Vagueposting has become an annoying internet trend
getty
The internet has always been plagued by incomplete posts alluding to a mysterious subject, but “vagueposting” has become so common that it’s something of a trend.
What Is ‘Vagueposting’?
On X (Twitter), the timeline is littered with posts that hint at upcoming or ongoing drama, secret knowledge or unspoken opinions, with the original poster rarely explaining the point.
One of the first popular TikTok memes of the year, “365 buttons,” involved vagueposting, as a TikToker tired of explaining herself inspired a new life motto.
“Hey, so it actually only has to make sense to me for me to do it and I don’t feel like explaining it to anyone else,” her comment read, spreading through the platform and achieving virality.
Why Is ‘Vagueposting’ Becoming More Common On Social Media?
Part of the newfound popularity of vagueposting might be that social media users are growing tired of catering everything to everyone.
There is a certain art to vagueposting, as there is to anything. Successful vagueposters inject their posts with just enough dramatic flair to attract curiosity, careful not to overplay their hand.
That being said, the basic format of a low-effort vaguepost is recognizable enough for commentators to parody.
The trend has even inspired comedy skits.
Online, there’s always some juicy celebrity drama, inflammatory culture war debate or breaking news story on the horizon somewhere, making it easier than ever for vagueposters to lure commentators in.
‘Vagueposting’ Can Attract Engagement
On X, plenty of accounts engage in vagueposting as a joke, but others do it to attract eyeballs—the strategy is just tempting enough to provoke commentators into asking for context.
X even offers a financial incentive to be a tease, as the platform offers ad revenue sharing for X Premium accounts who manage to attract enough activity to their posts.
Vagueposting is a bit like a tantalizing YouTube thumbnail, promising jaw-dropping, mind-blowing content just waiting to be unlocked with a click.
Of course, with YouTube videos, there’s always something there to discover, even if it doesn’t live up to what the thumbnail promises.
With vagueposting, there’s often nothing at all—it’s engagement for the sake of engagement, a hook with no fishing line.
The comments section will invariably attract flocks of users begging for clues, summoning Grok for an AI-generated explanation, or posting specific memes to be used in the event of a vaguepost.
An old 4chan meme designed as a cruel caricature has somehow become the face of clueless commentators asking for context.
Of course, there’s also the “vaguepost king.”
Not every vagueposter is trying to go viral—some are simply addressing their own followers, forgetting that the fickle algorithm might spread the post further than usual.
If internet inhabitants of 2026 really want to wind the clock back to 2016, the vagueposting trend must end—or at least return to the fringes of social media.
MORE FROM FORBES
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2026/01/23/what-is-vagueposting-the-viral-trend-youre-not-meant-to-know/
