/socialketchup/media/media_files/2026/01/23/trend-roundup-2301-2026-01-23-17-08-20.png)
Whether it was imagining a future family or asking for a comment to watch Border 2, netizens were busy being delusional this week and here's why.
There’s never a dull moment over on the internet when new trends are always on the horizon, and this week is no different. From live-action recreation of AI slop to coming back after a day to have a million views, our feeds were on fire this week.
Conversation:
The misery or bravery of the mighty Penguin
This week took a very thoughtful turn when a clip from 2007’s Werner Herzog documentary Encounters at the End of the World resurfaced, introducing a penguin that quickly became a global sensation. The video showcased an Adélie penguin abandoning its waddle and walking off towards a freezing cold mountain in Antarctica. While the documentary states this as an ‘odd natural behaviour’, netizens were quick to attach meaning to its action.
This penguin single-handedly plunged the world into an existential dilemma. For some, this penguin was a lone ranger, who likes to be left alone; others thought of him as a symbol of rebellion, who doesn’t follow the crowd and makes its own path. Some were quick to associate its action with a state of mental instability, relating it to depression and loneliness, but for others, it became a beacon of hope, of how one can conquer the barren wasteland if they have the will to do so.
Regardless of what the penguin was thinking when it took off, its action is resonating with the hearts of many, if not all, in ways never before. From feeling low to being hopeful, this one penguin became a way for people to channel their inner thoughts and see the world in a new light.
Trends that had a hold on us this week:
Recreating live-action brain-rot
The trend features people recreating live-action versions of classic Indian brain-rot. They can capture the brain-melting theme, but also make it hilarious to watch. What makes this trend special is that it's able to add a sense of personality to the mindless AI slop.
Hey, imagine my family...
Putting AI to a cute use, this trend envisions what they and their partners’ future family would look like. Every picture shows a sweet family that has a future of coming true and together, giving something to hope for in a world so hopeless.
If Ahan Shetty comments on my reel
The trend takes parasocial relationships to a whole different level. What started as a joke has turned into a nationwide phenomenon. In this reel, people are asking the Border 2 actor Ahan Shetty to comment, promising that if he does, they will watch the film twice. Not-so-surprisingly, Ahan commented, and now the whole nation wants him to do the same on their reel.
When the accent slips
Imagine having an accent that makes you look all cool and composed, then it slips and your true pookie-self comes out. That’s what this trend is all about. People talking about how their made-up accent slipped and said something in their natural voice that defies who they seem to be.
Music that never left our heads this week:
Big Guy - Ice Spice
23 - Anirudh Ravichander, Hector Salamanca, Heisenberg
Abhi Na Jao Chod Kar - Sourendro-Soumyojit
Ucha Lamba Kad - Anand Raaj Anand, Kalpana Patowary, Chorus
Riley (FAAAHHH Remix) - Juicy J
What out of these trends made into your feed? Tell us in the comments below!
For more such content, follow us on @socialketchup
/socialketchup/media/agency_attachments/2025/01/15/2025-01-15t065936648z-magazine-logo-black.png)
/socialketchup/media/media_files/2026/01/16/desktop-leaderboard-4-2026-01-16-17-20-06.png)
Follow Us