Social media culture is fast-paced and constantly evolving with new trends, reactions, and memes sparking new conversations and opportunities. Updated weekly, this is your resource for what’s trending on social, including all the essential platform updates, viral creator moments, and hashtags that define our cultural landscape. Let’s go!
Join the Cucumber Community
TikTok: @logagm
Logan has been taking TikTok by storm with his cucumber recipe series, showing us that salads don’t have to suck. Suddenly everyone’s ditching their usual snack routine and flocking to the produce aisle to grab some cucumbers. From cucumber sushi to refreshing cucumber smoothies, this TikTok trend shows how one vegetable can steal the spotlight in so many ways.
@logagm Another new cucumber recipe alert🚨
TikTok Takes Notes From Instagram
If you thought Instagram and TikTok were getting similar, that’s never been more evident with TikToks new thought feature. Almost identical to Instagram’s note feature, you can now add a thought to your Stories bubble at the top of your inbox.
@viralnationinc Check out some of the platform updates that are coming to TikTok this September! 📱 Let us know if you’re going to use any of these new social media features being introduced on the plaform. #socialmedia #tiktokupdate #socialmediatips #tiktokgrowth #tiktoknews #texttospeech #socialmediaupdates
Beetlejuice Mania
Song: ‘Say My Name’ – Sophia Anne Caruso
Halloween has come early this year with the release of the new Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (not a typo) movie. One particularly juicy soundbite from the soundtrack and TikTok’s #2 trending song has proven to be popular with a range of creators. Whether it’s haunting costumes, ghoulish makeup, lip-syncs, or artwork, there are so many ways to express nostalgia for the franchise.
@_hello_adri ib: @Luara Reisinger • I’m The Ghost With The Most, Babe 🪲💚🖤 #makeup #zebralips #beetlejuice
♬ Say My Name – Alex Brightman & Sophia Anne Caruso & Kerry Butler & Rob McClure
YouTube 20+ Minute Videos Hit All-Time High
As YouTube rises to dominance in the connected TV realm, the average video duration is quickly mimicking traditional TV programming. The volume of videos uploaded to YouTube each month over the 20+ minute mark has increased from 1.3M in 2022 to 8.5M in 2024. Creators are feeling empowered to produce longer-form videos as audiences increasingly consume content from the comfort of their couches.
Do You Know You Have 30 Minutes?
We’ve all been there – that short window of time before getting hangry, burning out on Animal Crossing, or posting a trend before it goes out of fashion…maybe that last one was personal. This soundbite is creating waves across social with its creepy horror soundtrack and the disbelief of “30 minutes?” that perfectly encapsulates the feeling of time running out.
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I thought I was ready to be back…
If you thought running out of time filled you with dread, then going back to school is a close second. September means going back to school for many, but instead of venting to friends, students are collectively expressing their reluctance by lip-syncing to this soundbite: “I thought I was stronger than this, but I’m not.” It’s always comforting knowing that you’re not alone and in this case, it’s the never-ending struggle of school.
@katelyn.judy im never going to school again
Instagram September Update: Profiles glow-up
Remember how choosing your Myspace song was a life-or-death decision? Well, Instagram has introduced music to profiles so welcome back neurosis! This time around, instead of being greeted by a sudden cacophony of sound, the music will not be on autoplay (thank god). This move is part of a broader shift by Meta to move into the lucrative music industry, where TikTok has launched and leveraged musicians and their publishers for years.
Another tweak slowly being rolled out is vertical grids to replace square tiles on profiles. Once upon a time, Instagram only allowed square photos or videos on profiles, but with vertical videos rising to dominance, this is the last vestige being phased out.
TikTok September Update: Uploading ourselves
Text-to-voice narration is a clever editing feature that has encouraged creators, who otherwise may not have entered the space, to share their ideas. But by using a pre-fabricated voice, these creators have always lost a part of themself in the process. Now TikTok has introduced a new feature that allows creators to use their own voice to create a bespoke AI narrator. Last year Meta also revealed AI character generation that acts as a chatbot and speak to fans featuring Snoop Dogg, Naomi Osaka, and Tom Brady as examples at launch.
Pinterest Fall Trends
If you’re looking for a leafy aesthetic, fall outfits, or pumpkin-colored home deco ideas, Pinterest is still the go-to place for all things Autumn inspo. Their new Pinterest Fall 2024 Trend Report is a treasure trove of ideas for your content calendar, featuring platform search data highlighting the hottest trends. Some of the biggest trends include ‘leopard print jeans +2990%’, ‘bow nail designs +2220%’, and ‘green home decor +2670%.’
This and Yap
Song: Jevan – apple x supercut
TikTok: 53K posts
Instagram: 6.4K reels
“God, do they ever stop yapping?” is being replaced with sharing matcha at a cafe, chilling at the beach, or having a picnic with your friends. One of TikTok’s new favorite words, yap or yapping, is being redefined from someone loud and irritating to the joys of hanging out with your besties at your go-to spot. Because it’s worth contemplating – was it that the person spoke too much, or the listener was simply impatient? Let that one sink in as you sip on that matcha.
