Trends are cultural phenomena that spread rapidly from one person to another, gaining mass appeal. Trends can be seen in fashion, music, food, design, etc. They can last for a few weeks or even months, but are often fleeting. They are not as enduring as cultural movements like Art Deco, which became the style of the roaring twenties and is still popular today.
When used in the context of social media, trends are topics that have become very popular at a particular moment in time, typically related to current events, news stories or pop culture. They can be highly relevant to a specific audience and generate lots of engagement as people participate in discussions and share content. They can also be controversial, which can generate interest and engagement based on the reactions of people in response to the topic.
For example, the term “trending” is often applied to specific hashtags that appear in a large number of conversations on Twitter or Instagram. These hashtags can then be analyzed to determine which are the most popular and how much engagement they are receiving, which may give insight into a specific audience’s interests and needs. Trending can be applied to a wide variety of marketing and business activities, from market research to product development and customer service.
The concept of trends has been popularized by social media platforms, who use algorithms to identify and show trending topics for each geographic area and demographic. The popularity of a trend can be measured by how many people are searching for it, how many posts include it in their tweets or Instagram captions, and how much momentum it has in relation to other related topics on the platform. The algorithm behind the trending feature is not completely transparent, but it can be interpreted using various technical tools such as moving averages.
When it comes to creating content that is likely to generate a trend, the most important factor is relevance. Trending content is often related to current events or popular culture, and is more likely to be successful if it aligns with ongoing discussions. This ensures that your content is seen by a large and engaged audience.
YouTubers have a unique perspective on how to create videos that are likely to be featured in the Trending tab. In a video, Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg pointed out that trends are not just about how many views a video gets, but about how it interacts with other videos on the platform. He noted that some of his most popular trending videos had been in the top 10 for over a week, but other videos he had created had barely made the list at all.
It is difficult to predict what will be trending and how long it will last, as the algorithm is constantly evolving. Moreover, the results are different for every user, depending on their location and who they follow on Twitter or Instagram. This is why some hashtags are able to generate an uptrend while others remain flat, such as the case of “justin beiber” after the San Bernardino shootings.