Credits: Social Media
9 highest-searched Instagram and TikTok trends of 2023
Google Trends has released the most viral social media trends of 2023, with iconic moments like girl dinner and the grimace shake making an appearance on TikTok and Instagram.
Since the invention of social media, every year has its designated viral trend. In 2015, the internet was obsessed with whether a dress was gold or blue and the Birdbox challenge soared to new heights in 2019 following the release of the Netflix film. Now, as we take a look back at 2023, we are confronted with another 365 days of social media crazy.
NPC
Surprisingly, the NPC trend is only ranked number nine on Google Trends most searched of 2023. The hilarious clips saw social media users pretend to be NPCs, which are non-playable characters in video games. The most iconic reference point was The Sims.
Anyone who has ever played a video game will understand that NPCs have, to put it lightly, odd behaviour. People on TikTok and Instagram were mimicking said behaviour in public, earning concerned looks from passers-by.
Dupes
The term dupe had actually been prevalent on the internet for some time largely thanks to the beauty community. Its basically short for duplication and was often used to offer a cheaper alternative to expensive makeup products.
But this year the word truly boomed, and it was suddenly used to describe anything. For instance, disposable vapes were described as cigarette dupes and mashed potatoes were dubbed as dupes for french fries.
Girl Dinner
At number seven is the controversial girl dinner trend, which aimed to highlight what women eat when they are alone. The meals, if you could call them that, often required little effort and an even smaller amount of nutritional value.
While the trend was largely done for comedic purposes, critics argued that it highlighted undereating and added to the already dark theme of diet culture.
Grimace Shake
Back in June, fast food chain McDonalds released a berry-flavoured Grimace shake in celebration of the mascots birthday. But, as with most things on TikTok, the trend took a rather bizarre turn.
People would declare that they were going to try the shake. Just moments after trying the purple concoction, the camera would cut for a moment and then reveal the persons body. While the shake was completely safe, one could argue that the marketing strategy was marred by the sudden rise in Grimace-related social media murders.
Fruit Roll-Ups
The iconic 80s snack went viral again earlier this year after freezing them before eating and saw similar success in 2021. In the updated trend, TikTokers filled the treat with ice cream before freezing.
Unfortunately, the trend also gave way to a flurry of health warnings after some people were eating the snacks with the plastic still on them.
Instagram Notes Numbers
Everyone was a coder this year, or at least the social media-addicted equivalent. While the trend initially began on Instagram in March and April, quickly jumped over to TikTok in a trend that is still being used today.
As explained in the TikTok above, users would assign numerical values to specific letters in the alphabet. These were used in a number of ways, but mainly to hint at the name of your crush, shout out your partner or tease other juicy information.
AI Yearbook
This year was definitely the year of artificial intelligence. While the robots are still yet to declare war, social media users across the globe were using AI to to create everything from novels to the perfect partner.
Using a free app called Reface, TikTok users were developing their own yearbook photos in various decades, styles, and clothing.
Moon Phase
In 2023, a lot of people had questions about their compatibility with their partner. Enter the moon phase trend, which saw social media users compare what phase the moon was in during their birth with their partners. With eight moon phases in total, and using a nifty bit of animation, lovers were able to see just how destined their love was.
The Roman Empire
The most Googled social media trend of 2023 was shockingly the Roman Empire trend. This two-part trend came after the sudden realisation that most men had an opinion on the Roman Empire. When men were asked how often they thought about the Roman Empire, most replied with things like often or daily.
This startling revelation then gave way to people on TikTok and Instagram revealing their own Roman Empires. These were often just as obscure.
