Internet fads are just that: fads.
They have a shelf life that can be as short as 10 minutes and maybe if they have some staying power, a week. However an ever expanding Facebook group is trying to change the way we perceive fads.
More Dudes is a Facebook group that has seemingly grown overnight. Once a small group that no one knew about, the group now has over 16,000 members on Facebook. This group is of course not limited to New Trier students, as people of all ages across the country are members of this group.
Many self-proclaimed “dudes” preach the strong community in the online group. One anonymous New Trier Student had this to say about More Dudes. “It’s more than just a silly Facebook group. It’s a place for dudes to be dudes with other dudes. As someone who’s for the dudes, that’s what I’m all about. Dude on!”
Nothing epitomizes the More Dudes attitude quite like this quote. In the about section of the Facebook group, dudes follow three simple steps: Step 1. Add a Dude, Step 2. Add more Dudes, and Step 3. Enjoy the dude love. This philosophy is followed by all dudes in the group and is imperative if you want to accentuate dudeliness.
When asked about what More Dudes means to him, senior Colin Richards said, “It’s a great way to make new friendships, get yourself out there, and express yourself.”
This isn’t the first nationwide internet fad to hit New Trier, as last year people were obsessed with “No Bev.” “No Bev” was a group whose members would take pictures of other people without any beverages while eating or doing various activities. The popularity of “No Bev” was short lived at New Trier, and was old news two weeks after it had taken the school by storm.
Of course no fad can be matched by Yik Yak, which was the subject of controversy last year. It was popular for about a week at New Trier until it and many other Chicagoland schools had it banned for people bullying other students on the app.
More Dudes is different. There isn’t any bullying that happens on the group. There aren’t pictures of people with “No Bev.” More Dudes is a community of people that share their common interests with the rest of the dudes in the group. People can, well, just be dudes in it. It’s a dudely community.
More Dudes continues to grow on a daily basis because people from all over the country keep adding more members, and the members will then become “dudes”.
More Dudes has been relevant for almost two weeks now, but is it going to be relevant a week from now? Only time will tell if it becomes the next big thing. Some think that More Dudes is going to be around for a long time. Others will be over it in two days. But regardless of what happens, More Dudes will live on as a dudely community for the dudes.