Tracking Modern Movements

#hypewomen

Jamie Lee Curtis's joy, excitement, and passion over Michelle Yeoh's historic Golden Globe win inspired the words - "Ladies, this is your vibe for 2023... Find your Jamie. Hype their Jamie. Be her Jamie."

And with this, Erin Gallagher, the founder - CEO of Ella, mobilized a social movement.

#hypewomen - women enthusiastically supporting, uplifting, and celebrating the accomplishments of other women.

The movement's virality shows the world's readiness to champion women's stories and successes, cutting through patriarchal voices and the mean girl eras. The movement manifests at the confluence of cultural shifts. As women reclaim femininity in their different avatars, challenging the reductive stereotypes and yielding agency over their representation, it creates new cultural codes.

Women's narrative matters more than ever. With women's unprecedented control over 32% of global wealth and the addition of $5 trillion annually to the world pool, gender diversity could unlock $160 trillion in human capital value.

The world benefits when we hype women, get curious about their stories, and enable a platform for their narrative.

#corecore

Scrolling through #corecore feels like a classic case of context collapse and the absurdity of life online. An antithesis of the 'Core' suffix, which describes shared ideas of cultures, aesthetics, or genres, grouping them in a category, the movement exists as a collage of out-of-context clips, often chaotic and disorganized, trying to evoke some emotion. Picture 'everything everywhere all at once' juxtaposed with another version, context collapsed in a short video format.

Audiences are bored, and so are the creators. Social movements like this offer a reliance on randomness and rawness, a relief from the monotony of almost figured-out algorithms and the sea of sameness of content across mediums. Culturally professing the idea of 'anti-trends,' and 'de-influencers' the movement aims to make a point for the multitudes of micro trends on the web.

It'll be interesting to see how brands can channel a creative opportunity here, primarily since #corecore's formative content revolves around anti-capitalism and over-consumption.

Cover photo: A collage of screenshots from corecore videos on TikTok. Photo: Min Chen Credit: artnet news

#delulu

Looking to escape today's overwhelming reality into a world of fantasy and manifestations? Perhaps, 'Delulu is the solulu.'

The K-pop fandom's use of #delulu has evolved beyond its original meaning of 'delusional.' Now users post with this pop culture signal in pursuit of their dreams and desires, often fantasizing about them and manifesting the confidence to empower themselves, displaying creative bravery. The unofficial pioneer of the movement, Sabrina Bahsoon - the London tube girl who shared her carefree videos of dancing in the London subway, says it's about embracing 'being confident and amazing.'

The #delulu movement has given Gen Zers and young millennials a platform to find a shared community of imaginative escapism, alongside exercising personal freedom and rejecting their social expectations of them. M.A.C.'s #TubegirlTrain collaboration inserted the brand into pop culture, a great example of how a brand can forge an accessible connection with its audience by finding such micro-moments of joy and confidence.

#fandom

The f-word has stuck around for long now. Powered by a sense of belonging and community, fandoms satiate emotional and social needs. But Fandoms have evolved in formats, forms, and expressions. Swifties, you there?

Twitch's Anatomy of Hype exemplifies this evolution: first, The fluid fan - one who turns to different fandoms to fulfill different parts of their dynamic identity; second - modern fandoms that facilitate reclaiming one's identity in pursuits of micro-fandoms. #booktok is a befitting example of this phenomenon. Third - the rise of newer expressions of fandom, such as blending travel and the passion for a deep immersion in their Idol's world, forging a greater sense of connection. 'Paris by Emily' trips exemplify this shift.

The key for marketers is the opportunity that 90% of fans share passions and fandoms with other people in their lives and are open to brands joining the conversation, as long as it is authentic and adds a positive value.

#dopaminedecor

The sweet scent of hazelnut coffee, bright pastel hues on the walls, and the David Bowie poster by the side of my electric blue loveseat - sheer joy! That encapsulates the ethos behind #dopaminedecor - outfitting your personal space to match your personality and spark joy.

#dopaminedecor is an eclectic yet cohesive mix of bold colors, playful patterns, inviting textures, and nostalgic touches, an offshoot of the design trend-dopamine dressing. While Yelp trend reports tag it as an aesthetic trend for 2024, culturally speaking, GenZ is embracing it as a core philosophy to liven up their lives through "feel good" neurotransmitters - creating a continuous loop of joy, comfort, and pleasure in their surroundings.

Amid the deepening plurality of stress, chaos, burnout, and fear in people's lives, #dopaminedecor brings much-needed wonder and joy into our intimate home spaces. As brands, there's an opportunity to reignite joy and wonder in our consumers' lives- maybe through dopamine packaging, innovations, stories, or more.

Written by Swati Baweja