Trauma dumping:

[trou-muh duhm-ping, traw] - noun

"Unsolicited one-sided sharing of traumatic or intensely negative experiences or emotions in an inappropriate setting or with people who are unprepared for the interaction"

Image Credit: Hoehne from Unsplash

The Gen Z Definition

That’s the dictionary definition of trauma dumping and perhaps the millennial way of describing it, too. For Gen Z, however, trauma dumping isn’t having an awkward and uncomfortable pity party, but instead it’s a coping mechanism–using humor and jokes to laugh our pain away. Many of us don’t treat trauma as something that needs to be talked about in therapy when we have the internet and social media to be our therapists in the comments.

That may be valid because why spend hundreds of dollars to talk to a person who just responds with that infuriating “why do you feel that way?” when you can just trauma dump in between thirst traps and GRWMs. Maybe it’s finding people online just like you, who’ve been through the same things, or maybe it’s the fact that, instead of crying, laughing can help others feel something. Gen Z has an obsession with sharing personal trauma and treating it like it’s a normal thing, maybe almost too normal.

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The Candy Salad Trend

Using humor to hide trauma was always something that people used to hide what they were feeling, but 2024 was when I really noticed it all over my socials.

The TikTok Candy Salad Trauma Dump was a trend taken by storm through mid to late 2024, where people, especially teenagers and young adults, mixed sweet treats paired with some traumatic life events to make a “candy salad” for the whole Internet to see. Skittles, Reese’s Cups, Nerd Gummy Clusters, M&Ms, and casual bouts of trauma seemed to be a pretty good combination, capable of gathering millions of views and thousands of comments.

Of course, this still falls under the category of trauma dumping since nobody really expects to be scrolling on their For You page and coming across a TikTok with the caption “haha time for daily 2 am panic attack.” The main question here is why do so many people participate in this trend, and is it really a coping mechanism or just an unhealthy way to vent?

A New Way Of Coping

In the past decade, mental health awareness has become less of a taboo and more encouraging for people to talk about their issues, and that’s where Gen Z decided to take this into their own hands. With tools like social media, the younger generation used the candy salad in a darkly humorous way to discuss their mental health struggles. Each nonchalant confession was meant to make you feel uncomfortable and impeding, exactly what was wanted. Instead of quiet therapy, the sad girl aesthetic, and sitting in the rain, Gen Z decided to use the platform to post exactly what they want to say–sharp and straightforward–instead of quiet subtlety and the hidden meanings.

Eloise Skinner, psychotherapist and author, had something to say about the younger generations' refusal to share trauma more modestly.

“A platform like TikTok encourages…lightness and humor through challenges like this, even when it comes to sharing sensitive personal trauma,” she said. Skinner further elaborates, saying, “This seems like a rejection of the conventional therapeutic ideals, trigger warnings, and self-care notions that were perhaps first created by millennials in the social media space.” Skinner essentially contrasts the way that millennials and Gen Z approach sharing trauma on social media by stating how the current generations are moving away from the ideal “quiet comfort” way to deal with trauma.

Dealing with trauma can be difficult and lonely, and sharing how you feel on the internet, especially social media, can make you feel less alone. People constantly seek the opinions of others, whether it is intentional or not, and while posting on social media can seem like the world is listening to your problems, you can’t gauge others' reactions. People can seem unsympathetic, unkind, and you may get a couple of “oml u srsly need help” comments; however, for some, listening to others share their experiences can make the world seem less lonely.

Honestly, some confessions, such as “My name is Lo and when I was 6, my parents left me at an adoption center and soon died in a car crash,” don’t really mind hiding any emotional damage from the viewers instead seeking out reactions from the people watching, whether it be positive or negative. Statements like these all across social media show how far the limit is, and unloading all that baggage some Gen Z carry without the pressure of being told they’re “oversharing” is really why trauma dumping on the internet is such a popular way to get the emotions out.

Image Credit: Surface from Unsplash

Laugh, Don't Cry

“My best friend and I have been through some situations too, so we knew we had to make one,” said 25-year-old Emma Cassidy in a TikTok. “Some people find it triggering, but I think it’s all about the ‘if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry mindset.” And that’s just it, isn’t it? This is why Gen Z is so keen on making their trauma something that they can make jokes about. In a way where others not only listen to you (and hopefully understand you), but also where they feel something too, whether it be sympathy or shock.

Using humor to hide has always been a coping mechanism, but it doesn’t always need to be unhealthy, and if there is one thing my fellow Gen Zers have understood is that everyone deals with their trauma in different ways, and this just happens to be one of them.

I’ll stick to silently spiraling with online retail therapy and my sad girl playlist, but by all means, if spilling your guts into a big bowl of M&Ms makes you feel better, more power to you. I definitely can’t argue that a nice big bowl of candy really ought to make everyone feel better.