Instagram unveiled the 2024 Instagram Trend Talk on 2023-12-04. The report focuses on Gen Z’s take on trends that will drive global culture in the year ahead.
2023 has been a year on socials to remember. From Barbie-core painting the world pink, to the rise of the ‘girl dinner’, viral moments and trends on Instagram and beyond have been driving global culture and influencing Gen Z’s next move.
Instagram’s Trend Talk, conducted in partnership with WGSN, shares the results of a sweeping survey looking at Gen Z trends across the US, UK, Brazil, India, and South Korea. The survey asked about topics, issues, and trends that matter to Gen Z and identified what you can expect to see all over the platform in 2024 - from fashion, beauty, social media, dating, friendships, and more.
Key findings from the report include:
Fashion and Beauty
- Gen Z are focusing on sustainable fashion goals in 2024. They are most likely to buy fewer new clothes, repeat outfits and shop locally. The Top 5 Sustainable Fashion Practices we will see from Gen Z this coming year include:
○ #1 Buy Less New Clothes
○ #2 Repeating Outfits
○ #3 Shopping Local
○ #4 Thrifting and/or shopping secondhand online or IRL - Top 5 Fashion Trends in 2024 globally:
○ #1 Modest Dressing
○ #2 Thrifting, Vintage, Heirloom
○ #3 Repeating outfits to be more sustainable
○ #4 Wearing clothes in unexpected ways
○ #5 DIY - Fashion and beauty are going to be all about individuality, with nearly 1/3 of Gen Z saying that they are looking to get more creative with how they dress, followed closely by finding their signature scent and their own ‘core’ aesthetic.
- As they identify their ‘core’ aesthetics, Gen Z will be looking to fill their closets with clothing that they feel good in. People across surveyed countries agree that they want their clothing choices to express that they are comfortable.
- Gen Z respondents noted that ‘A New Hairstyle’ was their favorite beauty tip they learned from social media, followed by skincare.
- Shaved eyebrows are out, with Gen Z identifying this beauty trend as the one they would like to see left in the past.
- Fragrance creators are on the rise, as over 1/4 of Gen Z plan to express themselves by discovering a signature scent in 2024.
Social Media
- Gen Z is all about prioritizing meaningful connections in 2024, with the generation planning to use social media to keep up with their friends and family. A close second was to stay on top of trends (Fashion, Music, Tech).
- When asked how they use their Instagram to get closer to someone, the top ways were: liking someone’s story, sending reels or memes in DMs, and liking a post on their feed.
Dating and Friendship
- Gen Z is as single as ever with 63% of respondents stating their relationship status as such. They may not be trying to change that any time soon, with their top relationship priority for 2024 being ‘strengthening my current relationships.’
- After meeting someone new, 28% of Gen Zs make the first move by exchanging Instagram handles as opposed to exchanging phone numbers.
- ‘Chewing with your mouth open’ was the overall top ick across all surveyed countries. The Top 5 Icks across all countries surveyed:
○ #1 Chewing with their mouth open
○ #2 Bad sense of humor or taste in memes
○ #3 Dirty fingernails
○ #4 Uses baby voice
○ #5 Follows their ex on IG - The top ways Gen Z flirt with their crush on Instagram include liking someone’s story, putting someone on their story or photo dump, or adding someone to their Close Friends list.
- When asked about what they value most about their friends, the leading response across surveyed regions was: ‘I can tell them anything,’ followed by ‘they get me better than anyone else.’
Lifestyle
- Next year is going to be defined as Gen Z’s growth era, with many honing in on self improvement and development for the year ahead. Gen Z’s top eras for 2024:
○ #1 Self Improvement or Development
○ #2 Lucky
○ #3 Unapologetically Myself - Gen Z are a generation of self-starters with 1 in 3 saying the best way to achieve wealth was through some form of self-employment.
- Gen Z’s top three priorities for 2024 are to “stay healthy” (work out regularly, eat healthy etc.), explore a career path, and travel.
Food
- Gen Z are interested in trying trending foods and ingredients, with 45% saying they are interested in consuming vegan products, and 42% saying they are interested in trying plant based meat.
Celebrities
- Gen Z’s knows what it means to be members of a fan army with 75% belonging to fandoms. Top fandoms globally are related to:
○ #1 TV show / anime
○ #2 Musicians
○ #3 Video games - The majority of Gen Zs report that they have sent a DM to a celebrity on Instagram, expressing that sending that DM is the best way for them to show their support and appreciation.
Activism
- In 2024, Gen Z will take action on the issues most important to them through ‘educating yourself/others,’ ‘voting,’ and ‘using social media to spread awareness.’
