The word “trending” has gone through an interesting metamorphosis in the social media generation. Used to be, something was “trending up” or “trending down,” depending on whether one was discussing (respectively) butter or margarine, cauliflower or broccoli rabe.
Now things are just “trending.” It is as though the quality of an item or topic is irrelevant; all that matters is that people are talking about it. It’s the new version of “no publicity is bad publicity,” I guess.
“Like,” for most English-speaking humans, means like. I say that to clarify for those who may not be acquainted with the nuances of social media. When you “like” your wife’s cooking, it may simply mean that you don’t want to eat Cheerios for dinner tomorrow night. When you “like” your child’s latest painting, it may say speak more to your relationship with the child than it does the child’s artistic talent. But usually, like means like. And that’s especially true if, as with social media, you provide no context.
