Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.

Have you ever wondered why you have a sudden fascination to try the newest food you saw on TikTok? Or why you suddenly feel pressured to get a pumpkin spice latte this early into the fall season even though the thermometers are still hitting 80 degrees every day?

With the very early release of Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte and other fall-themed treats, I wondered why so many people are so quick to run to Starbucks the moment new beverages get released, despite knowing it’s the same thing every year. Then it began to dawn on me that social media heavily influences how we choose to spend our money.

In January I went to a Starbucks searching for a peppermint mocha because I was still in a holiday mood. After asking the barista if it was something they were still selling, I began to realize the peppermint mocha is only largely advertised as a holiday classic beverage during the holiday season because peppermint is considered a holiday flavor.

However, the barista at this location then shared with me that they still were extremely stocked up with pumpkin flavoring despite the fact that it’s supposed to be a seasonal flavor. And I began to realize the drop in people ordering pumpkin-flavored treats was because the season of fall had at that point already left people’s minds.

Mainstream media plays a large role in everyone’s lives. Whether it’s what we stream or what we see on social media, media is brought up in conversation or overheard on the way to class — it is always there. So it’s no wonder that when I heard someone mention the pumpkin flavoring at Dutch Bros, my ears perked up, and I began to search my Dutch Bros app for more information.

Human beings are so easily manipulated by what they see or hear around them that they can oftentimes find themselves starting to seek out certain behaviors or things that mirror what they have seen on social media. No one really has an interest in eating Rocky Mountain oysters, but the moment they start blowing up on TikTok, I bet you might be more interested.

And even if you don’t have TikTok, that doesn’t mean you are immune to this cycle that is continuously happening. It just means we are even more susceptible to our interest being snagged by verbal discussion or the Google searches we make.

This phenomenon doesn’t just stop at food, though. It continues to be something that impacts the way we dress, what type of body wash we use and maybe even what kind of doctor we go see.

However, pumpkin-themed treats being the most popular trend going around right now seems to make it seem this is all about food — that is, until the fall outfits and Halloween decorations will come to overrule the hype that is the pumpkin spice latte just in time for the Christmas flavors to be released.

Whether we like it or not, the season of pumpkin-flavored everything is upon us despite the warm weather outside, and it will be here until the season of Christmas-themed beverages approaches in November, as it has in past years. And unfortunately for us, there is no real way to fight off the reality that the season of seasonal themed flavors and scents will soon overpower all of our homes.

Reach Dominique Lopez at letters@collegian.com or on Twitter @caffeinateddee6.