@taylorhannagan the girls and sushi >> #chicago #sushi #chicagolakefront #yap #girlhood
I’m running from the police but…
Creator: Charles Mantaghi
Started: 13 August
Song: Cutting Crew: I Just Died in Your Arms
TikTok: 6.6K videos
Instagram: 75K reels
Have you ever been in that situation when the cops are chasing you and you overhear them say, “Suspect has an attractive build”? No? Well, there are multiple reports of this happening all over Instagram and TikTok with no sign of slowing down. Every sports and workout creator is jumping at the chance to show off their hard-earned bods and even beauty influencers are hopping on the trend with phrases like, “Suspect has clearly perfected her lip combo.”
@charlesmantaghi19 ” stay vigilant, suspect is extremely attractive and probably has a very good credit score” #funny #smh #comedy #men #women #wtf #kids #dad #family #husband #wife #marraige #dadsoftiktok #marriedlife #run #running #marathon #halfmarathon #training #threshold #speed #spits #saucony #sauconyrunning #cops #police
Gaga Dance
Started: 15 August
TikTok: 9K posts
Instagram: 42K reels
When two pop icons come together to create a new romantic song with a cowboy aesthetic, what happens? A star trend is born. The new song from Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Die With A Smile, has people spinning in slow motion during everyday moments like “when I get the ‘package is out for delivery’ notification.” Instant classic.
@slatermanzo The best feeling honestly
X August Update: From 280 to 25,000 characters
We’re a long way away from the initial 140-character limit forcing us to pause and distill our thoughts. When users wanted to say more, they created tweet storms – multiple post stories connected to a central theme. Now Premium users ($8 USD per month) can post 4,000 character posts and Premium+ users ($18 per month) can post X Articles up to 25,000 characters with an API update leading the way for app integrations like Medium, CoSchedule, and Hubspot.
Today, we're rolling out a new and improved analytics page. Upgrade to Premium to get daily insights into how your posts are performing.https://t.co/ZVdEbG1PJa pic.twitter.com/5qmklLcsOC
— Premium (@premium) June 13, 2024
In other X news, there’s a new Audience Insights tab for, you guessed it, Premium users. The new visual analytics dashboard gives insights into your audience’s demographics like age, gender, and country, among other useful information including active user times. Users no longer have to use third-party apps to get these useful metrics, but it comes at a price.
Very Demure, Very Mindful
#demure
Creator: Jools Lebron
Started: 2 August
TikTok: 115K posts
Instagram: 62K posts
It all began when beauty and lifestyle creator Jools Lebron posted a hilarious parody video in her car telling us how to be demure in the workplace, using exaggeratedly polite examples while saying, “be mindful of why they hired you.” Fast forward two weeks and 200K posts later and this tongue-in-cheek trend has sparked a collaboration with celebrity makeup artist Patrick Ta, creators adding their spin, and a lot of confusion over the word and its connotations.
@joolieannie
What’s going on here?
Before we dive into this trend, let’s first open a dictionary and understand the word demure:
adjective
reserved, modest, and shy, “a demure young lady”
(of clothing) giving a modest appearance.
“a demure knee-length skirt”
The ensuing satirical videos from Jools highlight the irony of being demure during everyday activities like boarding a plane, being hungover in CVS, and even crossing over into other summer trends like the give me my money prank. Of course, the social world took this and ran with it, creating exaggerated and flamboyant response videos like eating a whole box of donuts while ‘being demure, very mindful.’
What does it represent?
With lines like “I’m not like you other girls”, Jools is clearly not taking herself seriously but is parodying a culture of expectations and peer judgment. The ensuing backlash, confusion, and ‘obscurity of demure’ only fan the flames for a trend that is already defining this summer on social.
August Instagram updates: A shift away from vanity metrics
For better or worse, AI has revolutionized how content is delivered in your main feed, delivering scarily on-point content based on your tastes. In essence, AI knows you better than you know yourself! This means the need to follow creators has become a less important step to receiving the content you love.
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Instagram’s response to this is changing the way analytics works, moving the focus from followers and likes to views. Sounds simple enough right? But within that metric lies micro-metrics including the number of times a reel is played or replayed and the number of times a non-reel is viewed. This marks a new focus for creators — some of whom are already frustrated by followers not seeing their content thanks to the algorithm — and an added level of housekeeping to keep consistency across reels, live, photos, carousels, and stories.
August TikTok updates: In-app shopping is here
TikTok has been quick to add features like LIVE stream shopping events, shoppable videos, In-app storefronts, and the prominent Shop tab. Bolstering their shopping experience is a new Amazon integration that allows users to link their accounts and make purchases without leaving the app. The growth of social shopping has been a slow burn, however, this change — alongside similar shopping partnerships with Meta and Snapchat last year — could bring new revenue streams to creators.
@tiktoknewsroom Introducing TikTok Spotlight, a new promotional solution that allows the entertainment industry to harness the power of TikTok fan communities to promote films, TV series and franchises.
Moving in a more niche direction is the introduction of TikTok Spotlight, which creates a new experience for movie and TV creators, fans, and brands alike. The move will enhance the hype and community around entertainment by offering landing pages with detailed information and related UGC, giving fans the chance to buy cinema tickets or find links to streamable content. This is likely the first test case before rolling out Spotlight to other entertainment verticals like sports and books.
