I usually write a yearly recap with all my travels, but since we were stuck inside for the majority of 2020, I thought I’d do a social media edition. I’ve enjoyed seeing people’s creativity online and the rise of new platforms like Clubhouse. It’s been great to see small businesses thrive on TikTok and the creation of new businesses that started out as quarantine hobbies. 2020 took a lot away from us, but it also gave us new opportunities and ideas.
Social Media Platform
TikTok
TikTok is to Twitter what Twitter is to Instagram. Most social media trends and memes seem to originate from TikTok or Twitter.
What does that first sentence mean? TikTok content gets shared to Twitter and goes viral in the same way that Twitter content gets shared to Instagram. And now with the addition of Instagram Reels, TikTok content also gets repurposed on Instagram.
A lot of people overlooked the value that TikTok could provide for brands and instead saw it as a platform for Gen Z to create cringe-worthy dancing videos. In reality, TikTok is a lot more than that and I’ve seen brands become much more active on the platform this year. Millennials and other generations have also begun to use the platform, widening its user demographic.
Acts of kindness content has inspired many others. Lives have been changed, with crowdfunding campaigns for those experiencing homelessness and animals needing surgery. Small businesses have thrived and continued to grow by promoting their products and/or services on TikTok. I wrote about the impact the platform had on the music industry last year and it has continued to provide endless opportunities.
Honorable Mention: Clubhouse
I first heard about Clubhouse over the summer, but it started gaining popularity towards the end of 2020 once rooms began trending on Twitter. Clubhouse is an invite-only (currently) platform that allows people to discuss a variety of topics in breakout rooms. It’s audio-only and speakers are selected to “join the stage” by the host of the room. It’s commonly used for networking and is a great way to get like-minded people together. I finally decided to join the app in December and I’ve been able to be a part of some great discussions.
Trends
Versuz
Towards the beginning of the pandemic, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz hosted a virtual DJ battle through Instagram Live. The stream took off and they started pairing other popular artists to battle each other. Versuz soon had sponsors, gaining millions of views each week and dominating the trending topics on Twitter.
Video Is Key
With Instagram introducing Reels and the increase of TikTok usage due to the pandemic, it’s easy to recognize the impact and successful results that video content can provide.
420doggface208
We all needed fun and wholesome distractions this year to keep our minds off of 2020, so enter @420doggface208 on TikTok. Skateboarding down the street with Fleetwood Mac playing in the background and sipping a bottle of Ocean Spray juice, Nathan Apodaca brought us immaculate vibes this year.
Social Media Features
Stories - Fleets, LinkedIn
Following in the footsteps of other social media platforms, both Twitter and LinkedIn added stories. These short, 24-hour pictures and videos give users a chance to share temporary content or as Twitter puts it, your fleeting thoughts.
Snapchat - Sounds, Tweets
Instagram stole stories from Snapchat, so Snapchat stole sounds from Instagram. This new feature gave us the opportunity to add music to the background of Snapchat posts. In addition, Snapchat added a way to easily share tweets to its stories. It’s interesting to see how platforms are working with each other to implement cross-promoting between them.
Instagram - Reels, DMs on Desktop
Remember when we all thought TikTok would be banned in the US? Obviously that didn’t happen, but luckily for us, we would have been kept company by Instagram Reels. The UI/UX of Instagram Reels is very similar to TikTok’s, with the ability to scroll mindlessly through videos until the end of time.
Instagram also introduced a way to read DMs on desktop, which is great for managing your account from a computer.
Social Media Accounts
2020 was the year of social media presentations. This account was always on top of the latest issues happening on a global scale and broke down information into concise, digestible slideshows on Instagram.
In a similar fashion to @ShitYouShouldCareAbout, the @SoYouWantToTalkAbout account also shared social media slideshows explaining things from the Black Lives Matter movement to allyship, vaccines, and many other social justice initiatives. Everything is fact-checked with sources listed at the bottom and it’s a great resource to share with others who may want to learn about a multitude of topics.
We all love when brands are fun on Twitter, and the official New Jersey government Twitter account is no exception. They stay on top of trends and memes, and successfully use social media language in all of their tweets while staying on topic.
Memes
I am once again asking for your financial support
In 2019, Bernie Sanders was in the midst of his presidential campaign and in a video said, “I am once again asking for your financial support.” This got the meme treatment in 2020 with multiple variations of the ending.
Even Bernie’s social media team joined in on the fun:
I ain’t never seen two pretty best friends
This viral TikTok video by the user @jayrscottyy quickly took off and became the new rickroll. In it, he makes the claim, “I ain’t never seen two pretty best friends, it’s always one of them gotta be ugly.”
This claim is disputed
During the election, Twitter added a notice at the bottom of tweets that were misleading. This became a meme with users tweeting false statements.
Everything Is Cake
Remember when everything was cake? Tasty shared a video of realistic objects that were then shown to be cake. Soon, the Internet decided that everything was cake.
Da Vinky
A video of twins playing a trivia game went viral when the twins were asked the question, “Who painted the Mona Lisa?” They answered with, “Da Vinky??” The combination of their tone of voice, the looks on their faces, and the TikTok comment section is just *chefs kiss*
Of course we can’t forget the Tiger King memes, Animal Crossing, Among Us, the it is what it is face 👁👄👁, and so many other things the Internet brought us this year. I would love to list them all, but I don’t think anyone wants to read a novel.
Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2021!
Let me know what your favorite social media moments of 2020 are in the comments below. If you’re really brave, share your ScreenTime results.