If you’re not quite sure why everything is suddenly Dubai chocolate or what exactly a Labubu is, you’re not alone. Trends have such a tenuous connection to our culture at large that posters online have started to identify the phenomenon with word salad: “labubu matcha dubai chocolate crumbl cookie benson boone …” You get the gist.

Amanda Mull, who’s writes about consumerism and the internet for Bloomberg, says this miasma of trends is all a part of our algorithm-mediated world.

When Mull looks back at fads of the past, like when everyone was collecting Beanie Babies back in the nineties, she can follow a clear trail of sociological phenomena and human actors that paved the way from cult status to ubiquity.

But tastemakers don’t control trends anymore; the algorithm does. What all of these new fads have in common is the ability to grab your attention while scrolling on TikTok or Instagram Reels. Something like the soothing green hue of a matcha latte or the rich textures of the kunafeh filling in a Dubai chocolate bar is perfectly positioned to make you pause as you scroll.

Mull spoke with Today, Explained host Sean Rameswaram about how trends used to work pre-algorithm and what evolving social media consumption means for the trend cycles of the future. Below is an excerpt of their conversation that has been edited for length and clarity. There’s much more in the full podcast, so listen to Today, Explained wherever you get........

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