The term pop culture gets thrown around a lot, but do you know what the latest trends are? The year 2020 has no choice but to be momentous, heralding in a new decade with the most satisfying numerical repetition. Convenience and sustainability will be at the vanguard of the incoming era, with innovative developments in entertainment, fitness, parenting, wellness, and more making our lives easier while also keeping Mother Earth's lifespan top of mind. Oh, and let's not forget about that presidential election, which is sure to spark passionate conversations as younger generations enter the political sphere.
We've already listened, watched, snacked, and explored our way through 2020s emerging trends, and we're highlighting 10 that will reach their peak in the months ahead. Pause your Netflix stream and grab a beverage, because it's about to be one heck of a year.
THE NEW A-LIST CELEBRITY
The stars everyone will be buzzing about in 2020 have one major quality in common: authenticity. A new wave of young actors, artists, and influencers are embracing their identities and making the landscape more diverse than ever. In 2019, musicians like Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, and Lizzo paved the way for emerging talents who will similarly play by their own rules in the new year. Poet and singer-songwriter Arlo Parks is another one to watch, taking the world by storm with her confessional lyrics about anxiety, adolescence, and identity. And we'd be remiss not to include Claud, a nonbinary artist leading the charge for LGBTQ+ representation in indie-pop music. In the influencer sphere, you can count on teen YouTube sensation Emma Chamberlain to continue to grow her fan base in 2020, as Gen Zers relate to her unfiltered, down-to-earth content and quirky humor.
A DISPOSABLE CAMERA RESURGENCE
Disposable cameras have arisen from their dusty graves, with searches about where to buy and develop them up by more than 150 percent since 2018, according to Google Trends. Supermodel Gigi Hadid brought the retro camera aesthetic into the public eye by attending fashion shows, European getaways, and the 2019 Met Gala with one in tow, ready to snap candid shots of her famous friends. She even created an entirely separate Instagram account dedicated to photos she's taken on a disposable (@gisposable), following in the footsteps of actress Diana Silvers (@dianasfilmdiary) and YouTuber David Dobrik (@davidsdisposable). We have a sneaking suspicion the term "finsta" just might start translating to "film Instagram," rather than its OG meaning, "fake Instagram."If you do choose to get in on the throwback trend, we suggest recycling your single-use camera in the interest of sustainability. Both Fujifilm and Kodak, two of the big-name brands for disposable cameras, have their programs for properly doing so.
TECH MAKES THERAPY MORE ACCESSIBLE
In 2020, we can look to social media influencers for more than just travel vlogs, outfit inspiration, and makeup tips. So-called therapy influencers are gaining prominence, each on a mission to bring mental health awareness to the forefront. These licensed professionals use platforms like Instagram and Twitter to share resources, factoids, and insights in easy-to-digest formats that spark conversation and reflection among their thousands of followers. A few of our favorites: Lisa Olivera, a marriage and family therapist whose poignant posts have garnered her more than 300,000 Instagram followers; Dr. Jessica Clemons, a psychiatrist who hosts weekly live streams to answer questions from her followers in real-time; and Whitney Goodman, a psychotherapist who specializes in helping those with addiction or other chronic illnesses.
SUMMER OLYMPICS SWITCH-UPS
Never before had the Olympic Games been postponed or canceled for something other than war, but rarely has the world come to a grinding halt the way it has over the novel coronavirus. The 2020 Summer Olympics are taking us to Tokyo, and four sports are making their Olympic Games debuts. Athletes from across the globe will now vie for gold in climbing, karate, skateboarding, and surfing, along with OG sports like archery, gymnastics, swimming, and beach volleyball. Baseball and softball will return to the Olympics for the first time since 2008. Plus, there will be nine new mixed-gender events, with men and women competing in sailing, table tennis, swimming and track relays, and more. Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles is expected to defend her title as Olympic all-around champion from the 2016 Summer Games, and the US women's soccer team will certainly dominate the field, fresh off their World Cup victory.
SUBTLE AND SIMPLE CARTOON FASHION
Cartoons are popular among old and young. Cartoon fashion allows consumers to express their interests in terms of cartoons. These fashion pieces are playful, yet subtle and come in a variety of different styles. Classic Disney characters such as Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Goofy seem to be particularly popular. One example of cartoon fashion is the UNIQLO UT Mickey Mouse Collection which will be launching on the 26th of August in the US.
BODY-CELEBRATING MARKETING
For quite some time, certain body “imperfections” were manipulated or simply ignored. However, Instagram pages like feminist believe flaws are beautiful and all body types are normal. Cellulite is not ugly, disgusting, or embarrassing rather its beauty, love, acceptable, normal, and strength. They spread the idea of self-love and how to be happy in your own skin. Today more advertisements choose to flaunt these “flaws”, making their products appealing to a wider market. This type of marketing breaking away from the restrictive notions of what beauty is. It does away with the super skinny models with flawless skin and welcomes stretch marks and the yummy mummy tummy.
STEPPING AWAY FROM THE SCREEN
Curbing the effects of screen time has long been a topic of discussion in the digital age, but people are getting more and more ingenious with their methods for doing so. For those who spend their workdays posted up in front of a computer, blue-light glasses have steadily risen in popularity, promising to combat digital eye strain by filtering out the potentially harmful light emitted from screens.
Meanwhile, some millennials are quite literally escaping screen time by embarking on digital detox retreats. These tech-free getaways can entail purposely venturing to off-the-grid locales that don't have WiFi or staying at resorts that force you to give up your smartphone. Perhaps the most over-the-top method for cutting back on screen time, however, is the idea of dopamine fasting. Recently highlighted as a budding trend in Silicon Valley by The New York Times, the practice involves avoiding things that stimulate dopamine production in the brain — social media, too much human interaction, reading, gaming, certain foods, and so on — for a period of time. Extreme? Yes. Oddly intriguing regardless? Which screen-time-reducing tactic will you try in 2020?
SPECIAL EDITION GAMING CONSOLES
In March of 2020, Nintendo Switch released an exclusive gaming console in collaboration with the Animal Crossing franchise. The console features a pastel color palette as well as motifs that are characteristic of Animal Crossing. Additionally, the game also comes with a specially designed carry case. A pre-launch unboxing video created hype around the release and showed players just what they can expect from this special release.
TINY HOMES
Lately, there has been a shift from flashy and extravagant to minimalistic tiny homes. Tiny homes offer their occupants low living costs, debt-free and flexible lifestyles, and eco-friendly designs. Additionally, tiny homes appeal to a wide variety of consumers, from adventure seekers to the environmentally conscious.
MINIMALISM
Minimalism is quite a broad pop culture trend. Generally, minimalism entails a simplified and balanced lifestyle. This can mean going down to the bare minimum in all aspects of your life or a selected few. It looks different for everyone. It could mean a tiny home for one, a capsule wardrobe for another, or getting rid of unused appliances and other possessions. Minimalism is living more with less, living with what you have already and what you love, and how authentic a simple life is. Popular culture is reverting to the basics. The minimalistic design and minimal living are at the center of modern pop culture.
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