Social media’s most viral trends of 2023

2023 was indeed a lot to process, and despite being Nigeria’s election year, Nigerians, as usual, powered through with hilarious social media issues and trends. From Davido’s baby mama saga to the battle of the podcasts to Amapiano dance challenges, Nigerians have managed to hold the reputation of making the best out of nothing.

Trust TheCable Lifestyle to give you a wrap of the most viral issues and trends that graced the social media space in 2023.

Rizz

You have to know how overused this word was when it was announced as Oxford Word of the Year. Artistes have included in their songs, authors and writers in books and articles. “Rizz” is a term used to describe charm or romantic appeal. The word is attributed to a person who can craftily woo another person. The word was so widely spread that it became a challenge on TikTok.

Mohbad’s death and record label controversy

Mohbad, the 27-year-old pop singer, passed away on September 12, and the situation around his death was so controversial that it sparked public outrage. Mohbad, before his death, had publicly denounced Naira Marley and the Marlian Record label. He also claimed they had caused him physical harm and were after his life.

Soon after his death, material facts, including video evidence, surfaced to show Mohbad had suffered physical, financial, emotional, and mental harm allegedly from Naira Marley and Sam Larry.

Artistes also came forward to expose and discuss toxic record-label experiences.

Davido and his baby mamas

In June, famous social media influencer, Anita Brown claimed she was pregnant with Davido’s baby and even provided evidence (including damning texts) as to back her claims. Shortly after, a French model called Ivanna also alleged that the singer got her pregnant, and he had asked her to allegedly abort it. What followed was a long controversy on social media following Anita’s continuous dragging of the singer and his wife, Chioma.

Battle of the podcasts

It seems everybody and their siblings started a podcast this year, and most of these controversial statements sparked public outrage. First, it was Nedu on ‘The Honest Bunch Podcast’ claiming female BBNaija housemates go on the show to find “customers”. He also alleged that a popular pastor on the Island was sleeping with his female church members. Then it was Tolanibaj on her podcast saying she has nothing but her body to offer in relationships. Khloe also said natural hair is not allowed at her events, while Caramel Plug and co argued that women need to put a price on their bodies and virginity is overrated, and recently Toke gave Lagos women tips on where to find rich women.

We hope the podcast pandemic goes away by 2023.

BBNaija All-Stars

Big Brother Naija is a staple show each year, but 2023’s edition came with a twist that got Nigerians excited — the All-Stars season featured housemates from previous BBNaija seasons all battling for N120,000,000. With OG housemates like Mercy Eke, CeeC, WhiteMoney and Pere, the competition was so tight. Surprisingly, Ilebaye, who had been disqualified in the second week of her season, gained the support and admiration of Nigerians in this year’s All-Stars season and won the show.

Davido X Wizkid bromance

30BG and FC almost did not recover from the shock of seeing Davido and Wizkid at the same event with warm embraces and smiles. It looked like a couple who had just gotten back together after a toxic breakup. Davido even promoted Wizkid’s new EP on all his social media pages.

Pandemic of sex tapes

Many celebrities had embarrassing intimate moments leaked to the public, and it was indeed a terrible experience for all the parties involved, including famous actress Moyo Lawal. We hope that next year, people will respect the privacy of intimate moments more.