Technology expert Juan Guevara examines “aura farming,” a social media expression that has become increasingly popular among younger generations. The term generally describes intentionally doing something that makes a person appear cool, confident, impressive or effortlessly charismatic, metaphorically allowing them to accumulate “aura points.”

The concept borrows from gaming terminology, where “farming” refers to repeatedly performing activities to accumulate resources, experience or rewards. Social media culture has transformed that idea into an informal system of gaining or losing social status through someone's appearance, behavior or actions.

Guevara also addresses the broader issue surrounding viral trends and young users. Social media algorithms can rapidly amplify behaviors, challenges and memes, sometimes encouraging users to imitate increasingly attention-grabbing content. Understanding these trends, Guevara explains, can help parents have more informed conversations with their children about what they watch, imitate and share online.