Facebook recently released its overview of key topics and trends that are expected to generate more interest and discussion as we head into the beginning of the next decade.
The new report, which has been compiled into a 30-page eBook, shows trends on the rise this year, which Facebook says will help people “learn how they can inform marketing campaigns, creative strategy and product development in the year ahead.”
Essentially, the report is a refined, expanded version of the company’s monthly ‘Topics to Watch’ and ‘Hot Topics’ reports, which have both proven to be extremely accurate in predicting shifts that go on to become significant trends.
The report surfaces trends based on “topics of conversation” that grew on Facebook from the beginning of 2018 to 2019.
“We examine these cultural shifts across diverse areas of people's lives with an eye toward how these themes could bear out in the year ahead,” the company said.
Taking one step further, it has partnered with a number of third-party groups to help validate its findings, rather than just using its own data sources.
"We invited leading industry experts to share their perspectives on several high-level trends in “Spotlights,” Facebook said. “We used these trends as a starting point to consider additional topics, and they provided a new lens into how they are manifesting in culture today."
The company has also expanded past a traditional ‘US view’ to incorporate findings from across the world, covering trends from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand and the UK.
“This global view allows us to highlight the diversity of people and ideas on our platform and look at trends in a new way. Because the future can come to different places at different times, an existing trend in one market could soon emerge in another. Understanding what’s happening around the world can help marketers think about their own markets in fresh ways and prepare for what’s to come.”
For Australia in particular, Facebook has predicted that gut health will soon take centre stage when it comes to wellness trends, with Australians seeking out ways to promote health from the inside out. According to the report, "research linking gut health to the kidneys, heart and brain has inspired Australians to explore ways to ensure overall health by maximising good bacteria inside the gastrointestinal tract."
In fact, kefir, a fermented yoghurt drink, is growing in popularity on supermarket shelves, with people also looking to fermented products such as kimchi and cultured butter to boost their gut health naturally. And since dietary fibre promotes healthy gut flora, people are eating more produce and swapping out traditional pasta and other foods for high-fibre varieties.
The below charts track the percentage of year on year growth for various gut health terms and trends.
