Twitter trends FAQs

Where can I find trends?

Trends are available on the Twitter for iOS app, the Twitter for Android app, and twitter.com.

On Twitter's mobile apps, you can find trends listed under the trends section of the Explore tab  When signed in to twitter.com on a desktop or laptop computer, trends are listed in many places, including the Home timeline, Notifications, search results, and profile pages.

How are trends determined?

Trends are determined by an algorithm and, by default, are tailored for you based on who you follow, your interests, and your location. This algorithm identifies topics that are popular now, rather than topics that have been popular for a while or on a daily basis, to help you discover the hottest emerging topics of discussion on Twitter.

You can choose to see trends that are not tailored for you by selecting a specific trends location on twitter.com, iOS, or Android (instructions below). Location trends identify popular topics among people in a specific geographic location.

Note: The number of Tweets that are related to the trends is just one of the factors the algorithm looks at when ranking and determining trends. Algorithmically, trends and hashtags are grouped together if they are related to the same topic. For instance, #MondayMotivation and #MotivationMonday may both be represented by #MondayMotivation.

What does the # sign mean?

You may notice that some trends have # sign before the word or phrase. This is called a hashtag and is included specifically in Tweets to mark them as relating to a topic, so that people can follow the conversation in search.

Will I see world and local events in my trends?

Yes, when signed into your account on the twitter.com, iOS, or Android, trends will be tailored for you based on your location and who you follow. There will be many world and local news events and conversations that will appear in your trends regardless of your personalization.

 

Can I see trends for a specific location?

Yes, you can view trends for a specific location on twitter.com, iOS, or Android.

View trends via twitter.com:
To view trends for a specific location, click Change in your trends box. You can choose to Keep tailored trends based on your location and who you follow, or you can select Change to choose a nearby location or search locations.

 

Adjust your trends settings via Twitter for iOS:

  1. In the top menu, tap your profile icon.
  2. Tap Settings and privacy, then tap Content preferences.
  3. Under Explore, tap Trends.
  4. Drag the slider next to Trends for you to turn on and receive personalized trends. 
  5. When the feature is disabled, you can change your location by tapping Change location. In the search box, type your desired trends location or choose from the list.

 

Adjust your trends settings via Twitter for Android:

  1. In the top menu, you will either see a navigation menu icon  or your profile icon. Tap whichever icon you have, and select Settings and privacy.
  2. Tap Content preferences.
  3. Under Explore, tap Trends.
  4. Drag the slider next to Trends for you to turn on and receive personalized trends.
  5. When the feature is disabled, you can change your location by tapping Change location. In the search box, type your desired trends location or choose from the list.

 

Note: If you don't find your preferred country or city, it means we're not receiving enough Tweets from that geographical area to create a list. You can look up local Tweets on any topic by using advanced Twitter search operators.

What happens when I click or tap on a trend?

Clicking or tapping any of the trends takes you to the Twitter search results for that trend. You'll see all Tweets including that phrase or hashtag. To see what people are saying about a previous trend, perform a search for that keyword.

How can I participate in a trend?

Simply post a Tweet including the exact word or phrase as it appears in the trends list (with the hashtag, if you see one). Due to the large number of people Tweeting about these specific trends, you may not always be able to find your particular Tweet in search, but your followers will always see your Tweets.

Note: Twitter also filters searches for quality. To understand what types of behavior could cause your Tweets to be filtered out, read about our search rules and restrictions.

Are there rules for trends?

Yes. We want trends to promote healthy discussions on Twitter. This means that at times, we may prevent certain content from trending. These include trends that:

  • Contain profanity or adult/graphic references.
  • Incite hate on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or disease.
  • Violate the Twitter Rules.

In some cases, we may also consider the newsworthiness of the content, or if it is in the public interest when evaluating potential violations. In these cases, the content might continue to trend on our platform.

Note that even if we prevent the hashtag or the content from appearing on the list of trending topics, you may still be able to access conversations around that content on Twitter.

Do trends have descriptions?

Below some trends, you may see the approximate number of Tweets associated with the trend, or personalized context such as who in your network is Tweeting about it.

Additionally, when a Moment is found to be relevant to a trend, we may use the title of the Moment as the trend’s description.

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