Top Social Media Trends of 2022
Top Social Media Trends of 2022 https://northstrategic.com/wp-content/uploads/pexels-cottonbro-studio-5081926-1024x682.jpg 1024 682 Jonathan Forani https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/0224c5ae9357da0ca0dcbe96be87c430?s=96&d=mm&r=gBy Andrea Chick, Account Manager, and Jaclyn Melville, Account Executive
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Social media trends have the power to take over your timeline, FYP or newsfeed by night and disappear by morning. From dance challenges to trending sounds that annoyingly replay in your head, North Strategic kept a finger on the trends pulse this year so you didn’t have to.
In order to stay on top of these trending topics and timely moments for our clients, we compile a weekly shortlist of notable trends that are breaking through the noise on social media.
As 2022 wraps up, we wanted to look back on this year’s most viral moments – the biggest trends (“Nobody’s gonna know”), and even fads (butter boards, anyone?) that had brands, creators and everyday users talking.
Top TikTok trends from 2022
In the interview that stole our hearts this year, 7-year-old Tariq expressed his sincere love for corn and made himself an Internet celebrity. Snippets from the interview were pulled together in a song that still appears on the platform, with numerous brands hopping on the trend. In more recent news, Tariq says he has retired as “corn kid” but maintains his love for the harvested speciality.
@music_pop33 #fyp #foryou #trending #tiktok #xyzbca #xzybca #edit #trend #tik_tok #viral #viralvideo #musicpop #part92 #itscorn #corn #corn🌽 #interviews #food #foodtiktok #cornkid #cornkidinterview ♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show
Remember that interview clip with House of the Dragon co-stars Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke? Something about D’Arcy’s voice had us all ordering a “Negroni. Sbagliato. With Prosecco in it.” Of course, mixologists tried the drink too, and brands and influencers leveraged the audio to show off product lines and share tips. The trend also evolved into its inevitable remix stage.
@miakhalifathe person you are trying to reach is no longer in service, stink 🥺♬ a negroni sbagliato w prosecco l hbo max – hbomax
This trend gave us all the chance to dig deep into how we see ourselves, significant others, or even exes. Did you ever consider what colour or destination you would be? You may find an aesthetically pleasing answer! Creators leveraged this trend, which follows a flipbook-style format paired with the song “Run Boy Run” by Woodkid, to show off their editing skills, personality and sense of humour.
@totalartIt took me 6 hours to do this 🤍♬ Run Boy Run – Woodkid
Engaging storytelling was everything in 2022. The more authentic, raw, and humiliating these stories got, the more audiences loved it. “One thing about me…” opened the floodgates. Creators shared personal quirks and interesting stories over the beat of the Nicki Minaj hit “Super Freaky Girl.” Whether it was a traumatic first date experience, coming clean about your one-letter birth name, TikTokers truly enjoyed this trend.
@msrebeccablack #onethingaboutme ♬ Super Freaky Girl – Nicki Minaj
This one is still stuck in our heads. This popular TikTok trend uses a rap verse from a 2022 interview with journalist and filmmaker Louis Theroux, who wrote the original rap more than 20 years ago for a BBC show. Many creators attempted the perfectly choreographed dance popularized with the song, and it spurred international attention from DJs, including an official mix produced and released by Duke & Jones.
@stunteditz My money don’t jiggle 🤑 | #weirdweekends #stunteditz #bangersquad ♬ original sound – 𝓢𝓽𝓾𝓷𝓽 𝓛𝔂𝓻𝓲𝓬𝓼 🕊
Lizzo stands out for her unapologetic take on TikTok that showcases her personal and candid side. She also had one of the biggest TikTok pop hits of the year with “About Damn Time,” usually accompanied by a dance trend like no other attempted by the likes of Joe Jonas and Amelia Dimoldenberg.
@lizzoWhere am I?♬ About Damn Time – Lizzo
Top Instagram trends of 2022
As platforms shift to a video-first approach, creators are getting innovative with static photos. This year, more Instagram users played around with the image carousel by “extending” photos between frames, and leveraging the increasingly popular video Reels page for photography.
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Building on the trend of getting innovative with static images, TikTok-style edits were all over Instagram Reels in 2022. Creators loved using The Black Eyed Peas hit “Pump It!” to create monthly video compilations of photos from their camera roll. Brand partnerships produced some great examples of this trend too.
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In case you’re Little Miss Out of the Loop, you know this one. The Mr. Men and Little Miss trend, based on the children’s book series, blew up on Instagram this year. The meme-like trend was a way to call out specific, relatable character descriptions. Creators and brands shared the characteristics that best described them, their business and engage their audience.
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Fake Spirit Halloween costumes have circulated online for years, but this trend hit new levels in 2022. Social media users Photoshopped humourous archetypes, stereotypes and notable people onto costume packages, including working moms, happy campers, millennials, even hiring managers and recruiters. Brands hopped on board, including Footlocker, The New York Giants and Campmor, and Spirit Halloween itself joined in too.
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Most of these trends will fade out in 2023 and make way for new ones. Which songs will become every creator’s go-to soundtrack? Which interview clips will be spliced and remixed in new and entertaining ways? And which brands will find creative ways to join the fun? At North Strategic, our team of social media and digital strategists are plugged in to answer those questions and advise on the best approach to leverage the zeitgeist, engage your audience, and have a little fun.