Social Media Spikes Students’ Interest in Zodiac Signs

In primitive and ancient cultures, the stars always held some sort of significance, for instance, to connect with the gods or aid in navigation. 

In 1500 BC, the Babylonians created the zodiac (or astrological) signs, 12 constellations that take the shape of animal or human figures. A person’s sign is determined by their date of birth. 

Thousands of years later, society is still fascinated by this idea.  

People now are not looking up at the sky but at their phones to learn about the fascination with the stars.  

Because zodiac signs have risen in popularity, they have started to pop up on social media platforms. Amongst young people especially, astrology content on social media has been booming.  

When sophomore Hannah Bernard opens her Instagram feed, one of the first posts she sees is about zodiac signs. 

“My Instagram feed started getting flooded with posts about the signs and some posts were about what fashion goes with what sign, so it got me interested in them,” said Bernard.  

Sophomore Rhyan Clark said Snapchat has a section in a user’s profile where others can see his or her birth chart. 

“After entering your birthday along with the place, you were born and [what] time [you were born], you will receive your complete zodiac chart with all your zodiac placements,” said Clark.  

According to a 2020 story in Business Insider, “Astrology’s exploding popularity has led to a booming $40 million business for apps,” and many of these apps are horoscope related. 

As stated in a Britannica article, horoscopes are “used to provide information about the present and to predict events to come.” A person’s zodiac sign influences what their horoscope might forecast.
 

Sophomore Cara Van Niekerk is very invested in her horoscope app, which notifies her of what may occur in her life on a given day. 

“I follow it religiously. I am very into these kinds of things,” she said. 

One the other hand, Bernard does not believe in the horoscope. 

“I do not believe in horoscopes. I feel as if you create your own future and that nature may have some effect, but that it is you who fully decides what can happen,” she said. 

According to a website called Astrology Zodiac Signs, zodiac signs correlate with a person’s personality. 

“Each sign has its own strengths and weaknesses, its own specific traits, desires and attitude towards life and people. Astrology can give us a glimpse of a person’s basic characteristics, preferences, flaws and fears,” the site said. 

Many people analyze their compatibility with other zodiac signs to determine how successful their friendships and romantic relationships may be. Freshman Lielle Cazenave does not see the point, however.  

“I like knowing what my friend’s signs are, but I don’t think it’s important enough to stop being friends with them,” she said. 

Sophomore Riley Will does not see the point in star signs at all.  

“I don’t really understand the importance of the signs and why some people take them so seriously,” she said. “I also don’t get why some people depend their lives on the signs.”