Three Pop Culture Trends to Watch in 2023

The Rise of Synthfluencers 

From brand ambassadorships in the Asia-Pacific region to the West’s biggest livestreaming communities, virtual influencers are stepping up as opinion leaders. With more than half of American Gen Z Instagram users anticipating to find fashion or beauty inspiration from them this year, expect their success to accelerate avatar trends and motivate the everyday social media user to play with online identity and new avatar tools.

Formerly a niche space on Japanese YouTube in the mid-2010s, VTubing – where livestreamers and vloggers embody a digital avatar with motion capture technology – was Twitch’s fifth most popular content category in 2022, boosting VTuber Ironmouse to cross the 1.5 million subscriber threshold in May 2023.

VTubers’ gains in the creatorsphere are promoting the relatability of synthfluencers – a boon to brand relations. Many audiences, particularly in Asia, understand and appreciate that virtual influencers and VTubers are synthfluencers explicitly crafted to interact with them on behalf of a brand. This puts these creators in the interesting position of being perceived as above inauthenticity – unlike real people.

Take Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, which in 2022 invited social media users to help craft its latest virtual influencer, Noah. On microblogging site Weibo, where the project has amassed more than 65 million views, 21,000 users voted on Noah’s personality and physical appearance. To celebrate his launch, Noah collaborated with Tommy Hilfiger on an e-commerce livestream.

But how can your business act on this pop culture trend? The first stop for people exploring virtual personas for themselves will be face filters and avatars on existing platforms. Consider catering for the intrigued consumer cohort with digital objects for their online style discovery.

Horror’s Long Hot Streak

In the era of polycrisis, consumers seeking both release and thrills from the safe side of the screen are devouring a new wave of terrifying tales and horror influences. American Gen Zers now say horror is their second-favourite entertainment genre.

The 2023 horror cycle has uncoupled from Halloween’s spooky season, with chillers dropping across the calendar. Kickstarting the year, AI doll flick M3gan outperformed box-office predictions by 30% to become January’s second highest-grossing film in North America. From extreme anti-wealth parables – like Infinity Pool – to folk horrors – such as Enys Men – audiences are exploring their real anxieties about economic struggles and ecological threats in the heightened space of horror movies.

As the popularity of spooky entertainment continues its reign, businesses can use insights like these to innovate IRL and virtual experiences that maximise the sensory joys of the fear factor. Take note of the likes of Universal Studios, which will offer up-close-and-personal IRL thrills at a permanent horror experience opening in Las Vegas later this year, harnessing horror to immerse visitors in brand-powered escapism.

Beyond entertainment, internet culture is revelling in the fear factor, too. From ghoulish aesthetics to #HorrorTok, social media users are exploring their creativity via horror-inflected storytelling, style and visuals. Tied to a growing desire for darker, rugged and more experimental online expression, the horror genre is helping to fuel the rising tide of post-perfectionism, an important trend for brands to key into. 

Experiential Interfaces for Hyperlocalism 

Another pop culture trend to watch is the evolving excitement for local experiences. Hyperlocal engagement is continuing to enthral, from documenting geolocated memories to concerts with augmented reality (AR) benefits. Nearly 60% of the American population – and nearly all social media users – are expected to regularly use AR by 2025.

Take American rock band Death Cab for Cutie as inspiration. In September 2022, it got followers reminiscing by releasing its song Rand McNally exclusively for those who visited one of the 800+ global locations where the group has performed in the past 25 years. Upon arrival at one of these places, fans could check in on a dedicated mobile microsite to unlock the new track.

Offering a shared destination for local fans, in December 2022, British virtual band Gorillaz took over New York City’s Times Square and London’s Piccadilly Circus for two live AR concerts of their single Skinny Ape. At showtime, a dedicated app directed fans to each location where they could then watch it through their smartphone screens as giant AR versions of Gorillaz members performed around local buildings.

Draw inspiration from the music industry and use mixed reality to establish physical hotspots that connect your global brand to local neighbourhoods – and your customers over there to each other.