This article has been written by Lisa Cowie, Head of Agency Research at Twitter, and Thomas Bailly, Global Agency Lead at Twitter.
When people care about something, they talk about it.
There are hundreds of millions of Tweets sent everyday around the world. What we choose to share says something about us — about who we are, about what interests us, about what we believe in. Conversation gives a window into culture.
Whilst Twitter isn’t short of data, gaining insights from that data requires the right analytical tools.
We partnered with Black Swan to analyse 300,000+ topics of conversation. Using AI-driven network science to map conversations into clusters, we looked over 2 years (Jan ‘19 - Dec ‘20) to detect evolving trends.
Tweets were analysed across 8 markets - US, Canada, UK, France, Spain, Brazil, Australia and India.
Many conversations persist across markets
From a macro perspective, people around the world are talking about a lot of the same things — but they can manifest differently depending on the cultural context.
Our analysis surfaced 6 key spaces:
Understanding culture isn’t about honing into one area that is most obviously connected to a brand or vertical. Conversation is fluid and therefore trends are interconnected. It’s important to consider all the ways that consumers are thinking and behaving, to know what matters to them across many facets of their lives.
Trend #1 - Wellbeing
Of course, wellbeing. Conversation has increased by at least 40% in all markets. The notion of #ItsOkayNotToBeOkay has come to the fore, with increasingly frank and open exchanges.
#CollectiveHealth. Wellbeing is increasingly being shaped by conversation around ‘communities of care’. Healthcare systems, nursing care, health tech, telehealth services and “looking out for each other” have all seen growth.
Trend #2 - Creator Culture
A new generation of entrepreneurs and everyday makers is emerging: the creator class. Spanning those who create for a living through to everyday people who want to inject a bit of creativity into their days.
#Participation. Everyone can create. Involvement is more prominent than ever. This notion is fueling the entertainment space as content proliferates from everyday creators and consumption becomes much more social.
Conversation around creator culture has increased by +26% in the US and as much as +135% in Brazil.
Trend #3 - Everyday Wonder
Escapism is a fundamental human desire. From the cosmos to spirituality to wanderlust, people are immersing themselves in content and experiences.
There’s renewed wonder in imagined realities. Fantasy worlds, role-playing, cosplay, sci-fi, and superhero culture are providing ways for people to lose — and find — themselves.
The conversation is steadily growing everywhere, with particular resonance in Spain, +35%, and Brazil, +31%.
Trend #4 - One Planet
The notion of #BuildBackBetter is emerging as a key driver of the conversation around sustainability and the environment. #TheGreatReset in the US, #GreenRecovery in the UK or #Agenda2030 in Spain are setting the tone, with a focus on regeneration not just sustainability.
There has also been heightened interest in nature and local surroundings — from the impact of climate change to an appreciation for green spaces and the land around us.
Trend #5 - Tech Life
A changing dialogue about the way we live, work, and create. As the pandemic hit, a burgeoning reliance on tech in our homes saw more mentions of everything from video calling to smart sensors to connected entertainment to ed tech.
Tech Life is expansive - people are talking about smarter living, tech for good and tech angst.
The conversation has grown between 30-40% across all markets.
Trend #6 - My Identity
People are feeling more supported — and celebrated — to live out loud.
#RepresentMe. Equality has become one of the most prominent themes on the platform, as individuals and communities push for real representation. This doesn’t stop at politics, it’s increasingly a topic within entertainment.
As people increasingly define themselves against their values, beliefs or ethics, #BeAnAlly and #TakeAStand are concepts that are gaining traction not just for individuals but within fandoms too. Who you stan says a lot about what you stan. People are realising the power of their fandoms to drive real social change.
The US is seeing the highest growth around this theme, 61%, but with 40%+ growth in all markets the conversation around identity is happening everywhere.
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We see those conversations shaping global culture. One of the recurring themes, showing up in conversation and making its way into mainstream culture, is gaming. Let’s look at how the gaming conversation has evolved, and what that means for content creators and brands.
Everyday prevalence of gaming
Gaming is a huge area of opportunity for brands, irrespective of their vertical. It sits at the intersection of culture, tech, and content. Mainstream, but also a multitude of niche communities, gaming is spreading far and wide into peoples’ lives, accelerated by the pandemic.
- ●2B+ gaming related Tweets globally in 2020, up +75% YOY
- ●Globally, people on Twitter are 1.7X more likely to have a connected gaming console and 2.2X more likely to watch competitive video gaming, vs. those not on Twitter.
Gaming shows up within conversation in various ways, driving two of our trend spaces:
Gaming Focus Trend #1 - Creator Culture: Conversational Entertainment
Game talk
A new era of gaming, one where games become social experiences. Mentions of games like Among Us, Animal Crossing, Pokemon and Fortnite have all seen huge growth. Conditions of the pandemic have driven usage, but these games inspire connection and conversation.
Streamers
Gaming as video content. Increasing mentions of live streams show that gaming is also a consumption experience. #SupportSmallStreamers is gaining traction as more people move into the role of creator, putting out content for their audiences.
Gaming ecosystems
Franchises are converging with film and music. In-game social events like concerts are driving conversation around music artists in the same context as gaming.
Gaming Focus Trend #2 - Everyday Wonder: Imaginative Escapism
Nostalgic experiences
As people seek out comfort in the familiar and iconic, classic franchises like Pokemon, Pacman, Mario, Star Wars characters and countless others have been delighting new and old fans alike.
Immersive narratives
Not quite a video game, not quite a movie. Gaming is increasingly being talked about in the realms of characters, settings and stories as people desire full immersion into fantasy-worlds.
Beyond gaming itself
Animal Crossing wasn’t just something to do during lockdowns. Conversation on Twitter spiraled into everyday dreaming about travel, holidays and IRL experiences. Hype and conversation around Cyberpunk, the long-awaited game, has moved into story-telling and cosplay (costume play) as people throw themselves into character role-playing.
Acting on the gaming phenomenon
If it’s happening in the world, it’s happening on Twitter. Particularly when it comes to the gaming conversation, fans around the world come to Twitter to talk about the biggest moments of the year — the game drops, the fandom, and more, all year long. We see this in the consumption habits of our audiences — during live events, while attention shifts away from other social media, it shifts towards Twitter.
This is why game publishers and esports teams alike are prioritising using Twitter as an immediate distribution platform for their biggest moments.
With Amplify, Twitter’s pre-roll video offering, brands can reach the younger demographic who are difficult to reach by TV and the increasing cord-cutters and cord-nevers.
From always-on packages with our gaming press partners, to live events and esports opportunities, Twitter has a wide range of solutions to allow brands to align with premium, brand-safe content that resonates with a younger audience, globally.
For more information on Twitter Trends please visit marketing.twitter.com/trends
