Virality and trending are two related terms used to refer to popular content on social media, but there are some differences. Trending topics or content are those that have high visibility on social media platforms and generate buzz over a period of time. On the other hand, viral stands for a piece of content that suddenly breaks onto the internet, attracting significant attention rapidly.
A particular slogan or phrase connected to a current event or campaign and made popular with hashtags is a trend. In contrast, a single post, such as a meme, shared widely across platforms by large audiences for a unique reason (content quality, relatability, humor quotient, etc.) can be termed a viral post.