A look back at the most entertaining trends of 2023

This year, trending sounds and viral memes continued to gain popularity on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. If we’ve learnt anything, it’s that brands can grow their following significantly by keeping their ear to the ground and jumping on these trends.

Companies like Ryanair have perfected this and illustrated just how these trends can showcase a brand’s personality and that important human side. As we near the end of 2023, it seems only right to cast our minds back to the most entertaining trends on social media of the year.

Anything Pedro Pascal

A reel and TikTok we created for the 1933 Furniture Company jumping on the Pedro Pascal trend.

It’s fair to say 2023 was the year of anything Pedro Pascal on social media. From clips of his performance in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent to just snippets of him snacking and more. These clips were so funny that many brands hopped on them to create relatable and humorous content for their audience.

Jennifer Lawrence doing the Hot Ones challenge

A TikTok we created for the 1933 Furniture Company using the Jennifer Lawrence Hot Ones viral clip.

J Law never disappoints, and she definitely didn’t in 2023 when she did the Hot Ones challenge on the First We Feast YouTube channel. Jennifer was sobbing in pain whilst eating the spicy wings.

While we all felt her pain, the way she communicated this was comical for many. As a result, a clip from this challenge went viral and unsurprisingly many brands found ways to wove it into their social media content strategies.

Hi Barbie

2023 was also the year of the highly anticipated Barbie film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, among many other talented actors and actresses. Under the film’s important messages, there were many funny moments which, to no surprise, became viral memes.

These viral memes included the iconic ‘Hi Barbie’ sequence at the beginning of the film, as well as other moments like the I’m Just Ken song and the moment where Barbie announces to the other Barbies that she has the dreaded flat feet.

These content pieces really took off, which led to brands of all industries using these sounds in their content. The ‘Hi Barbie’ sequence was the most popular, and brands took it as an opportunity to show the many different products they sell to signify the many different Barbies (now that’s clever marketing!).

Wes Anderson film

A TikTok we created for the 1933 Furniture Company jumping on the Wes Anderson movie trend.

Another viral social media trend of 2023 was the ‘turning life into a Wes Anderson movie’. The trend focused in on Anderson’s unique point of view behind the camera - his aesthetic, inspired by 1960s and 1970s popular culture and design. This trend was less comedic but more about escapism and appealed to so many people.

The Wes Anderson trend was all about creating an imaginary world better than the real one in that his composition and attention to detail have the power to make ordinary things seem extraordinary.

Ultimately, Wes Anderson’s filming style makes for the perfect cocktail for TikTok: short videos that catch people’s attention with catchy music and scenes can be replicated easily at home. It’s the idea of romanticising our lives that many people resonate with and why the trend became so popular.

Mike Wheeler transformation

A transformation TikTok we created for Pods4U incorporating the viral Mike Wheeler meme.

Another popular TikTok meme of 2023 spotlighted Stranger Things character Mike Wheeler. In this trend, users included an image in the background, and as Mike Wheeler walked towards the camera and snapped his fingers, the image would change to something else.

After the image appeared, Mike would smile and nod his head to show approval of what had appeared on the screen. Most of the videos were complete jokes, but some brands hopped on this trend to show transformations of completed projects. With transitions being one of the most popular video themes on TikTok, this was an easy trend to get involved in that received considerable attention.

Things that just make sense

Our ‘Things That Just Make Sense in the Social Directions Agency (SDA) office!’

The ‘things that just make sense in x’ took over TikTok in 2023. Even we at Social Directions Agency (SDA) hopped on this one with a ‘Things That Just Make Sense in the SDA Office’; we couldn’t help ourselves. This trend offered a way for brands and individuals to show their personalities in a comical fashion, and naturally, social media users resonated with it.

Summary

If there’s anything to say about social media trends, they are the way to a user’s heart. These trends allow brands to show off their personality and be authentic. With this in mind, paying attention to social media trends could be the goldmine for your strategy in 2024.

If you are ready to take your social media platforms to the next level in the new year, our talented team of social media connoisseurs are here to help. We keep our ear to the ground for all things viral trends and can create a strategy for your business that sees you reach new heights of success.

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