Feb 14, 2022
7 Emerging Trends 2022 for Entrepreneurs, Solopreneurs, Creators and Side-Hustlers
A curated list from Spacecadet’s trends page.
As the world of entrepreneurship continues to change, many people are forced to rethink what they do and what it takes to be successful. The emerging trends of 2022 will force entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, creators and side-hustlers to rethink their business models, products and services.
Introduction
This is a list of trends that I think will play a role in shaping what life will be like for the vast majority of people in the coming years. It is not about predictions. It is about looking at the landscape of where we are now and where we could be heading in the near future.
We will be living in a world that is more “connected” than ever before. Not only are you going to be able to use your smartphone to communicate with anyone in the world, but you can also use it to create new opportunities, create new businesses, earn new income, work from anywhere, and make money in an entirely new way.
We will live in a world where “disruption” is the norm. Everything is going to be disrupted by technology. Everything. From your business to how you consume content, how you do business and even your relationships. This means that there will be so much change that you will have to learn to adapt quickly or risk being left behind.
What will be the key trends and concepts driving the new entrepreneurship economy in 2022? Here’s a snapshot of what the next decade might bring.
1. Metaverses will be the next consumer connection.
The metaverse: an amalgamation of the physical world, the augmented, and the virtual. An unknown word a few years ago, the metaverse is gaining momentum — and fast. This catch-all term combines subsets of technology, merging them into a single entity. Brands were already slowly moving towards virtual reality when COVID-19 hit, resulting in an acute need for online socialising and interaction.
The metaverse will allow people to spend time with brands in new ways. They can test products, interact with real people, share information and buy goods — all without leaving the comfort of their home. This has tremendous potential for e-commerce and customer service alike.
Facebook recently rebranded to meta and are investing heavily in this space.
Games like Axie Infinity and Sandbox have broken all-time revenue records.
Takeaway : Start looking at Metaverse tokens and Play to earn games.
2 . NFTs and De-Fi
People have started to understand and appreciate the economic value of digital content.
Investing in online goods has become the hottest way to earn clout, both online and off — We are social trend report,2022
Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
NFTs are on fire right now in the art world. New platforms are launching to offer digital artists a way to showcase their work and mint NFTs for collectors to purchase. This will be a huge space in 2022 and beyond, especially with musicians and celebrities looking to get involved.
Largest NFT marketplace, Opensea now valued at $13 Billion and has created the first NFT billionaires.
Decentralized Finance (DeFi)
We are already seeing an explosion of DeFi projects that tokenise assets like commodities, real estate and even rare collectables like baseball cards. The opportunities here are endless, but the barrier to entry is still very high for most people as these platforms require some level of technical savvy to navigate and use. This will change in 2022 as more consumer-friendly solutions emerge.
Takeaway :
3. Communities will develop and take control
Many businesses tackle social media incorrectly by hoping something will stick. Brands need to be more strategic, with content shaped around the consumer, with the aim of establishing loyal and engaged communities.
The social issues that have been in the spotlight, such as elections, the BLM movement, the #MeToo movement, sustainability, and many more, have one major thing in common: they all have a driving force of communities behind them. A collective power that enables their cause, idea, or mission. Social communities can come together and grow, often very quickly, and successful brands will be able to tap into these communities with the right message and intention. Companies like Lunch on Me, EnrichHer, FounderGym, and Black Women Tech Talk amplify social communities and messaging.
Web 3 and community.
Communities have become increasingly important in the modern startup world, and Web 3.0 will be the next evolution of this concept. A community is an online or offline space where individuals interact with one another and come together for a common purpose.
Community members often come together to create value for themselves and others, including sharing knowledge, financial support, or any other kind of resources. Sometimes this value creation is done by the community through voting and decision-making processes. This can lead to a more democratic and inclusive environment that allows everyone to have a voice- DAOs.
Community building has been around since the dawn of time, but it has taken on new importance in modern society as people grow increasingly connected through social media platforms. These communities are often built around an idea or product made available on these platforms, creating an instant community around that idea or product.
Community building is also important in the way businesses operate. It allows startups to assemble groups of people who can contribute ideas and feedback during the development process and even help with aspects such as marketing and advertising later on down the road when they have already established their brand presence.
The demand for community managers in web 3 will skyrocket.
Takeaway : Community building will become a coveted skill.
