Instagram just released the 2022 trend report where they dive into different gen z-dominated industries like beauty, fashion, education, and shopping.
They describe it as “your look ahead guide to the upcoming next-gen trends defined by Gen-Z that will shape culture in the next year.”
The report was pulled off a survey conducted in October that surveyed over 1,200 social media users per week in the US with ages ranging from 13-24.
They call them “next-gen” audiences, “those who are consistently creating the future and defining trends on Instagram.”
“50% of young people view individuals like themselves or influencers with smaller, loyal audiences as KEY for creating trends.” This means that it will be us, creators and influencers who will be defining these trends!
Remember that as a creator/influencer running your own business you need to stay on top of the trends, as they define the path your business will have to take in the future.
So what are the categories in the Instagram trend report for 2022?
The report is covering the following industries:
Fashion & Beauty
Shopping
Music & Dance
Celebrities & Creators - Yes they have labeled creators and celebrities as the same category 😱
Career and Education
Food
Wellness
Gaming
MEMES
Social Justice
For this blog post, I will focus only on what concerns mostly creators and influencers, but the full report has a lot of other insights that I highly recommend you to check out!
1. Fashion & beauty
Fashion Creators
After two years of pandemic where people have been wearing more athleisure fashion, 2022 will be a game-changer for fashion creators. Younger people are making big changes to their style choices and Maximalist Fashion will take over.
50% of teens and young adults are going to be trying Bold Fashion. This includes Dark Academia, Goblincore, and Nostalgic Wear.
This will be great for sub-niches in fashion to start rising bringing tons of opportunities for new fashion influencers, creators, and bloggers.
Beauty Creators
Minimalist faces and natural beauty will start dominating as young people are starting to be aware of what they put in their bodies.
Trends are moving more towards learning about “clean” or minimalist make-up and clean skincare. This includes plant-based skincare, vegan make-up, less use of products, etc
As a creator, this indicates where you should be going with your brand to really stay on top and keep growing your business.
2. Music & dance
For artists (musicians and dancers)
“Music is now social” They couldn't have started with a better statement
We all know how short-for video has blown up with TikTok and Instagram reels and the majority of these viral social media trends start with a song.
Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram are redefining the music industry and generating trends that make the top charts of the season.
There is a great opportunity for new musicians, DJs, and song producers that could arise from these non-traditional music platforms.
And of course, music comes by the hand of dance, where we will see a spike in dance challenges! Dancing is here to stay guys, like it or hate it. A great opportunity for the dancer community to show off their talents and build a career around their passion 😉
Remember that if dancing is something you can incorporate into your personal brand as part of your strategy, absolutely go for it! But only if it will resonate with your audience.
3. Celebrities and creators
For all creators
“Creators have risen to the level of A-Celebrities.” A very powerful and exciting statement that shows us that younger generations are starting to trust creators and influencers more than celebrities.
There is a bright future for the creator and influencer industry.
For micro-influencers
Micro-influencers, with loyal and highly-engaged audiences, will continue on the rise and are considered to be very important in creating new trends. According to the next-gen, they are the most important spreaders, regardless of their size and following.
In fact, 80% believe that social media and other online celebrities have much more influence than traditional celebrities like actors!
This is a great reminder to remember your worth, brands need you and you don't need massive followings.
4. Career and education
For life coaches and mentors
The pandemic has changed the 9-5 forever and young people are re-evaluating their educational and career goals. They don’t want their lives to be consumed or defined by work.
Young people are starting to wonder not only what they want, but how are they going to get there. This will bring new opportunities to life coaches, mentors, and guides.
For online educators
90% agree that the best education comes from real-world experiences. Here we can see a great opportunity for online educators who in many cases are self-taught or from experience,
This is important in industries like the influencer industry where traditional educational resources don't teach aspiring influencers and creators how to become one.
5. Food
For cooks, chefs and other food creators
Food at home will continue to grow. Young people are getting experimental with their cooking at home and this will be reflected in the trends we will see next year.
At-home molecular gastronomy, at-home mixology, and hyperlocal food will make their way into the trends.
6. Wellness
For wellness creators
2022 will be all bout mental health! “Mental wellness has gone beyond the inner self”.
Young people are realizing that the decisions they make in their lives have powerful effects on their mental health.
Mental wellness activities like yoga, meditation, breathing, and manifestation will continue to rise and shape the trends in the wellness industry.
For creatives and artists
Creative activities such as drawing, painting, and writing music will become the escape for next-gen audiences next year.
For home creators
Younger generations are looking to make their homes more sustainable and eco-friendly.
For fitness creators
At-home workouts will continue to win popularity, but the focus will shift towards elevating trends that are accessible to a wide spectrum of people, regardless of their status.
7. MEMES
For your business
As a result of the uncertainty over the past two years, memes provide next-gens a modest amount of certainty and control, and this is expected to keep growing.
Absurdist humor, the kind of humor that keeps people off-balance is what the majority of gen-z’s are expecting to see in MEMEs.
Remember MEMEs are highly sharable and they help you build community and you should definitely be including them in your content strategy for 2022.
In the report, you can also find information about shopping, gaming, and social justice.
Wrapping up
So what’s the intake on everything?
The influencer and creator industry is only expected to continue expanding and growing. It’s NEVER too late to start. If you are an aspiring content creator or influencer, there has never been a better moment.
For those who believe their niche is not good enough or that not enough people would be interested in what you do, there is a rise of micro-influencers and less popular niches. There is literally space for everyone who wants to build an online community.
The online educator community will continue to grow as more and more people are starting to share their knowledge and experience in much better and more interactive ways than traditional sources of education.
More and more creators will start building their businesses around their passion and escaping the 9-5.
So, my fellow creators, this is your time to shine start building those online businesses that will give freedom, which is what we, millennials, want the most!
PS. If you want to start off the year with the right foot and the right strategies for Instagram and your business, click here, to start your journey to become a full time creator.
