Abracadabra! Your new trends blog has arrived
Contributed blog by Ariana Donley, Social Media Manager at Government Social Media
Staying on top of social media trends is a full-time job (on top of your actual job!). That’s why we’ve put together this latest trends report, packed with examples, insights and ideas to adjust viral trends to your agency’s mission.
If you love trending content, but aren’t quite sure how your agency can join in, catch these intermediate and advanced sessions at the hybrid Government Social Media Conference in May:
- Copyright, Creativity & AI: Legal Must-Knows for Social Media Pros (advanced) with attorney Julie Tappendorf of Ancel Glink, PC
- Creating Brat Reels, No Cap (intermediate) with Alexis McLellan, San Carlos Park Fire Protection and Rescue Service District, FL
- How Do You Do, Fellow Kids: Meme Mastery for Public Agencies (advanced) with Warren Kagarise of King County, WA
- Workshop: Short-Form Video 201 - Crafting Engaging Videos from Planning to Publishing with Wendy Aguilar of Sacramento Fire Department
Click these links to jump ahead to recent trend highlights (and examples!) as seen on TikTok, Reels, X and Shorts!
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 and don’t forget to check out more content by visiting our GSM blog and subscribing to our newsletter. This is just a snapshot of recent trends, and we encourage you to explore our other online communities for more trend inspiration! Join the GSM Community Facebook Group or free GSM Network.
TikTok
I’ll admit, I was a bit worried we’d have a Trends blog in early 2025 without a TikTok section. ICYMI, the popular app has been mired in controversy for years as United States lawmakers questioned security of user data in the hands of its Chinese parent company ByteDance. This resulted in a temporary ban on the app, which was granted an extension in under 24 hours. If you’re unfamiliar with the situation, this timeline from TechCrunch can help you fill in the blanks.
While you might not be able to use this app at your agency, many trends start here before migrating to other platforms, so let’s explore what’s trending!
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 30 days (currently listed at the time of publication of this blog):
- Bad Bih 4 Ya by GloRilla
- ILBB2 (feat. GloRilla)
- ME JALO by Fuerza Regida & Grupo Frontera
- Bora Bora by Lil Durk
- Spring Into Summer by Lizzy McAlpine
If you’re not currently using a creator account on TikTok, you can also sort trending songs by what’s been approved for business use.
One of my favorite recent trends is blasting Fetty Wap on the JBL speakers. The specific song from Fetty Wap is Again (note: always review full audio lyrics before producing content for it). The trend can be used to imagine what historical moments would be like with the addition of the modern song or playing it for animals for the first time. Here’s Austin Aquarium’s hilarious take on the trend.
@the_austin_aquarium The JBL speaker is in his shell #jbl #fettywap #jblspeaker #armadillo #zoo #aquarium ♬ original sound - Austin Aquarium
Whether you jump on the trend or not, it’s also a good example of social media monitoring. The brand accounts for JBL actively commenting on multiple videos adapting the trend, for example commenting “proof you really can take us anywhere and everywhere” on this version playing the song underwater for dolphins.
For an example of a brand account taking social monitoring to the next stage and actually listening comes from the Sonic Movie account. You may remember that fans pressured a redesign of the famous blue hedgehog in 2019. Fast forward to today, fans are hoping to achieve the same result for the upcoming Shrek 5 movie after a teaser trailer dropped showing a different animation style. Even though the movies come from separate animation studios, the Sonic Movie account hopped on the trend to acknowledge the transformation of their own character with the caption “for any green ogres looking for advice.”
@sonicmovie Take notes! #sonicmovie #sonic ♬ original sound - sonicmovie
While ogre or hedgehog content may not be up your alley, I think it’s a valuable lesson for combining social listening with trends and transparency. Of course, adding humor to transparency isn’t always recommended. Sentiment analysis can help you determine how your audience feels about your agency and your content and help you figuratively read the room. For more tips on how socialgovs approach social media monitoring and sentiment analysis, take a look at this recap of a text-based #GSMChat in GSM’s free network!
Reels
Instagram periodically drops a trends report on its @creators account. Here are the details from the latest report, posted on February 19:
- You’re So Funny: Explain a cannon event in your life. This trend often includes an element of sarcasm (or is even used to share childhood trauma).
