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by Manon Im on Jun 17, 2022 9:00:00 AM
Contents
- Fashion & Beauty
- Shopping
- Music & Dance
- Celebrities & Creators
- Career & Education
- Food
- Wellness
- Gaming
- Memes
- Social Justice
Instagram released ‘The 2022 Instagram Trend Report’. This report is your look ahead guide to the upcoming next-gen trends defined by Gen-Z that will shape culture in 2022.
Next-gen audiences are consistently creating the future and defining trends on Instagram. Instagram is where teens, creators, tastemakers, and niche communities are key to the creation of new trends. Almost 50% of young people view individuals like themselves or influencers with smaller, loyal audiences as key for creating trends. We tapped into the minds of Gen-Z to learn more about the Instagram trends across categories including music, fashion, creators, beauty, social justice, and more that are on the rise.
1. Fashion & Beauty
Maximalist fashion takes over:
After 2 years spent in athleisure, young people are making bold moves with their style choices, 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 sends more time together in real life.
Minimalist faces and natural beauty:
As young people become more aware of what they put on their bodies, skincare in moderation is trending; clean beauty that balances glowing skin with minimal products and safer ingredients will only grow in 2022.
50% of teens and young adults are going to be trying bold fashion like Goth, Dark Academia, Goblincore, and Nostalgic wear in 2022.
About 1 in 3 young people are interested in learning more about & buying “clean” makeup/skincare in 2022. This includes plant-based skincare, vegan makeup, using less products on their skin - i.e. skin minimalism, and products with “clean” ingredients.
2. Shopping
Are our carts finally ready for social & AR shopping?:
We can’t live without online shopping, but in 2022, expect it to move away from big box online retailers' sites. more than half of young people who are interested in new shopping experiences are keeping up with their shopping interest on Instagram.
Digital thrift stores & side hustles:
Thrift shops help with global sustainability by reusing and repurposing clothing. Young people are curating and selling these threads for the masses.
Over 1 in 4 (27%) 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,
In 2022, nearly 1 in 4 (23%) are expecting to thrift more online through second-hand websites (e.g. Depop, Poshmark). About the same amount of teens and young adults (24%) are expecting to contribute more to clothing sustainability by selling their own goods through an online store or social media in 2022.
3. Music & Dance
Music is now social:
Short-form video is redefining music discovery, and musical experiences are set to increase on non-traditional music platforms like Instagram.
Music is going visual:
More album releases will have graphic components to them. Visual streams have been toyed with by artists for a few years, but the pandemic helped make these more mainstream, Instagram Users(24%) are more likely to be excited about visual musical experiences in 2022 while about 1 in 4 teens and young adults expect to live stream concerts / visual album releases in 2022.
41% of 13-24-years-olds say they’re fandom members. 70% of teens expect to discover new music or artists through social media in 2022.
Dance challenges are here to stay:
More than 1 in 3 teens are excited to see more dance challenges in 2022. Expect 2022 to see dance challenges evolve even further with more elaborate dance routines and styles.
4. Celebrities & Creators
Creators have risen to the level of A-List celebrities:
When it comes to influence and impact, online influencers’ klout continues to grow and cement these creators as legitimate tastemakers. 83% believe that creators have as much influence as online influencers - if not more.
1 in 4 13-24-years-old agree micro-influencers with loyal and highly engaged audiences are most important when creating new trends.
1 in 4 young people also say social media influencers are the most important spreaders, regardless of the sizes of their followings.
4 out of 5 young people agree that Social media and other online celebrities have more influence on culture than traditional celebrities.
5. Career & Education
Redefining the meaning of 9-to-5:
Now more than ever, next-gen professionals are re-evaluating their educational and career goals. The pandemic pause means that teens are rethinking all aspects of their lives.
90% of Gen-Z audiences believe the best education comes from real world experiences and given how much college costs, they are seriously considering taking alternative paths. Over two thirds 66% have begun to devalue the extrinsic (as well as intrinsic) value of a college education.
They are also unwilling to allow their jobs to completely consume them (or define them) and are very aware of the dangers this brings. 68% say “work is something I have to do” and “not the most important thing in my life.”
