What “Riz Ahmed” says about the mood today (at least to me)

I keep a soft eye on trends, and Riz Ahmed jumped out immediately. I can’t help noticing how different generations search for different reasons. What I saw people linking to Bait review – Riz Ahmed’s comedy is petty, narcissistic … and excellent (The Guardian) Amazon’s New James Bond Show Has A 100% On Rotten Tomatoes, … Read more

My quick notes on “Ncis Vance Dies” while it’s blowing up

I wasn’t trying to get pulled into the trending vortex, but Ncis Vance Dies got me anyway. A spike like this usually means people are comparing notes in real time. What I saw people linking to ‘NCIS’ Shocker: Rocky Carroll Tells All on His Unexpected [SPOILER] and Playing Director Vance for Nearly Two Decades (Variety) … Read more

On “John Toshack”: the headline version and the human version

I wasn’t looking for a new obsession today, but John Toshack volunteered. When something like this spikes, I always wonder what people are really searching for: clarity, gossip, context, or just the comfort of seeing that everyone else is curious too. What I saw people linking to Cameron Toshack on living next to a volcano … Read more

What’s behind “Mr Benn” right now? A personal read

I opened my browser this morning expecting the usual mix of headlines and distractions – and then I saw Mr Benn sitting there in the trending list. I find myself wondering what people are hoping to confirm when they type it in. What I saw people linking to Live-action movie version of children’s TV series … Read more

A trend check: “Postcodelottery” and what it might mean

I keep a soft eye on trends, and Postcodelottery jumped out immediately. When a phrase jumps like this, it’s usually because something happened – or someone said something – or both. What I saw people linking to Dunfermline dad to see Scotland play at World Cup after winning £52k (The Courier) Huge Postcode Lottery win … Read more

One trend, one coffee: “Liam Manning”

I checked the trending list out of habit and got immediately snagged by Liam Manning. I often start with the basics: what happened, who noticed, and why it spread. What I saw people linking to Liam Manning: Huddersfield Town manager takes compassionate leave (BBC) LIAM MANNING GRANTED COMPASSIONATE LEAVE (Huddersfield Town) Ex-City boss Manning handed … Read more

My small attempt to make sense of “Hail Storm”

I clicked one thing, then another, and suddenly Hail Storm was the centre of my screen. Sometimes the trend isn’t the story – the reaction is. What I saw people linking to Stay weather-aware: Strong storms move in Thursday night (Spectrum News) Severe Thunderstorms, Including Hail And Tornadoes, Possible In Midwest Again Thursday (AOL.com) Tracking … Read more

“Hailstones” is trending in the UK – here’s what I noticed

This is one of those ‘I should probably understand this’ moments: Hailstones. A spike like this usually means people are comparing notes in real time. What I saw people linking to UPDATED: Flood alerts issued for Cumbria (Cumbria Crack) Heavy rain flooding forces train cancellations between Skipton and Lancaster (Craven Herald) Roads flooded with warnings … Read more