Social media can connect and inspire us, it can make us laugh or cry, and it can help us understand the world in ways we might never have done without it. One way that social media thrives is through various trends. New trends are emerging all the time, and they are a great way for people to create a sense of community over shared interests or shared humour. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular social media trends in the UK and explore how you can get involved.
One of the oldest but most popular social media trends is blind unboxings. These can come in all different forms, and contribute to the overall popularity of mystery-driven entertainment. The premise is simple and so it’s very easy to get involved. All you need to do is purchase a mystery box for sale, a collectors blind bag or something similar in a category you are interested in, and then open it on camera, sharing your reactions before posting to a social media site like TikTok or Youtube. The items being unboxed can range from everything, from tech to comic book figures, which is one of the reasons these unboxing trends are so popular–there is something for everyone!
Another popular trend that has been around for a while in short-form videos across TikTok and Instagram Reels are dance trends. These trends usually depict a simple dance routine to a popular song and are performed by people of all kinds of dancing abilities. One that is hot right now is a simple dance routine taken from an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that includes the song Anxiety by Doechii. The trend involves someone dancing the routine while another person spots them and joins in, for a while the two people will dance in synchronization until they both turn around, and the individual at the front ‘notices’ the person who joined them and stops, leaving the second person to carry on alone. The dance is both fun and humorous and participating in it is a great way to get involved and pass the time with a friend.
Finally, one of the long-standing but always-changing popular social media trends is challenges. These have come in all shapes and sizes and have appeared on a variety of social media sites, including Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. Remember the Ice Bucket Challenge where people dunked ice-cold water over themselves to raise money for charity? The trend even had celebrities getting involved and was a great way for people to come together, nominating each other to take the challenge. There are still challenges like this making the rounds on social media. One common one on TikTok involves spending five minutes painting canvas before passing it on to a friend, the two will keep swapping every five minutes and then showcase their finished artwork. This is an engaging way to get involved in a trend while also being creative.
