YEAR IN REVIEW
Before I do my deep-dive into 2022 trend decks, I thought I’d share a spoiler-filled compilation of Year-In-Review lists from different corners of the Internet. Together, they paint a fascinating picture of 2021. Let’s just say I’m looking forward to 2022.
Emoji:Did you know that there are 3,663 emoji, and that the top 100 emoji comprise 82% of all shares?Guess which one was tops for 2021?Let’s all just choose to interpret it as ‘tears of joy’ and move on.
Search:Google has listed the top searches in Canada for 2021(even breaking down what’s tops in Quebec). Lots of searches for vaccine appointments, vaccine passports, and – of course – Squid Game. See a dramatized YouTube video recap of global trends here.
YouTube:Speaking of YouTube, here is a list of the top videos and creators for 2021. The top 10 list includes the classics “I spent 50 hours Buried Alive” and “I spent 100 Days in a Zombie Apocalypse in Minecraft.” Isn’t it bad enough that we all just spent 2 years working from home?
Reddit:I find it fascinating how different topics are more popular on different platforms.Within Reddit, it was all about finance this year– from r/wallstreetbets to its most popular topic: Cryptocurrency. But Reddit wouldn’t be Reddit without some absurdity - 2021’s top AMA?“I’m a lobster diver who recently survived being inside of a whale. AMA!”Not sure how many hours he spent inside, but I’m sure it was covered.
iOS Apps:Not a lot of surprises on the most downloaded iOS apps for 2021– lots of games, productivity apps, and streaming services. I suppose the most emblematic for 2021 was that TikTok led the way for iPhone downloads, and Zoom was #2 for iPad.
TikTok:Speaking of TikTok, the company released a year in review of its most popular content. Super random, creative, and funny (as evidenced by the top TokTok for 20201 -Drone Dancing). If you’re still not familiar with TikTok, it’s worth going down this rabbit hole to appreciate the unique nature of what works on the platform.
Twitter:The top Tweet for the year was from newly inaugurated Joe Biden’s “It’s a New Day in America”, followed by other politicians celebrating post-Trump Twitter. Twitter also released a‘Best of 2021’ list featuring the most successful brands and campaigns on the platform.
Spotify:Which brings us to Spotify’s Wrapped year in review. If you’re not a Spotify user, read Vox’s feature on how “Spotify spies on us, and we kinda love it”. I’ll spare you my ‘Cool Jazz’ themed list from 2021, but if you have a few minutes check out this amazing spoof from Pudding:“How Bad is Your Streaming Music”. Connect your Spotify account to have an A.I. roast you for your “awful taste in music”. Equal parts hurtful and hilarious.
Memes: Buzzfeed has compiled a list of the top 21 memes of 2021.The fact that Bernie Sanders sitting cross-legged on a folding chair with mittens barely makes the list at #21 makes me question the writer’s internal ranking algorithm.
Start-up Ideas:As we move into more subjective lists, I love Glyn Britton’s annual list of new business ideas. He covers new start-ups trying to gain traction in the market – it’s a really interesting way to see where innovation and investment is heading (see: fintech).
Lessons Learned:Another favourite list of mine isTom Whitwell’s annual “52 Things I Learned”. The items listed have no connection to each other, aside from being oddly fascinating. For example, did you know that every day, one million people upload pictures of their coffee grinds to the Turkish app Faladdin and get a personalized fortune reading back in 15 minutes?
Make that one million and one…