The internet and social media have impacted and will continue to impact culture in various ways.
Arguably, the internet and social media are actually leading and shaping culture more than anything else, as it’s the fastest and biggest way we can connect with each other.
When we think about the trends sweeping across online platforms, it’s easy to see how this has impacted different aspects of our life and culture, including how we discover products and interact with brands.
Trends on the internet and social media
All media plays a role in shaping trends, but the internet and social media accelerate and evolve trends faster than ever before.
Take a look at fashion, homewares and beauty. Online content for these categories has exploded in recent years, and we’ve seen trends come, go, and resurface. We’ve seen 80s and 90s trends come full circle, we’ve seen Gen Z fashion take off in its own unique style, and we’ve also seen countless ‘how-to’ and ‘get ready with me’ content spreading these trends, and how to achieve them, to the masses.
TikTok has been instrumental in this, with conversational, less polished content helping users share their style adventures with ease. TikTok has only been around since 2016, and in that time, the way the platform has shaped culture has increased significantly. Short-form, authentic content has never been so popular, and alongside features like ‘duetting’, ‘stitching’ and improved search features, it’s allowing information, trends, opinions, and conversations to be shared faster and to reach more people.
Pinterest has also been instrumental in sharing trends, and this platform has been in existence since 2010, so it’s had time to become a staple for many in their search for trends and inspiration. Just take a look at Pinterest Predicts to see how the platform is now predicting the biggest trends across categories for 2023. (Hint, this is a GREAT source of inspiration and research).
We could delve into the way each individual social media channel has impacted trends and changed culture, but we’d be here for DAYS!
How brands are creating content for the internet and social media
Brands are working hard to keep up with a changing culture, and that means they’re becoming more present on the internet and social media.
Brands are shaping their content strategies AND their products to feed the trends that are spurred by the internet and social media. For example, we love the way that Spotify has created connection and shareability and played into culture through Spotfiy Wrapped. Do you remember when EVERYONE felt compelled to share their Spotify Wrapped? (RIP Apple Music listeners, the FOMO was real with this one).
Spotify created a new way for us to connect and learn more about each other, while projecting its brand into the spotlight for a good couple of weeks of each year. It even resulted in spin-off trends like ‘Dating Wrapped’, where TikTokers spilled their dating stats and blunders for the year, which only took recognition of the campaign even further.
Our biggest recommendation for brands is to take inspiration from content marketing like this, investigate where your brand sits within the culture and think about what your audience are deeply interested in. Create a content marketing strategy that prioritises adding value for your audiences and ADDING to culture.
Social media and the internet have changed how we shop
There’s a LOT we can do online these days, and it’s changed our everyday behaviours, particularly shopping. The internet and social media has changed culture by putting everything at our fingertips, showing us trends, and showing us how we can easily and quickly make them our own *adds to cart*.
The rise of e-commerce and online shopping has changed the way people purchase goods and services. The internet and social media have made it possible for consumers to shop from the comfort of their own homes, compare prices and products from different retailers, and have items delivered to their doorsteps. This has transformed the retail industry and created new opportunities for brands to reach a wider audience and sell their products online.
But, ‘selling products online’ is not that simple, and brands need to invest in a holistic strategy to make the most of the internet and social media’s online shopping opportunities. First and foremost, users are looking for content to connect to that appeals to the culture. Strong, far-reaching content is a brand’s best friend because it builds you an engaged audience.
Actions like follows, likes, video views, comments, page views and add to carts are all things that can be retargeted by a brand through advertising on social media and the internet, allowing you to drive purchases from users.
Think culture-first, and connection-first, and we’re sure that those bottom-line actions like leads and purchases will flow on for your brand!
Like we said, we could sit here all day nerding out and deep-diving into the various ways the internet and social media have changed culture, but we hope these examples have given you some insight and inspiration into the ever-changing online world, and where brands sit amongst it all.
Feeling a bit overwhelmed? No worries, we gotcha! Let us take you through the secrets of masterful storytelling and engaging social media content with our Lunch and Learn session ‘An introduction to digital storytelling’ – packed full of tips and formulas to create an amazing brand story online, all for just $50.
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