and thousands comment, “This is me.” That recognition is healing in itself, it reminds us we’re not alone.

But when everything becomes a trend, trauma risks being reduced to an aesthetic. We start packaging deep wounds into bite-sized quotes, sad background music, or “relatable” memes. And while it spreads awareness, it can also desensitize us.

The real danger is when people start performing pain to belong to a trend, or when repeated exposure convinces us that suffering is an identity rather than an experience we can move through.

But Healing takes effort, therapy, reflection, and support, it’s not as glamorous as a viral reel makes it look.