Silly Bandz in first grade, Rubix cubes in fifth, slime, Fortnight, cupcake 2048 — the list of games throughout my childhood is endless, but they all have one thing in common: widespread attraction. As I have grown older, the games have evolved in both their required tactical skill and their ability to be easily concealed or beneath a desk.

The newest of the bunch is Wordle. Now, I do understand the appeal. Just like those who came before, the game has spread amongst my classmates and throughout the halls of school at an astonishing rate. Its goal of matching up letters to find the right word each day is the path to rapid validation. 

But as I sit in math class silencing my phone from wailing like a siren from peers asking me if I have completed today’s Wordle, there is nothing more I would like to do than throw my phone out a window. The drawback from pop culture trends is that while they can seemingly bring together a generation of people who may otherwise be divided, they also slowly cripple individuality in each of us. 

Rather than make our own independent choices when it comes to activities and passions, we are instead motivated to follow what everyone else is doing and thus desensitizing the nature of our experiences. It is an unconscious decision influenced by peers as conformity and familiarity bring us comfort in our everyday lives.

Wordle has a hyper influence on its users. Because you can only play one game each day, everyone drops their other online ventures for the sake of this brief attempt at glory. Of the 90+ percentage of online users in the U.S., a majority of them are all trying to guess the same word. There is something outlandish about the #1 trending internet craze being a bunch of green squares.

To hate on a game of this nature is a waste of time. While I negate all of the loud uproar surrounding the game, those who take part in the game while it is still trending should be left to enjoy. Still, Wordle, too, will pass and instead of getting swept up in the latest trend, I will pursue interests that are specific to me.