- Abracadabra: Try to mimic Lady Gaga’s choreography from her viral song Abracadabra
- Coffee Convos with Your Younger Self: Share text over images or video of coffee with details on how you’d approach a conversation with the younger you. Note: Instagram recommends using the audio “Sweet Heat Lightning” by Gregory Alan Isakov; however, at the time of publication of this blog, the audio wasn’t available. Creators have used other audio (or none).
If you don’t think the above trends are a good fit for your agency, try remixing the reels you do like to adapt them to your voice & tone! You could also explore trending templates and adapt to your liking.
Pop culture and current events often inspired social media trends. The 97th Academy Awards were held March 2. The GlamBOT camera has become a staple at awards shows, allowing celebrities to show off their outfits and personalities with a fun pose. Mansfield Texas Parks & Rec adjusted the trend to highlight its operation crews.
View this post on Instagram
Nervous about venturing into trends on your agency accounts? In December 2024, Instagram introduced trial reels. This new feature allows you to share reels with your non-followers first. Based on their performance, you can choose whether you’d like to share with your followers next (or automatically). Here’s the original announcement from Instagram and also a quick guide on how to post trial reels.
If you’re not a fan of editing reels within Instagram, you may want to explore Instagram’s new free mobile app, Edits. It’s expected to drop on March 31 and you can use this link to sign up for the pre-order.
X
For detailed instructions on how to check trending topics regularly and filter by your location, take a look back at this previous trends blog.
At the time of publication, here are the top five trending topics in the United States:
While the topics above don’t immediately jump out as easy trends to join in on, #2 and #5 could be opportunities to humanize other staff at your agency. Julian Alvarez is an Argentine soccer player and Sabrina Carpenter is a trending pop star. These trends could be an opportunity to talk about how your agency preps for major events in your area or to talk about upcoming soccer programs or music camps! The key to trending content though? Don’t force it!
If you’re struggling to expand your reach or engagement on X and considering joining Bluesky or Threads, there’s a breakout session at the 2025 Government Social Media Conference just for you. Anabell Chavez and Jennifer Arenas from the City of Long Beach, California will present an intermediate session titled X vs. Threads & Bluesky: Building a Winning Strategy for the New Social Media Era.
Shorts
TikTok and Reels are often the go-to platforms for short form video. But some socialgovs are venturing into YouTube Shorts too. You may already be posting public meetings as long-form videos on the platform! Clips could either be shortened for Shorts (yes, I see what I did there) or you could adapt the content you’re already posting on other platforms to Shorts (just make sure you remove any watermarks from competing social networks before posting).
If you’re not active on YouTube Shorts in your spare time, you can quickly search what’s trending on the platform using this link.
The emergency contact trend is used to share a comical moment with on-screen text along the lines of “my emergency contact.” The trend is typically used to show the juxtaposition of who you trust as your emergency contact despite risky behavior or a clumsy, slapstick incident. The City of Las Vegas, Nevada adapted this trend to inform people about fun things to do in the city like dropping from the SkyJump at the Strat hotel and tower. This audio is most often paired with audio of the song Ordinary Girl.
The video from Las Vegas showcases how agencies can humanize staff while also being timely with a trend and making it relevant to their audiences by making it a Public Service Announcement (PSA) with a good chance of stopping the scroll.
Pop culture or special observances often inspire trends. Like this example from the City of McKinney featuring various staffers in recognition of International Women’s Day.
International Women’s Day is on March 8. Stay ahead of future observances with a free download of GSM’s interactive 2025 Observance Calendar!
Conclusion
Trends move fast, but with the right approach and some research, you can make them work for your agency. Whether you’re remixing a popular format, jumping into a viral conversation or simply staying informed, trends are a unique way to engage with your community.
If you’re new to social media trends, take advantage of these resources to help research slang, memes and emojis before posting them on your agency account(s). Keep exploring and adapting!
Want your trending government content to get a shoutout in a future trends blog? Let’s connect! 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.
Government Social Media® empowers government professionals to achieve mastery in social media through conferences, online training, and association membership.
Best communicate with the public you serve and get connected with fellow socialgovs by registering for the 2025 Government Social Media Conference happening in the Orlando-area and virtually from wherever you are! Join the free GSM network for text-only chats on socialgov topics or access the Government Social Media Association for regional virtual meetups and educational webinars. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on training, events and more.
