What People Were Saying on Social in August
Every Monday and Friday, our colleagues at Brandwatch take an in-depth look at a topic, trend or industry that’s taking over social media and attempt to tell us why. This month, they took a look at the what’s driving the conversation around podcasting, how walking is getting more mileage, how people are exercising their plans to work out, and more.
Are we ready to go back to school? The idea of students returning back to school this year has probably generated more complicated feelings than usual. In addition to the usual feelings of sadness about summer vacation being over, parents, students and teachers are expressing excitement over returning to in-person learning as well as fear related to COVID. But the one feeling that seemed to rule all related conversations on social? Joy. See for yourself: Get educated on the back-to-school buzz.
What does your emoji say about you? For their 2021 Emojis and Emotions Report, Brandwatch recently went deep into the world of emojis to find out, among other things, the most widely used emojis, the different ways people use – and perceive – the same emojis, and what your emoji says about the generation you’re a part of. Learn more about the world of emojis
Anime all day: Anime and manga aren’t just for nerds anymore. The interest in Japanese animated movies and tv shows, and Japanese comics and graphic novels, respectively, has gone mainstream – and worldwide. And the surge seems to be pretty recent – from January to July 2021, articles around anime increased by 43% and ones around manga by 30%, compared to 2020. Learn more about the manga mania.
Like and subscribe to this podcast data: Did boredom contribute to a rise in podcasts? Brandwatch data shows that podcast creation surged during COVID lockdowns, but has decreased slightly alongside cities opening up again and vaccines becoming available. See what else the data shows in regards to who’s listening to podcasts, who’s creating them, and the topics people are drawn to most. Tune in to the data.
Has 2021 been a trick or a treat so far? With Halloween candy already on store shelves, marking the very beginning of the holiday season, Brandwatch decided to look at how people are feeling about celebrating. Will people try to make up for lost time after last year’s subdued and socially distanced Halloween? Or is the Delta variant spooking people into staying home? Let’s dip into the data to find out.
This data was made for walking: How have walking levels changed throughout the pandemic? In which countries are people requesting directions the most? Brandwatch gathered walking data from Apple’s Mobility Trends Report to get the answer to these questions and more. Let’s take a little stroll through the findings, shall we?
Following our animal (emoji) instincts: When the world shut down in March 2020 due to COVID fears and attempts to stop the spread of the pandemic, where did we turn for comfort? If the data is any indication, it’s animal emojis. Though it may be a coincidence and more due to the increase in social media usage altogether, the sharing of animal emojis worldwide has risen sharply since the start of the pandemic. Learn more about how often we’re using them, where they're shared most, and which ones are most popular. See who leads the pack.
Thinking of skipping leg day? Gyms took a hit during the pandemic, as lockdowns forced many to close. As gyms start to re-open, are people ready to go back? Or have home gyms and fitness apps replaced them permanently? And what exactly are people doing to shed those "Covid 19"? Let’s take a look at the data.
