Check out the latest social media trends in 2024
Dive into the latest social media trends: holding space with Wicked, dancing with Sofia Richie, and more are covered by Epidemic Sound’s social media expert.
Another month, another absolutely wild time online. Join Epidemic Sound’s community manager, Madie Hooker, as she breaks down the latest social media trends.
Social media trends for December 2024
1. Everyone’s holding space with Defying Gravity
If the above sentence doesn’t make any sense to you, don’t worry. A lot of people didn’t understand the term ‘holding space’ when it was mentioned in a video promoting Wicked — least of all the film’s star, Ariana Grande.
Grande and co-star Cynthia Erivo were interviewed by Out Magazine, during which journalist Tracy E. Gilchrist told them: “People are taking the lyrics to Defying Gravity and really holding space with that, and feeling power in that.” Erivo was overcome with emotion. Grande supported her by holding one (1) of her fingers, and a wholesome meme was born.
In a nutshell, ‘holding space’ means validating and being non-judgmental of someone’s emotional state. The rest of the internet held space through November and December — some more literally than others.
@astonmartinf1 From one green team to another 💚 #F1 #Formula1 #F1TikTok #AMR24 #wicked #defyinggravity ♬ Originalton - ETERNAL☀️
2. Sofia Richie dances for two seconds, creates endless content
Social media star and model Sofia Richie is iconic in her own right. So much so, that pretty much two seconds’ worth of her dancing ignited a TikTok trend. Never mind that people are only just now realizing that she’s Lionel Richie’s daughter — explains the effortless dance moves.
@octopusslover8 happy thanksgiving @Sofia Richie Grainge ♬ Messy - Lola Young
3. Pepé the King Prawn is riddled with existential dread
TikTok’s slideshow format can be light-hearted and surprising. It can also stir fear in the hearts of anyone who watches. Through the medium of Pepé the King Prawn from The Muppets (sure, why not?), slideshows are now used to confess creators’ most embarrassing, so-unreal-they’re-real moments.
Backed by a choral version of Madonna’s Like a Prayer, the format is simple. The first slide presents Pepé looking shocked. The confession starts, and as the cringe rises and more slides pile up, we zoom into Pepé’s face. If the text requires just one slide, you can always do a slow, stomach-churning zoom on our poor little prawn.
Check out the below, if you have the stomach for it — it’s probably not safe for work, unless you work somewhere really weird.
Need inspiration for your content? Check out Epidemic Sound’s catalog of more than 50,000 tracks and 200,000 unique sound effects and variations — we’re sure you’ll find what you need.
Interested in trends from earlier in the year? Keep reading for Madie’s take on social media’s highlights from November and October 2024.
Social media trends for November 2024
1. Wicked casts a spell on the silver screen
Wicked’s big-screen adaptation, itself based on a musical reimagining of a book, which itself was a semi-prequel to The Wizard of Oz — confusing, right? — always looked like a slam-dunk. But even with stars like Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Peter Dinklage, and Michelle Yeoh, it defied gravity and expectations.
Wicked smashed records for the highest-grossing opening for a Broadway adaptation, and looks set to make a ton more money. Social media’s going all-in with merch, makeup videos, and singalongs, but the ‘Before and After’ videos are our highlight — we’ve not seen this much emotional damage since the first ten minutes of Up.
@blythe I’ve never felt so seen 🥹. The Wicked live action has captured my heart 😭🧎🏻♀️. Thank you, Miss Ma’am @Cynthia Erivo and @arianagrande 💚🩷 #fyp #wicked ♬ Defying Gravity - Instrumental - Cynthia Erivo
2. Gladiator leaves viewers ENTERTAINED
On the other end of the spectrum, Ridley Scott’s long-awaited Gladiator II hit theaters alongside Wicked. While the movie stood on its own two feet, it was hard not to compare it to Scott’s Oscar-winning original.
That’s why, among all the memes and hot takes, social media creators have flocked to Gladiator’s iconic set-pieces. Whether it was the actual Roman colosseum or Maximus’ home in Tuscany, users were drawn to the movie’s epic scale.
@radoslaw_witolski An amazing movie, an unforgettable scene and a great location from the last scenes of the movie Gladiator. Gladiator's house - you need to type in google: Casa de “Il Gladiatore” #gladiatorhouse #gladiator #elysium #gladiatorlastscene #ilgladiatore #toscana #italy #campielisi #toskania #gladiatormovie ♬ son original - Iceland_Adventure
3. Accidentally Turn Camera trend
OK, ‘Accidentally Turn Camera trend’ isn’t the catchiest name, but that’s what TikTok calls it. The craze sees creators share a piece of advice, then ‘accidentally’ flip the camera to selfie mode, revealing their true intentions. You had everything from cats demanding treats to Pennywise the Clown suggesting kids play in the sewer, but Taylor Lautner won this trend, no question.
