Created with London-based futures forecaster and cultural strategist Amy Sellers, Instagram’s highly anticipated U.K. trend report for 2024 is a data-driven documentation of the changing Gen-Z mindset. Offered in a digestible format, it addresses relationships, sub-self aesthetics, chosen spaces, and more defining characteristics of the rising generation. We sit down with renowned author, journalist, and Head of Fashion Partnerships at Instagram, Eva Chen, for a deep dive into the idea of a trend, how she has seen the term evolve over the course of her career, and what the report tells us about the changing ideals and patterns of the current zeitgeist. While sharing her own personal opinions on this year’s biggest trends and which ones she hopes will carry into the new year, she speaks candidly about the impact of new Instagram features and social media in a post-pandemic world.

Where does today’s youth feel like their truest self? Do they prioritise platonic or romantic relationships? How do they use social media to flirt or find safe spaces? The U.K. Youth Culture Trend Talk 2024 identifies four trends driving global culture and content creation: core revival, chosen spaces, chosen circles, and digital romance.

“I think one of the big changes and shifts in mindset around trends is that, at least from what I’ve seen during my career, trends used to be much more rigid, like a ‘rule’ or something that people had to adhere to. You either were on trend or you weren’t and you were hopelessly out of fashion,” Chen explains. “And I feel like what’s different with this new generation, Gen Z and also Gen Alpha. There’s a lot more flexibility and it’s a little bit more amorphous.”

“I think with the advent of Instagram, people have been able to find more trends that suit them and fit them. And it’s a little bit more forgiving. In and out lists have always been a pet peeve of mine, because my personal philosophy is that if something looks amazing on you and makes you feel good, it’s always in. And I feel like that’s the kind of direction we’ve gone in with trends.”

A key example of this shift is the widely adopted term “core”, which has sparked in popularity used over the past few years to describe a plethora of different styles. While there may have been one or two key fashion trends for any given season 20 years ago, with those outside the boxes seen as either “out of style” or radical, what was once considered counterculture have become the norm in the 2020s. From fairycore to cottagecore, these highly specific aesthetic trends thrive in digital spaces — bringing people together and championing a new level of global connection. According to the report, one in five UK Gen Zs plan to find their own “core” aesthetic in 2024, experimenting with their identity and finding others that share similar ideals. While this can be over shared visual preferences, it can translate into deep bonds and a poignant sense of community as well.

The idea of forming communities of individuals, versus societal pressures to conform to certain expectations in order to feel part of a broader group is one of the beautiful changes that Chen has seen throughout her career. “There’s a freedom of expression that I think feels stronger than ever right now,” she states. “And I think part of it is that when you find people that support you and that have a similar attitude towards style or health, it is quite empowering. And I think people are finding that now younger than ever, which can be a really great thing.”

These chosen spaces, as the trend report calls them, have become an increased priority for Gen Z individuals. Their research identifies a key increase in creating safe spaces for people to feel seen and represented through sharing their own experiences with previously (and often still) stigmatised topics such as mental health, neurodivergence, and disability. Raising awareness while fostering communities, this generation is a socially minded collective prioritising physical and mental health with an overall goal of global peace. Ambitious and driven, they have grown up online and now seek third spaces to bring digital connections to in-person communities. “Emerging from a passion for social injustices, we will see third spaces evolve to serve as sanctuaries for intersectional wellness,” shares Sellers. “Clubs will blend IRL + URL to create an accessible culture of healing, and shared vulnerability.”

Wherever you are, whatever your interest is, you can find it on Instagram. For Chen, this means soothing calligraphy posts, German home renovation inspiration, and Taylor Swift tour tips, though she also shares the deeper importance of this accessibility. “The three of us on this call all live in central cities and we are in contact with so many different people, so it’s easy for us to find affinity groups. But, at least in the U.S., when you think about the diaspora of people, places, beliefs, Instagram can become a place where people can find like-minded people and gather around what their passions and interests are.”

“For me, certainly, as a first generation, as a child of immigrants, I always grew up with a very narrow framework of what a career meant. I always thought it meant a doctor, engineer, lawyer, or banker. And I didn’t even recognise the realm of possibilities of other careers. If I were 18 now and could see Shiona Turini — a good friend of mine who styled Beyonce’s Renaissance tour — talk about how she got to where she is; or a stylist like Erin Walsh or a young makeup artist like Nina Park, who I love. There’s just much more access to understand the different careers and possibilities. You can learn everything or at least get closer to it or have visibility, which can be very empowering.”

Instagram has also seen a rapid rise in sustainable education and mental health discussions, which – though she doesn’t believe in in and out lists – Chen hopes will last for years to come.

When it comes to chosen circles, the report notes a significant priority on friendship over romantic relationships. 59% of Gen Zs are single and only 6.5% say their priority is to date more in 2024. “People are being a lot more deliberate about their chosen circles and deepening their relationships — there’s a focus and emphasis on strengthening and going deeper with your friends,” Chen explains. “We saw this during Covid with people choosing to really invest in their homes and making them sanctuaries — and now I think people are looking to do that with their relationships in a way, focusing on the ones that make them feel safe.”

This increased level of intimacy and closeness is mirrored through new Instagram features, such as notes and close friends posts. “Above all else, Gen Z’s need for trust and safety is loud and clear,” Sellers notes in the trend. “We will see them delete ghost followers, engage in fewer surface level connections, and prioritise deeper engagement. What was once public will become semi private and protected.”

“I did a morning show with four Gen Z creators and it was so interesting to hear about the ways they use the platform to suit them versus when Instagram launched. Years ago it was all about like the public feed, and now we’re seeing that people have so many different layers to their online representation. So the way people are using close friends, notes, and direct messaging has skyrocketed, in particular with teens, because there’s an intimacy to it. You know exactly who’s going to be seeing it. And you can build on and become closer with already close friends.”

Another way that these features are used for intimate communication is through e-flirting, which has been a big part of Instagram throughout the past year. An integral part of the Gen Z romantic landscape, social media has become a go-to place to slyly let people know your relationship status (archiving or deleting old posts, ‘soft launching’ new romances, etc) or to interact with a crush (liking stories, sending memes, etc). “It’s funny because when I saw in the trend report that 30% of U.K. Gen Zs say that the most important characteristic in a partner is having a good sense of humour and taste in memes, it felt very specific but also not inaccurate.” Chen laughs. “My best friend and I send each other 50 reels or memes a day in direct messages and I imagine that if you are a teen or a young person, it’s kind of like, ‘hey this made me laugh thinking of you’. And my husband sends me memes and I’m like, “he knows me very well!” And I’ll send him memes of the Roman Empire. It is a signal that you know someone very well when you can nail their sense of humour.”

Whether you’re building on existing relationships, finding a new “core” or space to connect with like-minded individuals, or sending signals to a crush, Instagram has become an environment not unlike that of a college campus or city neighbourhood. And, finding ways to cater it to their wants and needs, Gen Z is taking over.