News & Thinking

Snapshot Vol.1 Collectible collections and the ‘babygirls’ of the internet

  • Lifestyle
Lifestyle 27 Aug

From girl dinners and chad faces to the biggest trends to come in 2024, we observe it all. In this endless phygital world, it’s easy to get lost and overwhelmed amongst the ‘he said, she said, they said’ of the internet. This is where we come in.

Hi, we are MTM. Think of us as your cultural navigators. We analyse what’s at the tip of culture and what’s ahead of it, inching closer and closer until it explodes onto the mainstream. Through qualitative and quantitative methods, we explore, disentangle, and mould trends to inform the business decisions of our clients, from content commissioning to new product development.

Taking this passion for trends and all things future, we decided to share a bit of our knowledge every month through our new Trends Snapshot. This is a space for our team of experts to share a taste of what’s catching their attention. 

Collectible Connections

Lifestyle

Alex is keeping a keen eye on emerging innovations that are helping people to foster connections. New social media platform Mantel based around collectibles promises to facilitate engagement and storytelling among passionate hobbyists. Why is it interesting? Collectibles are one of the fastest growing areas of fandom, and interest-based communities are increasingly where people are seeking new organic friendships. However, as many crave fresh IRL connections, time will tell as to whether online innovations help to support these introductions in the offline world.

Blockbuster YA

Media & Entertainment

Jess has noticed how audiences’ young-at-heart tendencies are filtering through to the blockbuster small-screen releases of today and tomorrow. Stories like Percy Jackson and the Olympians might once have just captivated kids, but its epic live-action TV adaptation has been a hit with a much broader, grown-up audience. Why is this interesting? YA as a genre is drawing in new consumers who are, well, not that young. Stories are taking on ‘spicier’ themes that feel catered towards the more mature, discerning reader, and big-budget productions are reigniting the nostalgic imaginations of viewers whose teen years may, in fact, be distant memories.

Babygirl Coded

Popular Culture

As the resident Gen Z, Rafa couldn’t not mention the ‘babygirls’ of the internet. After the cancel cancel culture movement, it was time to turn back towards positivity and start celebrating the men that exceed expectations and bend gendered rules, be it in fashion or in wider culture. Icons like Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal, and Andrew Scott are a few of the people being celebrated for their non-problematic behaviours. Redefining the bounds of traditional masculinity by mixing it with feminine energy, babygirl-ing is all about embracing openhearted masculinity and good vibes!

 

Marina Graham, Alex Gibson & Rafaella Dhelomme
27 August, 2024