Trending is the term used to describe topics, content, or hashtags that are experiencing a surge in visibility and engagement on social media. These trends reflect what a significant number of users are discussing or sharing at a given moment, and can be influenced by current events, viral content, or seasonal themes. Understanding and leveraging trends can significantly increase the visibility of posts, videos, and hashtags.
Trends are typically displayed in a section of the home or sidebar on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. They are also reflected in the Explore page of TikTok and can be discovered through search. Trending topics are identified and prioritized by a platform’s algorithms and may be affected by various factors, including the volume of conversation around the topic, its consistency over time, and how rapidly it is growing in popularity.
As trends gain momentum, participants will often join the conversation in hopes of boosting their visibility and engagement. However, brands must be careful to participate in trends that align with their values, voice, and audience interests. Forced participation in irrelevant trends can damage authenticity and credibility. In addition, social media trends have short lifespans, and it is important to recognize that a trend has peaked and move on before it loses visibility.
To identify trends, marketers can use a variety of tools, including trend generators and analytics platforms. A tool like Google Trends allows marketers to compare up to five topics or search terms and see how they are ranked in popularity over time. Using this information, marketers can develop strategies to participate in the right trends at the right time.
Social media platforms’ algorithmic selection processes can vary by platform and even from user to user. For example, Twitter’s ‘Trending’ algorithm selects the most popular conversations and topics based on real-time data. These trends are displayed in a section of the homepage or sidebar and are tailored to a user’s location and interests.
Similarly, YouTube’s Trending section considers several different factors when selecting videos for the tab, including view counts and engagement metrics such as likes, comments, and shares. It is also influenced by how well the video aligns with its community guidelines, including restrictions such as hate speech and adult content. It’s worth noting that YouTube does not explicitly state whether or not its trends are curated by humans, although it is common for a human to review the trends before they go live.
Trends on X and TikTok are more specific to the platform, and tend to be focused on breaking news and viral memes. Trends on LinkedIn, however, are broader and reflect professional discussions and industry-relevant themes. Trends on YouTube are largely algorithmic, and include categories such as ‘Creator on the Rise’ to spotlight up-and-coming creators.