Trending is an umbrella term for a topic that has gained widespread attention. Trending topics often revolve around major cultural events, national tragedies, and political disagreements. These topics are shared across multiple social networks, making them a quick way to get an overview of what’s happening in the world.

To capitalize on trending topics, businesses need to make sure their content is relevant. They also need to avoid any unintended consequences. By participating in the discussion, brands are able to build a stronger connection with their customers. For example, Denny’s is famous for using internet memes to drive traffic and followers. However, they do not use the hashtags in a manner that could be viewed as disrespectful.

Many eCommerce marketplaces provide insights into current product trends. These sites can help small business owners maximize their digital marketing strategy. Some have special pages dedicated to new, best-selling products. They may also have local and regional trends that are useful for determining what products to sell.

One tool for tracking online sales is Google Trends. The site calculates trends by examining the volume of social media mentions, search volumes, and backlinks for a particular keyword. It scores each topic as a weighted average of 2021 searches and backlinks.

Twitter has its own algorithms to identify spikes in the popularity of a hashtag. These algorithm take into account the number of tweets and the time it takes for those tweets to reach a certain number. For example, if a topic is a hot conversation, it may have a short shelf life. On the other hand, a topic that’s not very popular may not have any spikes. This is because Twitter discourages adding hashtags to posts that are not related to the subject.

Facebook is another platform that tracks fluctuating popularity of products. They display a list of trending topics in the upper right corner of their news feeds. These topics are personalized for each user, and they are also shown in real time. They also provide users with a topic summary. Unlike Twitter, Facebook’s trends appear in different areas on the desktop version.

Instagram is another popular place to find out about products and trends. Their Search & Explore page shows a collection of popular tags, local images, and posters. The page also includes a “Popular Right Now” section that lists items that are most popular among users.

YouTube Trending displays a similar list of popular videos. They don’t have the same customization features as Facebook or Twitter, but some of the most popular videos may be surprising. Moreover, YouTube’s algorithms will often show results in the same language as the original video, which is useful for foreign viewers.

Buzzsumo is an excellent source for discovering viral content. It provides an instant look at what’s hot and what’s not. It can also show opposing viewpoints and the main players in the space. The site has expanded its services, now offering premium trend reports and Q&A content discovery.