Somewhere between doomscrolling and burnout, people started buying frilly pajamas and sending postcards. Etsy has the search data to prove it.
This impulse may have a quirky name and sound like a niche aesthetic trend, but the numbers behind it suggest it’s much more useful. People are making small intentional choices to feel something good, and they’re doing it in and around their homes.
“Whimsy” is having a good time
“Whimsy” is being rebranded culturally. Gen Z and young Millennials have reinvented the word to describe a lifestyle rooted in playfulness, spontaneity, and presence. According to a recent report in the New York Times, think back to your morning coffee ritual, the way you send postcards, and the activities you would have loved when you were 10 years old.
Searches for quirky jewelry, décor and related items on Etsy each increased by at least 50% compared to last year, the Times reported.
A professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School quoted in the article linked the movement to a generational shift away from inauthentic online interactions. For many adopters, this serves as a low-risk way to regain a sense of control in an uncertain world.
The trend is met with skepticism, with some critics quoted in the Times calling it a marketing opportunity disguised as a mood. But consumer data suggests it’s resonating, at least for now.
What this means for real estate professionals
While this quirky trend skews towards Gen Z and young Millennials, the underlying impulse isn’t generational. Baby boomers downsizing, Gen
Content that leans into the small emotional pleasures of homeownership – a sunny breakfast nook, a backyard made for walks, a front porch made for slow mornings – meets people where they are. While the specific aesthetic may vary depending on the audience, the desire for a shelter-like home does. Warmth and specificity may outweigh market statistics in this season’s feed.
Meta focuses on subscriptions
Meta launched subscription plans for Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp this week, rolling out its services globally while testing new demographics for creators, businesses, and AI users. Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus cost $3.99 per month. WhatsApp Plus costs $2.99 per month. Each plan adds platform-specific features like Instagram Plus, which includes perks like Story rewatch data, an expanded audience list, and the ability to post to your profile without appearing in your followers’ feeds.
However, the more important tests are aimed at professionals. The $49.99/month Meta One Advanced plan increases visibility in Facebook and Instagram search results, enables Reels and post linking, provides more in-depth analytics, and allows creators and businesses to automatically send follow invitations to people who are interested in their content.
Meta is also testing AI-focused plans, Meta One Plus ($7.99 per month) and Meta One Premium ($19.99 per month), which allow for higher computing power and enhanced image and video generation.
Mehta acknowledged that the plan is still being tested in some international markets and a wider rollout is expected in the coming weeks.
What this means for real estate professionals
The Meta One Advanced plan is worth noting. Ranking higher in search results, getting links from Reels, and receiving notifications when your content is reused are features that address real pain points for agents looking to grow organically. If these tools work as described, $49.99 per month may seem reasonable compared to the cost of paid advertising, but agents should wait for independent performance data before committing.
Meta launches Reddit-style app built around Facebook groups
Meta released a new standalone app this week called Forum, bringing Facebook group activity into a separate platform designed around question-and-answer discussions. Users sign in using their Facebook credentials and add existing groups to the app. Content shared in a forum remains visible in the corresponding Facebook group.
The app’s core feature is the “Ask a Question” feature that aggregates answers from the entire group and reveals answers from members with relevant experience. Similar to the Reddit model, you can upvote answers.
The forum is currently available. Meta described it as “a dedicated space built for deeper discussions, real answers, and the community you care about.”
What this means for real estate professionals
If you already run or are active in Facebook groups like Neighborhood Communities, Local Buyers Groups, or Agent Networks, our forums give those discussions a dedicated home with more visibility. The upvote system helps make your expertise more visible when buyers and sellers ask the same questions you answer every day. It’s worth downloading early and claiming your presence.
Is social search eating Google’s lunch? Meta says yes
According to a new report from Meta, buyers aren’t starting searches on Google like they used to. The company’s “Search Shift” document released this month is based on a March 2026 Kantar study commissioned by Meta, which claims that social platforms have become the primary discovery surface, with 41 percent of Gen Z turning to social platforms before traditional search, according to Sprout’s social data cited in the report.
The Kantar study, commissioned by Meta, surveyed 500 consumers aged 18 and older in the US, Brazil, Germany and India and found that 63% say they buy faster when social plays a role in their decision-making, and 65% say they feel more confident making a purchase influenced by social.
On the ad spending side, eMarketer predicts that Google’s share of U.S. search ad spending will fall below 50% in 2026, down from 67.1% a decade ago, and advertisers are expected to spend more than $100 billion on non-Google search ads by 2028.
What this means for real estate professionals
Buyers search for homes the same way they search for anything else: through videos, peer recommendations, and platform-native content. Agents’ Instagram Reels and Facebook posts are now part of the search ecosystem, rather than separate from it. If your listings and market content aren’t optimized to be found within social platforms, you’ll be missing out on buyers at the top of the decision funnel.
Mosseri analyzes which metrics on Instagram are actually making a difference
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri this week shared guidance on how engagement rates, not just reach, determine how far a post travels on the platform. In a note on his Instagram, Mosseri said creators and marketers should focus on what percentage of viewers actually take action on a post, rather than how many people see it.
The distinction is important because different actions send different signals to the algorithm, Mosseri explained. Likes have a higher percentage of existing followers and indicate that the post deserves wider visibility within the account’s community. Shares, on the other hand, are a strong signal of unconnected reach, and when a user passes content to friends outside of the account’s network, Instagram reads it as a signal and shows it in Explore and other recommended feeds.
Mosseri also mentioned the difference between connected reach (views from current followers) and disconnected reach (views from non-followers) as a useful diagnostic for understanding where your account is getting attention and where it isn’t.
What this means for real estate professionals
A notable data point is stocks. If your goal is to reach buyers and sellers who don’t already follow you, your most valuable asset is the content that people want to send to their friends.
TL;DR (too long to read)
“Whimsy” is trending as a lifestyle antidote to the anxious news cycle, with Etsy reporting at least a 50% increase in related searches. Meta has launched subscription plans for Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. The Business tier, which costs $49.99 per month, promises search visibility and Reels links. Meta’s new forum app brings a Reddit-style Q&A experience to Facebook groups, complete with an upvote system that reveals an agent’s expertise. A report commissioned by Meta predicts that Google’s share of U.S. search ad spending will fall below 50 percent in 2026 as social platforms replace Discovery. The head of Instagram says shares, not likes, are the key metric for reaching new audiences beyond existing followers.
Platforms are constantly changing, search data is fragmented, and algorithms are changing rewards. But what about frilly pajamas, postcards, and coffee rituals made someone feel better this morning? That impulse doesn’t need an update. No amount of AI-generated content or subscription tier restructuring can replace it. People want to feel something, and when they find content that tells them that, they share it. Agents who figure out how to do that with a feed full of market stats will have no trouble finding one.
Every week on Trending, Inman’s Jessi Healey digs into what’s trending on social media and why it matters to real estate professionals. From viral trends to platform shifts, she analyzes everything to help you understand what’s worth your time and what’s not.
Email Jesse Healy
