Has The Word ‘Trend’ Lost Its Meaning?

Has The Word ‘Trend’ Lost Its Meaning?

Everyone’s chasing social “trends”, but the word has become shorthand for fads when it was meant for something deeper and more strategic. Industry insiders say it’s time to retire the term altogether, rethink the language we use and refocus on the underlying shifts that actually shape audiences.


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From four recent interviews I spotted a pattern. People across the industry were telling me that the word “trend” has lost its meaning and that it’s time to look for an alternative.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines a trend as “a general direction in which a situation is changing or developing.” But in today’s social media world, “trend” has come to mean a fleeting viral moment. These days a lot of brands are focused on identifying and replicating TikTok trends rather than building strategy around a shift or development in consumer behavior.