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With 3.5 billion Reels reshared daily, Trendships embrace the relationships forged while sharing meme-worthy, light-hearted or meaningful content via Direct Messages.
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Instagram has launched a regional campaign to celebrate a form of connection emerging through Direct Messages (DMs). Instagram is coining a new term, Trendships. This recognizes how the act of sharing relatable memes and light-hearted content with friends, family and acquaintances is evolving into a unique vehicle of social communication and bonding across all ages.
Trendships navigate cultural trends
Trendships is a combination of “friendships” and “trends.” It captures how Instagram users leverage playful or meaningful content to stay closer to distant loved ones. Trendships express complex emotions, and even navigate cultural trends. The phenomenon gained traction with the launch of Instagram Reels. Since then, it has rapidly become a bridge for individuals to communicate, engage and stay in touch.
“Trendships is not about sharing popular or viral content; it is about creating community over shared experiences and interests,” said Nada Enan – Head of Communications, Middle East & North Africa, Meta. “People are exchanging content that resonates, from humorous memes to motivational Reels, redefining how people nurture intimate connections, exchange values and, in many cases, let loved ones know they are thinking about them with just a few taps. It underscores how social platforms are increasingly pivotal to building community in our daily lives and evolving how we communicate in the digital era.”
Platform reinforces communication and engagement
Trendships anchor on the simple act of “sharing” – through Reels, GIFs, videos, or memes – via DM. According to the latest stats from Meta, people reshare Reels over 3.5 billion times every day. This strongly reinforces how prolifically the platform is used to communicate and engage.
Embracing the new term, Instagram has partnered with popular comedy creators in Nigeria to spread the word about Trendships with their creativity. They include Maraji and media platforms like KraksTv, Zikoko. The #WhatsYourTrendship campaign was revealed with fun, lighthearted content from Maraji, Zikoko and KraksTv showcasing their favourite trendships on Instagram.