@taylorlautner Oops 😑
♬ Dramatic Sad Violin - Platon Davydov
4. The Suspect Challenge
Friendships are built on kindness, respect, and the ability to roast each other when needed. The Suspect Challenge dives into that dynamic — one friend jogs while the other narrates in a police-style voiceover, poking fun at them before swapping. We’re too chicken to do this one.
@yuhfamjosh Exposing all our secrets with this trend🤣 ib: @Lauren Case #couples #girlfriend #boyfriend #couplecomedy #couple #couplegoals ♬ original sound - The YUH Family
5. Paul x Tyson
The Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight pulled in 65 million Netflix viewers, but that’s just a fraction of the people talking about it. The competitors’ 31-year age difference was the biggest in professional boxing history. This caused genuine concern for Tyson’s health and endless memes surrounding Paul’s attitude.
@munyachawawa Jake Paul choosing his next opponent 🥊 👨🏼🦳 #jakepaul #comedy #paultyson #jakepaulmiketyson ♬ original sound - Munya Chawawa
6. The Chill Guy
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, people might not realize how much of a chill guy you are.
On the surface, the Chill Guy meme could be from anything. He’s timeless: a cute dog wearing a sweater, jeans, and sneakers, looking relaxed as the coolest 1990s kids’ cartoon.
He’s taken the internet by storm…but what does the Chill Guy represent? What does he mean? He’s chill in the spiciest of situations — the GOAT of all things low-key and relaxed. If you ever feel stressed out, try and channel your inner Chill Guy.
@revokeai Very chill 😎 #chillguy #brainrot #seaart #seaartai #real ♬ just.be. - 1
Social media trends from October 2024
1. The postcard Instagram format gives users something to write home about
Instagram’s become more comfortable with vertical content as the years roll on, keeping up with portrait-style platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts. That said, it doesn’t mean that horizontal posts are out of style. In fact, some creators have embraced the vintage, postcard-ish quality brought out by a 16:10 aspect ratio.
Check out GKOH’s beautiful video series, How Immigrant Parents Say ‘I Love You’, which was created using this format. Married to the subtle sound design and color grading, it’s like something from a Wes Anderson movie — we can’t get enough of it. And not just because it features our sound effects!
2. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Maps goes off-course
It’s been more than twenty years since the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ debut album, Fever to Tell, and they’re still reaching new audiences. The indie rockers’ 2003 single Maps rode back into popularity between September and October, following user southernbellesuzie’s dance to the track on TikTok.
Like most great dance crazes on the platform, Maps blew up. There’s no real rhyme or reason for these viral moments. The song and the dance just gel in an organic, funny way. Google Trends data shows that the track was still gaining steam as late as late November — if you choose the right banger and aren’t afraid of making fun of yourself, you could go far.
@southernbellesuzie TKE BATHROOM GOT THE VIBESS WAITTTTTTT #maps #fyp #hunterdontbemadatme ♬ maps - <3
3. Thanking Beyoncé, simply bey-cause
We should all probably thank Beyoncé for something at some point, right? Whether it be for Lemonade, the Single Ladies dance, or those near-three-hour concerts, Queen Bey’s given us a lot. So, it came as no surprise when people started randomly thanking the Grammy-winning icon on social media.
The meme stems from the fact that tons of artists thank Beyoncé in awards acceptance speeches, despite her having little to no involvement. It evolved into creators jokingly thanking her for unrelated stuff. Then, it morphed into a curse-like meme, with users ‘forgetting’ to thank Beyoncé for basic tasks, like sending an email or washing the dishes.
@jutop1a she knowles…. #beyonce #pdiddy #jayz #sheknows ♬ son original - ﹒⪩⪨﹒
4. Nostalgia in da cluuuuuuub
New memes and trends often come in the form of rehashed content, and that’s exactly what’s happened here. A 2016 clip from the TV show Broad City has wiggled its way into content creators’ vocabulary, causing a swell of lip-sync videos. Just remember: ‘In da clurb, we all fam.’
5. Brands marketing with food and drink
Nothing brings people together like food and drink. In the case of Oscar-winning legend Olivia Colman, it’s an English breakfast tea: brew first, milk second, and half a sugar, please.
Luxury fashion brand Burberry’s #ItsAlwaysBurberryWeather campaign is joyously simple. Enlist a British celebrity (or Irish, in Barry Keoghan’s case) and ask them to make their perfect cup of tea. It might seem irrelevant, but it immediately connects the Burberry brand to its British heritage. We’ve noticed other brands running with this food/drink idea recently — it’s a fun, direct way to build those associations in potential customers’ heads.
@burberry Tea with Olivia Colman #ItsAlwaysBurberryWeather ♬ original sound - Burberry
6. This guy
When your moves are so fire, you become a CapCut template.
@much When the lyrics loaded GloRilla had no chance 😭 [via @Isaiahw25 ♬ original sound - MuchMusic
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