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WYD?…just hanging around [& catching up on trends!]

Jul 05, 2023

Contributed blog by Ariana Donley, Social Media Manager at Government Social Media

Beetlejuice, beetlejuice, beetlejuice! If you’re expecting a wild-haired man in a black and white pinstripe suit to appear, you’ll be waiting a while. When you see a reference to Beetlejuice on social media these days, it’s in reference to a real-life celebrity by the same name and his viral clips. The most popular has been his response to the question “What are you doing?” to which he responds “Who, me? Nothing…just hanging around.”

That being said, if you’re still waiting for the man in the pinstriped suit to appear, he’s bound to inspire social media trends next year when Beetlejuice 2 hits theaters. Until then, let’s hang around together and get caught up on recent social media trends.

Note: This blog is part of a series. For previous supplemental guidance on how to discover trending content on various social media platforms, visit our first blog in this series.

TikTok

TikTok’s Creative Center is interactive and allows you to browse trending hashtags, songs, creators and videos and filter results based on country, industry and time period (last 7 days, last 30 days, last 120 days).

Note: Previously, “yesterday” was the most recent available results you could pull; however, that’s been replaced with “last 7 days.”

Below are the top five trending songs from the last seven days (currently listed at the time of publication of this blog):

The much anticipated July release of a live-action Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling inspired quite a few social media trends. On TikTok, it seems the most popular (and often hilariously disturbing!) trend involves a CapCut filter that leans on artificial intelligence to transform your dog into a Barbie (often referred to as the “Me as Barbie Trend”). The filter is paired with trending audio inspired by Aqua’s 1997 song “Barbie Girl.”

Since the movie won’t be in theaters until July 21, you still have some time to try out this trend! It could be fun for any agencies with a K9, an interesting way to feature adoptable pets or any other animals your agency works with. But, keep in mind, there’s a strong chance it could also be NSFW!

As GSM Founder Kristy Dalton and I cautioned during the closing session of the Government Social Media Conference in Reno-Tahoe, Nevada this past May, you should always thoroughly check any AI generated images or videos prior to posting. I’ve seen this trend turn pets into nightmarish creatures or some other inappropriate content. So, always make sure you review before posting.

A quick side note while I have you here, GSMCON2024 will be in Palm Springs, California from April 16-18. I hope to see you there!

Reels

Every so often, the @creators account shares a Reel with a trend report for the Instagram short-form video format. That being said, they haven’t posted a trend report since we posted our last trends blog. They have, however, posted details of the launch of a new feature allowing you to add up to three collaborators (for in-feed posts and Reels) and a carousel offering tips for improving your reach.

While they haven’t posted a new report recently, I’m not worried about it! Let’s look back at how government agencies have jumped on other trends since the last report.

Keeping up with trends can help you avoid becoming the target of bombastic side eye. The Seattle Public Library took that trend and ran with it to showcase its staff members and experiences they’ve encountered. The library recently won a Golden Post Award winner for Best Instagram Presence at GSMCON2023.

For a while now, Meta has been recommending diversifying your content. For example, if you post a Barbie-inspired Reel or TikTok, you may want to also try the still image version of the trend. Check out this post from the City of Tampa – another Golden Post Award winner for Best Instagram Presence.

The photo above is a screenshot of an Instagram post from the City of Tampa, featuring the city’s mayor with a Barbie inspired frame and captioned “social media made me do it.”

Influencers typically stay up-to-date on all things trending for the platforms they’re most active on and the influencer themself may be trending among the audience(s) you’re trying to reach. Incorporating them into your strategy may help your content better resonate.

Merrybelle Guo (MPH) and Elizabeth “Liz” Petrun Sayers (M.A., Ph.D.) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently authored a guide on how public health agencies can identify and work with influencers. They shared their experience with GSM professional association members in a webinar earlier this month. Members who missed the live webinar or who joined the association afterward, can go back and watch the replay here.

Twitter

At the time of publication, here are the top five trending topics in the United States:

For more detailed instructions on how to check trending topics regularly and filter by your location, take a look back at this previous trends blog.

OK, I’m a pretty optimistic person, but I’ll be honest – those trending items don’t really jump off the page as great opportunities for government-inspired posts, but we’re seeing a lot of national brands chime in.

On a surface level, many of the trending “Jerry” posts appear to refer to Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. Before you start planning lighthearted, ice cream related content, a deeper dive reveals that the tweets are mostly in reference to a 4th of July tweet from the company, which states: “it's high time we recognize that the US exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it” and features a call to action. This article explains more of the response. It’s important to always research a trending hashtag or topic before hitting retweet to ensure you understand the context.

Some national brands jumped on National Bikini Day, like Duolingo for a humorous (and NSFW) take on the observance with its large green owl mascot donning a hot pink bikini. Government accounts won’t post anything like that, but I decided to include it here since this account is a constant reminder of the power of knowing your audience and the voice and tone they’d accept from you.

For government-safe ideas on how to inject humor into your content, check out the National Park Service! The organization was awarded a Golden Post Award this year for Best Facebook Presence and the judges made special note of their mix of humor, history and educational information. Matt Turner, a social media specialist for the NPS, also led an extremely popular session on Using Personality and Humor as a Government Agency during the 2023 Government Social Media Conference.

I’m caught up, now what?

Trends are fun, but I understand they can also inflict some serious FOMO on social media managers who can’t join in for whatever reason. Maybe your agency is one of those prohibited from downloading TikTok, or your boss just isn’t onboard with trends. It’s still important to be in-the-know so that you can put social media chatter into context and have the right response to any possible comments on your content that may be a reference to a trend.

As social media leans more toward entertainment, it may be worth revisiting the idea of trends with your leadership from time-to-time to check in and see if their opinion has changed. Showing them real-world examples of how trends have (or haven’t) worked for other agencies can help guide their decision and form your future strategy.

Feel like you need somewhere to bounce ideas, seek advice or build who you know in the socialgov space? The GSM professional association may be just what you’re missing! This month, members have the opportunity to join virtual meetups with other government social media pros in their region to expand their network.

Want to be featured in a future trends blog? Send me an email at [email protected]!

Meet the author

Ariana Donley

Social Media Manager–Government Social Media LLC

Ariana graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in Human Rights. She spent several years in the TV news industry and also served the Birmingham Police Department initially as a Crime Prevention Officer and later as the first Public Relations Manager. She is passionate about GSM's mission and and enjoys the positive and supportive team work environment.

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