The “Butterfly Effect” is trending on TikTok, but users have given it a new meaning. The original theory—coined by a meteorologist to describe weather patterns and made famous by a slightly unhinged Ashton Kutcher movie—describes how tiny changes can cause wildly unpredictable outcomes. Now, young people on TikTok are using it to explain everything from bumping into their soulmate at a party they almost skipped to landing a dream job because they randomly applied last-minute. These choices do affect the outcome, but not quite in the down-the-line way the original term implies. For a generation that wasn’t old enough to watch the Butterfly Effect movie (or maybe even born yet) when it was most popular, it makes sense that they’re giving it a new meaning. Technically, these feel-good stories are more “invisible string”-like or cause-and-effect than true chaos theory. Still, it’s hard to blame any of them for wanting to make life’s twists and turns feel a little more magical—that’s Gen Z’s favorite thing to do. (Betches)
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