A Year in Review: Youth Culture 2022

As 2022 comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to look back, and reflect on some of the big moments over the past 12 months. Two of the largest global dictionary publishers word of the year give a strong indication of the kind of year we’ve had. Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is “gaslighting, the act or practice of grossly misleading someone, especially for one’s own advantage”, with searches spiking by 1740% in 2022. For Oxford Dictionary, it’s been a year of 'goblin mode', a term originating from meme culture as “a type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, and rejects social norms”. This year has been a spicy one. 

For 52INSIGHTS this week, it’s the big moments in youth culture and the learnings we’re taking with us. 

The Celeb Drama That Got Youth Talking

With the evolution of a new form of celebrity culture - “it's all for the taking - anyone can be famous. Gamers, trainspotters and even employment lawyers are now considered bonafide celebrities and there are no rules.” - Billy Bunzari, THINKHOUSE.

• Everyone has an opinion - the internet was hooked on the Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp trial. 
• Fashion history repeated, for better or worse, with Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress at the Met Gala.
• The big Ye Controversy as Kanye West lost partnerships and fans.
• Internet sleuths, (like this video which racked up over four million views in just 10 days) exposed lifestyle and fitness influencer, The Liver King - don’t lie to the fans.

WTF Social Media In-Flux

Social media platforms have been having a moment at an even higher tempo than usual. 

• Social media’s role in our youth lives has gotten bigger - more and more young people use TikTok as their primary news source. 
• At the start of the year, Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook to Meta - it turned into a mega Meta-fail for him. Plus everyone is getting fed up with Instagram. 
• Twitter was its own trending topic as Elon Musk made a bid to buy the channel, followed by his leadership decisions causing chaos. 
• AI is transforming creative opportunities with the rise of Dall-E, Midjourney and more, creating an exciting medium to explore more.
• Time to BeReal, the social media app all about authenticity. The app has taken over the download charts, and was named Apple Store’s App of the Year in 2022. 
• Conspiracy theories have become an even bigger part of the social landscape, with social platforms being a huge contributor to the spread of misinformation. 

Activism Gone Mainstream

Young people are voicing out more than ever, with a call for ‘change behaviour’ becoming more mainstream.

• Young people were vocal about the proposed outcome of COP27, and challenging the inaction from global leaders.
• The attack against Ukraine brought people together to show solidarity and how important brands, agencies and creatives are in addressing political and social issues.
• Quiet quitting was on employees’ and employers’ minds with young people deciding they had enough of being underappreciated and no longer subscribing to hustle culture. 
• Taylor Swift’s army of fans are suing Ticketmaster after the ticket seller’s website broke down without preparing for the huge demand to see the singer. 
• Activists are using unconventional materials to draw even more attention to their causes - from ketchup to olive oil.  
• More young people are pointing at the damaging impact of celebrities and leaders - demanding the super-rich rethink (stop) their traveling by private jets.
• Liz Truss’s brief tenure as Prime Minister was outlasted by a lettuce, which the internet went wild over. 

Getting Unapologetically Real

Authenticity is in its unapologetic phase, with a ‘zero shame’ policy. 

• Julia Fox became everyone’s muse - never not showing up as her truest, realest and most honest self. 
• Ekin Su and Italian hunk David of Love Island, won all of our hearts with their real authentic selves, and zero fear of leaning into the drama. 
• Gen Z hit TV show Euphoria made magic happen,brought back the art of musicals and shared the reality of addiction that made people uncomfortable.

Brand Takeouts

2022 has been a year of flux with a post-pandemic figuring out of ‘new normals’, or more accurately an acceptance of there being no such thing as normal. ‘You be you’ is the compelling mantra as we head into 2023. 

What will be your ‘unapologetic you’ for the year ahead?

Stay tuned for next week’s 52INSIGHTS, as we share our 2023 outlook…