“We started talking about vibes in September 2020,” says Dr Antonia Ward, chief futurist at trends intelligence company Stylus. “We were looking at how social media was reflecting a more chaotic mood. Before that, platforms such as Instagram had been quite buttoned down and filtered, but something shifted. We began sending a more impressionistic... See more

Earlier this year, Dirt contributor Michelle Santiago Cortés wrote about “yearnposting”, examining the trend of Instagram and TikTok content for people that “want to be devastated (in a good way).” These posts, “combine the warmth of a wholesome meme with the hope of a motivational post and the raw emotion of a trauma meme,” like a video by noted... See more

Something about social media feels different this year.We’re watching a fundamental shift in how and where people want to engage online. As trust declines and user habits evolve, it’s clear we’re heading toward a new phase of social. So what does that mean for brands, users, and the future of social as we know it?🌊 Big platforms are losing their... See more