87% of Gen-Z agree that “Too many people are forced to work multiple jobs to make their ends meet.”
63% of Gen-Z agree that “COVID has made me reassess my career goals”
In response to these experiences, young people are wondering what exactly they want in their lives and how they want to get there. In fact, 71% agree “I’d rather have a meaningful job even if it means I make less money.” They’re taking their fates into their own hands and rethinking what success means in a system and society that is changing.
6. Food
Pushing the boundaries for food at home:
Young people are continuing to invest in experimenting in their kitchen by trying out complex recipes and intricate cooking techniques.
While about 1 in 6 teens/young millennials are showing an increased interest in at-home molecular gastronomy.
1 in 5 of young adults (over 21) are interested in getting more into at-home mixology) or going out of their way to learn about new ways to source ingredients (e.g. hyperlocal food/foraging), 2022 will be a year they continue expanding their skills in the kitchen.
7. Wellness
Rethinking mental health:
Mental wellness has gone beyond the inner self. Young people are connecting (and rethinking) how choices they’re making in their lives have powerful effects on their emotional health.
About 1 in 3 will continue to partake in mental wellness activities like guide meditation, manifestation exercises, etc.
2 in 5 are a part of tight-knit communities that build people's connections through health.
1 in 4 will learn on creative activities (e.g. drawings, paintings, writings music, etc.)
Holistic wellness is the next step forward:
At-home workouts are still expected to be key in 2022, but wellness is moving outside of exercise. Respondents are looking for ways to continue their mental health and wellness journeys and develop their creative slides (drawing, collaging, painting, writing music, etc). But they’re also looking to improve their homes as well. Making their homes more sustainable and eco-friendly is expected to grow in popularity in 2022 and holistic perspectives continue to gain steam.
At-home workouts for 2022 are significantly more popular among Instagram Users at 48%, compared to Non-Instagram Users at 34%.
One thing to note is that in 2021, at-home workouts were significantly more popular with respondents who are Better-Off financially (54%) compared to those who are About Average b and Worse Off (32%) financially. Elevating trends in this space that are accessible to a wide-spectrum of people, regardless of status, will be key in keeping young adults engaged in this space.
8. Gaming
Games are the new mall:
Quarantine fueled a boom for video games and this isn’t slowing down anytime soon. More young people are spending more time inside playing games especially in those that also double as social spaces. Games are a new kind of social platform that fuels deep connections and escapism in a unique and fantastical way, with many saying they’re excited to watch other people play video games in a variety of contexts in 2022.
40% of teens and young adults expect to see more video game trends in 2022.
About 3 in 10 expect to livestream others playing video games.
Games are giving them new occasions to hang out too: 1 in 5 teens are expecting VR concerts to become even more popular in 2022.
The Worlds of Gaming and Fashion Collide:
“Non-gamer” gamers are accessing gaming through fashion with 1 in 5 young people expect to see more brand name clothing for their digital avatars. Interest in buying virtual-only goods has increased 50% from 2021 while more than 1 in 4 young people expect to see increased cosplay/costuming in 2022.
9. Memes
Memes providing a sense of control rise to the top:
As times continue to become more uncertain, young people are learning on mediums they can grasp and control. Memes provide a modest amount of certainty & control. Over 1 in 5 teens and young adults paid more attention to astrology and stock memes in 2021 and many are expected to see more in 2022.
Stop-and-think humor reinvents itself:
It’s sometimes impossible to tell exactly how much people are invested in memes ideas. A mixture of irony and sincerity is key to mem supremacy. This unique balance is reinforced when we look at the most popular Internet Culture trends from 2021 and what respondents expect to see more of in 2022: Absurdist humor 35% in 2021, 29% for 2022, and Cryptocurrency 29% in 2021, 32% for 2022.
10. Social Justice
Advocates are the most active social users:
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%.
They are not stopping in 2022:
In fact, they’ll be doubling down and upping their efforts in order to cause change in the issues they feel need their time, attention, and money. More young people will donate their own money in 2022 37% than they did in 2021 32% to social causes and they’re expecting to follow more social justice accounts on social media 28%, reinforcing how integral social media is for sharing information on activism.