Our latest report, Think Forward 2025: The Liveable Web explores the five key trends set to shape social over the next 12 months. In this blog, we take a look at the trend ‘Low Stakes Social’ and how as digital and IRL worlds alike begin to overwhelm, audiences want brands to provide a lighter online culture – a refuge from the emotional labour of day-to-day.
2024 is a time of chaos – environmental, financial, geo-political and everything in between. The more our global emergencies have spiralled into crisis, the more our devices have held a black mirror up to those worsening situations. That is, till recently. There’s been a reclaiming of the online space of late as a place for escape and release. A new, more relaxed internet is emerging, with an emphasis on levity and kindness of the internet’s perceived early ‘00s “peak.” Its signature memes, like the symphony dolphin, are flags in the sand of a new digital frontier – low-stakes social.
Across the last twelve months, wholesome icons like Ayo Edebiri have been gaining clout amongst Gen Z girlies. There’s been a surge in sign-ups to platforms where it’s all vibes and minimum stress, with Pinterest in particular popping off. And some of today’s most viral creators are producers of content that – defiantly, purposefully – just isn’t that deep.
What does this translate to in online spaces? Celebrations of self-care like #littletreat, finding small luxuries to brighten up cost-of-living crisis days. #Hopecore content is en vogue. Gen Z audiences are obsessing over wholesome arts-and-craft hobbies, leading to communities like #potterygirl. And on TikTok, uplifting songs thought to be lost to music history (shoutout 1984’s ‘Forever Young’ by Alphaville) are being resurrected and used as sound beds for expressions of simple gratitude.
It’s helping Gen Z beat their brain rot – and brands are along for the ride.
Read about how brands like LG, Marc Jacobs and Nutter Butter are embracing and responding to Low Stakes Social, and the lessons marketers can learn in Think Forward: The Liveable Web. Download your free copy now for this, and all five trends.
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