What is a trending topic? On Twitter, a tag, word, or subject that is being discussed more often than others is regarded as a trending topic”or a ” trending topic”. Trends become more popular either due to an event which triggers people to discuss a certain topic or for a longer period of time. A few years ago, when Apple released the iPhone, it was not only a trendy topic, but a topic of conversation among gadget lovers. This helped make the phone a blockbuster and helped push its sales to new heights.
In addition to helping you stay on top of current events, trending topics are also used to establish the popularity of a particular brand or a product. Just because a trending topic has been widely discussed does not mean that it is a good thing. The danger with trending topics is that they can be manipulated by spammers and cyber-offenders who use the tag to attract attention to their site. Trending topics should not be treated as real news and should never be treated as such. Instead they should be seen as a measurement tool to determine which conversations are the most active.
There are many ways to get the latest information on trending topics. The easiest way is to search for both “tweets” and “hashtags” within your favourite search engine. For example, if I am interested in the latest Apple product, I would type “apple” into the search engine, along with the term “iphone”. A list of trending topics related to the term “iphone” will be displayed. This list is not intended to display a list of the top 100 most talked about topics; rather it is a good starting point for those who want to learn more about trends. If the term is searched in quotation marks, you will receive a list of the top trending topics from last year.
Another method of obtaining information on trending topics is to monitor the discussion of specific hashtags. These hashtags can be entered into a web browser, and will return results that relate to the keyword being typed in. For example, the #iphone trend on twitter recently took off, and there were several different users who started tweeting about their latest phone. The “#iphone” trend was tracked by using a hash tag, and people looking for more information about iPhones could click on the hash tag and get a full detailed Twitter history on the person who created the trend. Many users also use Facebook to track their favourite trends, and this form of social media allows for users to search through Facebook’s “sponsored stories” section and to see a list of trending topics that have recently been discussed among friends.
Some other uses of trending topics include predicting which movies will hit at the box office and which won’t. This is done by analysing which films are drawing in an audience that is similar to or is more loyal to, their demographic. For example, The Social Network and Twilight were predicted as the number one movie hit this summer. This ensures that people are always up to date with the latest and most popular trends, which is essential in ensuring that they are prepared for the most profitable film going spots.
Although the use of trending topics has its advantages, it does have its disadvantages. One of the main disadvantages is that the conversation tends to dry out after a short while, resulting in little communication between those participating. This will result in little to no interaction, making the trend meaningless unless someone actually tweets about it. Additionally, if users are tired of the trend, they may simply stop using the hash tag, avoiding the trend entirely. Because of these reasons, it is important to use hashtags in moderation to avoid the trend from becoming completely worthless.