Social media encourages you to be fickle. Thanks to the algorithms that your favourite platforms employ, your brain is tricked into getting bored quickly. And, have you realised just how many hobbies social media has encouraged people to pick up and abandon at the drop of a hat? From reading one weekend, to painting on the next one, to going on a hike or a run, to doing pottery and yoga, everyone is “hobby shopping” on the internet. Here are some that the internet has been obsessed with lately.
Pickleball: Played with paddles and a plastic ball, the beginner-friendly sport of pickleball has had social media in a choke for quite sometime now. From content creators Aaliyah Kashyap, Sakshi Shivdasani and Saumya Sahni to actors Naina Bhan, Sharvari, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and even Aamir Khan — everyone on our Instagram feeds is at a singles or doubles pickleball court.
Though influencers and actors have had a role to play in the sport’s popularity, the fact is also that the game that originated in Washington in the United States is great for a cardio workout without being too intense on your joints. It’s now one of the fastest growing sports in the country with over 10,000 active players, according to media reports.
Crocheting: Right before pickleball picked up, the rise of ‘slow living’ and ‘granny hobbies’ had made way for crocheting to be adopted by Gen Z and millennials. Celebrities like Kajol and Deepika Padukone shared their love for crocheting and thread embroidery on social media. Vietnamese influencer Uyen Ninh, whose content revolves around sharing the life of an immigrant in Germany, would also share the process and behind-the-scenes of her making tiny crochet toys on Instagram.
Closer home, it also gave way to communities like Lodhi Knits in Delhi and Crafty in Bengaluru. Because of how accessible and resource-light the activity is (you only need wool/yarn/thread and a needle with a hook on one end), it quickly became a favourite among internet users.
Pilates: To be fair, the craze for pilates didn’t originate on social media – it had long been admired from afar, thanks to videos about celebrity exercise regimens — but Instagram and TikTok did give it the push it needed to make it something the masses could engage in. Actors and influencers only added to the already-growing popularity.
Pilates does have its share of benefits. Since pilates helps stretch muscles, it improves your body’s flexibility, is a great way to employ your core strength, and betters your posture. With multiple breathing exercises, it’s a great way to support your mental health too. Of course, it helps that in the past few years, we’ve seen a shift to viewing well-being from a more macro lens and wanting to not just be fitter, but healthier.
How many of these hobbies have you picked up (or dropped) yet?