4. Education social is being repurposed as a space for learning
With the rise of the internet, the way we learn has changed. We’re no longer required to go to a formal institution to learn something new. We can just turn on our computers or smartphones and learn anything from anywhere. This means that education is no longer just a specialised act. Now, it’s a casual and ongoing experience. This means that a shift in how we think about education is needed. Education is now being repurposed as a space for learning. This includes learning in a social context. We’re seeing a shift from online learning as a targeted, specialised act to online learning as casual and ongoing. The genre of edutainment is thriving in this context. Life skills are increasingly being picked up in this environment. This means that people are learning the skills they need to succeed in their lives.
These skills include financial literacy, social skills, and other areas.
Instagram is ideal for informing people about complex issues with relative simplicity, with creators often using aesthetic beauty as a vehicle for hard-hitting content.
and Youtube
Takeaway : Teach in a fun and engaging way .
5. Creators become celebrities
Creators are have risen to the level of a-list celebrities.
There’s a democratisation of fame happening. This is partially due to the rise of social media and partially due to the fact that creators are now able to make money off their passions in ways that weren’t possible a decade ago. What do I mean by creators? Think TikTok stars, YouTube stars, podcasters and bloggers — anyone who has built a community around themselves online.
Until now, fame was limited to actors, singers and athletes. But today, those creators are rising to the level of A-list celebrities. Some influencers have more followers than the number of people living in countries like Iceland or Costa Rica.
But this isn’t going to be another article about how famous TikTok stars make millions of dollars a year and how you can too. I’m more interested in how this shift toward creator-based fame will change our view of what success looks like for all types of businesses.
Takeaway :
a. Creators and influencers will be valued more than ever before. Brands have always had a symbiotic relationship with creators, but now this relationship will be even more closely aligned as brands look to create more original content through creators.
b. Micro-influencers will increase in importance and value. Small is beautiful in a world of diminishing reach and increasing ad costs, especially when you consider that micro-influencers reach a highly engaged audience that trusts them and listens to them, as opposed to larger influencers who may reach more people but also get less engagement per follower.
c. The creator economy will grow even faster than expected in 2022 as more people continue to turn to platforms like Instagram, YouTube and Tiktok. There is a new jargon in web 3 called the ownership economy.
6. Tiktok is taking over.
TikTok is the latest video app to be dominating the social media world. With over one billion downloads in just the first few months of the year, the company is already the most downloaded social media app globally. The app allows users to create and share videos up to 15 seconds in length. These videos are then shared with friends, family and other users on TikTok. Videos can be uploaded through the app’s built-in camera or mobile device. Users can also use filters to add special effects to their videos.
By 2022, I expect that social media platforms will be forced to adapt to new consumer behaviours or risk losing their audiences to TikTok.As TikTok continues to gain more users worldwide, it will continue to dominate the short-form social media landscape. By 2022, the platform is expected to surpass Instagram as the most popular social media network globally. As a result, Instagram is now taking steps to start competing in space with the release of reels.
Tik Tok organic reach is insane!.
This has given rise to influencers like Khaby and Hajia Bintu, amongst others.
Take away: start looking into TikTok
Follow me here.
7. Retro Nostalgia
Retro is the style trend that is making a comeback in the 2020s according to 99 designs graphic design trend report .
Retro nostalgia is making a comeback. For the past few years, we have seen a surge of retro styles in the media. We have seen a resurgence of these retro styles from pop culture to fashion. The rise of the internet has also played a part in this revival of retro styles. It is easier for people to share their love for retro styles with the internet. People can share their favourite retro style on social media or even design their own. This is creating a new generation of graphic designers and web designers embracing the retro look.
This is good news for graphic designers and web designers, who will be able to take advantage of this resurgence by creating websites and graphics that have a more 90s feel to them.
As entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, creators and side hustlers; the way we network, market our business and startups will change. The key is to be open to the change and try out new ideas.
Ultimately, my hope with this is to spur some thought as we look at the direction of the future. We may be mere designers, but we can still impact the way people think beyond our core capabilities and into the areas that affect us all. I don’t expect everyone to agree with what I’ve said here; if anything, this is just one person’s perspective. But it could still be valuable, and hopefully, spur some debate on where we’re heading.
Which trends for the coming year do you agree with and which ones question?
Where’s your money going in the near future?
Share your thoughts.
Yoofi Annan is a multi-faceted freelancer his skills include Digital Strategy, content writing, growth hacking, social media management and Web designing.
He writes about no code, entrepreneurship/side hustling/solopreneurship and personal development.
He is also a podcast and web-3 enthusiast.
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