This track from the ~community playlist~ is unquestionably the one for today (thanks to a_rummer for adding). “Latest Trends” is the debut single from the British hip hop duo A1 x J1 — and just so you know, A1 is 15 years old and J1 is 17, which means maybe once we’re done listening we could call them up and ask them how to use Tik Tok. (No, actually — their song is now the backdrop for almost 100,000 Tok videos.) Brave new world, listen here.
What time of year is it? Judging by the corporate comms in my life, I’d say we’re just beyond year-end review season and moving into new-year predictions — or, the period where data from this year is presented as something forward-looking so it feels *fresh*. On that note, Pinterest just published their trend forecast for 2022 and WHAT a document. Visually, it feels like if Lisa Frank had a glow-up at age 37. In content… same.
Things that are about to be trending, according to the report: “the bioluminescence esthetic” (because “the most memorable adventures will happen after sundown”); “Uncomfortable questions to ask,” since “in 2022, people across all age groups will transform their relationships” (oh!); and an activity I could not bring myself to click on called “Catify your home.” Is this the world’s most nonsense copywriting or is the Pinterest community just that specific? I guess it doesn’t matter since the only audience for this report is marketers whose 2022 activity is about to look a lot like what they’ve been doing this year: buying ads on Pinterest.
Barreling forward into the prediction industrial complex, the first-ever Instagram trend report is here and it’s all about this year’s trends as defined by Gen Z (tell me you’re losing ad dollars to Tik Tok without telling me you’re losing ad dollars to Tik Tok).
But if they’re newish to the data-content game, we have an old friend in OKCupid. In a callback to their original data blog (long live 2010), their report tells us some actually useful information about how people act on their platform. There’s an uptick in kink mentions! A 250% increase in people identifying as bi! But why we gotta spin all that into predictions? WILL Divorced Singles Be Getting Back Out There? (Just cause they’re getting after it now…) What I’m saying is, facts are plenty interesting without the razz-dazz. And we love Lisa Frank for who she is.
If there’s something I feel secure in predicting for next year, it’s that our clothes will continue to get dirty — and, if I can venture a second guess, that we will still want to clean them. Dropps is here to help you do that in a way that cuts down on toxic pollution, ocean waste, and harsh chemicals. They’re so sure you’ll feel good about their laundry detergent pods, in fact, that they’re sending you some for free — just kick in $5 for shipping and handling and they’ll show up wherever you are. Manifest the future and grab your Dropps here.