The year 2022 was dominated by short videos — mostly Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. These short video features were launched in 2020 in India, but according to influencers, they peaked in 2022. “I think Reels was the biggest trend... I saw people who never used to post much also make reels. I myself saw massive traction — 30-40 million views on a single reel, which is insane,” said singer and digital content creator Aksh Baghla.
Influencer Aastha Shah agreed that video content in the form of Instagram Reels, YouTube long form content, YouTube Shorts, etc were the top trends in 2022.
Not just short videos, memes and use of AR (augmented reality) technology also dominated the social media space. According to digital content creator Dipraj Yadav, the use of AR technology skyrocketed in 2022. “I remember seeing many comedy creators using AR filters to elevate their game; a total game changer if you will,” he added.
Here is a month-on-month update on what social media trends made India dance, laugh and sing along in 2022.
January
With vaccination ramping up and COVID-19 cases easing, January had a good start with dialogues and songs from the Alu Arjun starrer Pushpa: The Rise. 'Srivalli' and 'Sammi sammi' steps ruled the Reels as did 'Main jhukega nahi, sala' (cue: the hand wipe on chin). The month ended with people dancing to 'Kacha badam.'
FebruaryDavid Warner #Srivalli ❤️✌️😎#Pushpa pic.twitter.com/2KrXmn3opX
— Rakesh 🅰️🅰️Dhf (@RakeshKonduru96) January 21, 2022
'Haan doobey…haan doobey…haan doobey' from Gehraiyaan ruled February and Alia Bhatt’s iconic white saree, hair updo with rose look was every digital fashion creator's look for February.
Haan doobey, haan doobey, haan doobey:Your money after you share your OTP!
Be aware. Be cyber safe.#GeheriHaiCyberSafety #CyberSafety #CyberCrime— मुंबई पोलीस - Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) February 22, 2022
February was also about students, with a heated debate around online and offline exams. With most universities starting online exams there were not just shorts but also memes flooding the internet.
March
March was very eventful for trends, with the release of multi-starrer RRR, which broke all box office records. Then came the Will Smith-Chris Rock slapgate during the 94th Academy awards. There was also Ali Sethi’s gem of a song Pasoori, and also 'Ye teri chaand baaliyan.'
Padhai wadhai karo, IA-YAS bano pic.twitter.com/IUboVtpccL
— Sagar (@sagarcasm) March 28, 2022
April
After RRR in March there was Kannada movie KGF: Chapter 2 in April to keep the box office’s energy high. Meanwhile Gravero's mashup of Gangubai Kathiawadi's 'Meri jaan' with Fanaa's 'Chand sifarish' was a treat for the ears. For dance lovers there were music mashups by DJ Amsal, which combined 'Badi mushkil' from the movie Lajja and ASAP Ferg's 'Plain Jane.' For the memers other contents were the skyrocketing price of lemon. Oh there was also Akshay Kumar’s apology for endorsing tobacco.
May
'My money don’t jiggle, jiggle it folds' was everyone’s favourite rap song in May, owing to the iconic dance choreography by Riverdale’s Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes and Madelaine Petsch. Then there was change in the air with actor Shailesh Lodha leaving Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah.
my money don’t jiggle jiggle, it’s gone
— tweet davidson 🍞 (@andykreed) June 13, 2022
June
The highlight June was the 2022 Maharashtra Political Crisis. There was also the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard defamation case verdict that ruled social media.
July
July had something for everyone there was ‘Kesariya tera ishq hai piya' from Brahmastra: Part One for the singers and ‘love storiya’ in the same Kesariya for the memers. From Lalit Modi expressing his love for Sushmita Sen to Ranveer Singh posting nude pictures on Instagram, July seemed to have a thrill a minute.
Me after spending my entire salary on swiggy & zomato #RanveerSingh pic.twitter.com/brwVN7rZeU
— सोज्वळ कार्टी (@sojwalkarti) July 21, 2022
Self love was also at its peak with the first self-marriage in India. Also ruling social media were ‘Running the hill’ from Stranger Things Season 4, the Vecna memes and much more.
August
August went with people just fighting over ‘jagah’ because ‘arey nahi jagah hai, arey bahut jagah hai' memes reached everyone from creators to celebrities.
Just Mumbai Things pic.twitter.com/RyU7ZgVg9u
— Godman Chikna (@Madan_Chikna) July 5, 2022
India painted itself in tricolour with ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ and memers got their dose with the Urvashi Rautela and Rishabh Pant feud. There were also the athletes making Indian proud in the Commonwealth Games.
September
Virat Kohli’s three years dry spell breaking with his century in India vs Afghanistan became the highlight of September. While this spread joy, singer Neha Kakakr’s rendition of Falguni Pathak’s iconic song ‘Maine payal hai jhankai,' made Indians extremely angry.
Only thing I liked about Neha Kakkar's reply to Falguni Pathak is that it is not an audio clip.
— Mr. Stark 3.0 (@Pradhaan_Mantri) September 24, 2022
October
Elon Musk the ‘Chief Twit’ was here in October. Microsoft layoffs started the ‘What will come for tech industry in 2022’ trend in October. In entertainment there was Alia’s Bhatt’s ‘Shivaaaa’ and Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Isha mera button hai’ from Brahmastra: Part One.
Alia's most spoken dialogue in brahmastra ♥️😂#Brahmastra pic.twitter.com/Lo3Vt5T5f3
— ❥☻𝘈𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩 𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘴2.0🚩 (@Aadarsh__Soni) September 13, 2022
International politics was an unlikely popular flavour with the internet flooded with memes of Rishi Sunak becoming the Prime Minister of the UK.
November
Tech dominated November with layoffs happening in major tech companies. Crypto crash and FTX Fiasco made people evaluate the risks.
December
The layoff spree continued in December, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh election results kept the political areana heated, FIFA World Cup 2022 kept sports enthusiast hyped, Avatar: The Way Of Water smashed all records, Besharam raang from Pathaan gave rise to controversy. Creators and memers jammed on ‘Mera balam thanedar chalva gypsy,'. All has not ended as the world is on high alert with rising cases of coronavirus in China.
aarogya setu vapas install karne ka samay aa gya hai
— Xavier Uncle (@xavierunclelite) December 22, 2022
To sum up, across 2022, 15 of the 20 most popular songs used on Instagram Reels were from Indian artists, according to the 'Reels in Review' report released by Instagram. Desi Instagram users were interested in a wide range of topics, such as sports, music, and movies, according to the report.
(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)
First Published: Dec 24, 2022 8:52 AM IST
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