ICYMI: 2022 Social Media Predictions
Here's what might happen on social media next year
[via BuzzFeed]
Today, I’m sharing social predictions for 2022 from around the web. I cherry picked the trends or data I think is interesting, relevant and likely to have an impact on people in 2022. I consciously didn’t include anything about the metaverse, Web3 or nfts because the technology and/or adoption rates aren’t there yet.
It’s important to keep in mind that what Silicon Valley wants for the future of the web can look very different from what we want. (Cough, Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse isn’t the one we want or deserve, cough.)
So when in doubt, I evaluate everything through the teenage girl test because nobody ‘ships’ quite as hard as a teen girl: Is there a relatable element they can latch on to; Is it mainstream and interesting enough to encourage social connection but not so mainstream that older relatives have enthusiastically adopted yet; And does it promote the identity they want to cultivate among their peers.
Finally, this is the last newsletter of 2021 so I want to thank you all so much for reading this newsletter, sharing it with friends and coworkers, or reaching out to let me know you appreciated it. It means everything to me. Have a wonderful break and see you in January!
Instagram’s Trend Predictions:
Social Shopping:
“Over 1 in 4 (27%) of teens and young adults are expecting to shop directly through their social media feeds and special in-app features. Nearly half of young people who are interested in new shopping experiences are keeping up with their shopping interest on Instagram.”
Advocacy:
“Young people are engaged in taking social action, often online. 52% followed social justice accounts on social media in 2021 reinforcing how integral social media is for sharing information on activism.
Instagram users are involved. In fact, they are significantly more likely to have voted in local / state / national elections 18% compared to non-users 6%.”
Maximalist Fashion:
“After two years spent in athleisure, young people are making bold moves with their style choice, using fashion as a vehicle for joy, optimism and self-expression. Expect to see alt-fashion (think Goth, Dark Academia, Goblincore, etc.) reach its peak as people spend more time together IRL.”
Pinterest’s Trend Predictions
Wellbeing
“2022 will be about feeling your emotions in spaces made just for that: “Emotional escape rooms” are trending up. It’s also the year that people will get curious about “Mindful menstruation” and educate themselves about “Relation-tips” (of all kinds!). Attachment styles. Couples counseling. Friendship dynamics. In 2022, people across all age groups will transform their relationships—with their partners, with their loved ones and with themselves.
Pastimes as Paydays
“Who says hobbies can’t be lucrative? In 2022, people will build a new biz based on their specific interests, such as eyelashes, real estate or party rentals. While people were just looking for small business inspiration in our last report, this year they have more specific visions. Labor of love just took on a whole new meaning for this Millennial-driven trend.”
Art business ideas +75%
Party rental business ideas +95%
Mobile business ideas +100%
Eyelash business ideas +60%
Becoming a Realtor +135%
App Annie’s Mobile Predictions
TikTok’s Growth
“TikTok is set to surpass 1.5 billion active users by 2022. The app’s global rise could be carving out time away from video streaming providers and attracting significant advertising dollars due to their wide reach and deep user engagement.
TikTok is poised to break two additional records in 2022: surpassing 3 billion global downloads and $3 billion in global consumer spend across iOS and Google Play, driven by in-app purchases benefiting live streamers in the creator economy.”
Mobile Utility
“As we head into 2022, more people than ever will manage and pay for the services they rely on through their most-trusted device: their smartphones. Mobile offers a streamlined, trusted and efficient way to manage subscriptions, and the proof is in the data: consumers are voting with their wallets to the tune of $12 billion for streaming alone.”
HubSpot’s Marketing Trends
Live, Short-Form or VOD… Video Rules!
“In 2022, posting and sharing videos is fundamental for any marketing campaign that wants to succeed. 84% of consumers said watching a brand’s video convinced them to make a purchase or subscribe to a service.”
Corporate Social Responsibility
“Consumers are no longer interested in performative allyship, empty promises, or one-time donations. They have high expectations, preferring brands that take initiative to foster connections with their audience, as well as bringing together people with differing opinions. Brands need to thoroughly analyze their actions, deeds, and culture to stay on top in 2022.
About 70% of employees claim they would not work for a company without a strong purpose, and this belief is affecting the way brands tackle brand inclusivity and rolling out their campaigns in 2022. To be a part of those that witness success as opposed to stagnation, or even decline, you’ll need consumer insights to keep up with the speed at which changes are now happening.”
Hootsuite’s Social Trends
Social Ads
“The largest increases in spend relative to last year are going towards TikTok, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Marketers are shifting their resources to where they can make the most impact — and, increasingly, that’s on networks that typically haven’t been a priority in the social marketing channel mix.
This spending isn’t being made on a hunch. Marketers are finding platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, and Pinterest to be far more effective for reaching business goals than they have in the past.
These networks encourage advertisers to make content that fits organically into the platforms. TikTok’s whole brand-facing wing operates on the tagline “Don’t make ads. Make TikToks.” Pinterest’s call to action for advertisers is “Stop interrupting, start inspiring.” And Snapchat invites advertisers to “Become a part of Snapchatters’ everyday conversations.””
Related: We are about to enter the ‘Age of the Makers’
Social > Search
Move over Google: Younger generations now turn to social networks to research brands more than search engines:
Search engines: 51.3%
Social networks: 53.2%
*percentage of global internet users aged 16-24 who use each channel as a primary source of information when researching brands.
Twitter’s 2022 Planner
It’s not a prediction but Twitter’s 2022 Media Planner offers a month of Twitter ideas, along with a monthly planning calendar, brand voice worksheets and pro tips.
NiemanLab’s Media Predictions
Platform Agnostic Journalism
“Gen Z values authenticity. They crave reality after growing up among scores of Photoshopped advertisements; they believe strongly in ethical consumption and value high-quality experiences… While Gen Z isn’t a monolith, one commonality it shares is preferring different formats of news than older generations — think less traditional, more mobile, and more accessible. That’s OK: A nontraditional format makes information no less valuable.” - Julia Munslow
No More Mocking Influencers
“Newsrooms can no longer afford to ignore or infantilize the creator economy. The days of poking fun at Instagram influencers are over — because they, at least, have a game plan. Legacy media has stood on the tall pillars that have informed its editorial strategy for so long — but in just a few short years, creators have been able to bulldoze outdated practices and find new ways to reach audiences. They’ve learned how to cut through the clutter of content and directly serve their audiences with information that simultaneously entertains and teaches.” - Candace Amos
📚 6 1/2 Things to Read This Week:
“How Ryan Reynolds and Chris Noth Quickly Pedaled Out That “Whirlwind” Peloton ‘And Just Like That’ Ad” - The Hollywood Reporter followed by “Chris Noth Peloton Ad Pulled After Sexual Assault Allegations” - NYTimes
“Keanu Reeves Shared How He Was Really Feeling When The "Sad Keanu" Picture Was Taken And It's Pretty Relatable” - BuzzFeed
Over 47K tech employees have responded to a salary survey hosted by the brilliant @CareerChristen whose goal was to encourage salary transparency in the workplace.
“TikTok Is Testing a Desktop Steaming Software Called TikTok Live Studio” - Tech Crunch
“Instagram’s new Reels Visual Replies are just another feature copied from TikTok” - The Verge
“The Army is in hot water over TikTok recruiting activity” - The Verge