Social Media Trend That Came and Faded Away

Before TikTok trends and Instagram reels took over, there was an era when social media was simpler, raw, and honestly, more fun. These were the days of BBM pings, 2go, and the likes.

Fast forward to today, and many of these platforms have either disappeared or faded into irrelevance. Let’s take a nostalgic trip back to five social media platforms and trends that once ruled the internet but are now relics of the past.

BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) 

Before WhatsApp became the default messaging app, BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) was the ultimate flex. Owning a BlackBerry phone meant having access to BBM, and your BBM PIN was as important as your phone number.

BBM had features that made it elite:

• Pings – That annoying but addictive vibration alert that forced the other person to respond.
• DP Updates – Changing your display picture was a status symbol.
• PMs (Personal Messages) – People would post cryptic love quotes, song lyrics, or “Don’t judge me if you don’t know my story” as their PMs.
• BBM Groups – Whether it was for friends, schoolmates, or random hookups, BBM groups were where all the gossip happened.

BBM started fading as BlackBerry lost relevance and smartphones switched to iOS and Android. Eventually, BBM shut down in 2019, marking the end of an era.

2go – The OG Nigerian Chatroom

If you had a Java or Symbian phone in the late 2000s, you were probably on 2go. This was Nigeria’s very own version of WhatsApp before WhatsApp.

On 2go, you could:

• Enter chat rooms and talk to random people from different states.
• Earn GoCredits (virtual currency) to customize your profile.
• Have status updates that showed what music you were playing.

2go was especially popular among Nigerian students, but as smartphones took over and apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger improved, 2go lost its relevance. Today, it’s a forgotten relic of early mobile social networking.

Facebook Poke Wars 

At some point in the early 2010s, Facebook poking was a thing. People would poke each other endlessly, and no one really knew why. Was it flirting? Was it just for fun? No one ever really explained it.

You’d log in and see:

• “You have been poked by [random friend]. Poke back?”
• A never-ending cycle of pokes with no clear winner.

Eventually, Facebook removed the poke feature from its main interface, and people moved on to liking and reacting to posts instead. But for those who were there, poke wars were a weird but fun part of social media history.

Waptrick 

Before Spotify and Apple Music, before Netflix and Showmax, there was Waptrick—the holy grail of free downloads.

Waptrick had everything:

• Free MP3s of the latest hits.
• Java and Symbian games.
• Funny videos and wallpapers.
• Cracked versions of mobile apps.

At a time when mobile data was expensive, Waptrick was a lifesaver. But as smartphones evolved and streaming services became mainstream, Waptrick lost its appeal. Today, it’s just a shadow of what it used to be.

MySpace – The Original Social Media Giant

Before Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, MySpace was the biggest social media platform in the world. It allowed users to customize their profiles with HTML, play music on their pages, and rank their Top 8 Friends (which caused real-life drama).

For a while, MySpace was the hub for music lovers, indie bands, and social networking. But as Facebook introduced a cleaner, more user-friendly interface, MySpace started declining. By the 2010s, it had become irrelevant, surviving only as a music platform.