The trends defining how brand-consumer relationships evolve

The 2022 Twitter Trends India report, based on an analysis of billions of Tweets from Jan 2020 - Dec 2021, found the three biggest movements emerging to the top of conversation: Finance Goes Social, Fan-build Worlds, and Entrepreneurship Hits Peak Culture.

With this year's Twitter Trends report, Twitter is diving deep into what's now, what's next, and what it's got its eyes on in the future. These trends are evergreen conversations that will continue to unfold in the service in the near future.

Preetha Athrey, Director and Global Business Marketing of Twitter APAC, said, "People on Twitter are influential, receptive, and drive results like nowhere else, and Tweets give us signals where the culture is headed or what could be the next big Ah! movements that are shaped by public conversation. Twitter, as a driver of both trends and real-world change, has evolved as a service that not only provides people a space to connect but a window into the culture. The Twitter Trends Report captures the themes and interests that are shaping consumer behavior in the Indian market, and outlines top trends for brands to lean into to become a part of conversations that are happening right now, and will continue to grow."

Let's take a closer look at the three trends:

Finance Goes Social: Money matters used to be closely held secrets of the few, but now, everyone wants in on the action. As people discuss and dive deeper into finance, related conversations have gone up by 62 percent. Communities of experts and everyday people are joining forces to share knowledge, sparking a 185 percent increase in financial literacy discussions. Conversations about money have evolved, and concepts like decentralized finance (hello, crypto!) and digital assets have entered pop culture with NFT + Bollywood, Bollycoin, and Beyond Life emerging as topics to watch out for.

Fan-built Worlds: Fans no longer just follow, they're now calling the shots. As fan clubs take charge of the conversation to create worlds they want to be a part of, discussions around fandom have gone up by 47 percent. People are taking ownership of passions like #CricketTwitter (+55 percent), building complex worlds like #DCFanDome (+35 percent), and engaging with diverse entertainment conversations like Kollywood (+14) as they converge on Twitter to find their tribe.

Entrepreneurship Hits Peak Culture: India is now the third largest unicorn ecosystem in the world, and enthusiasts are taking to Twitter to talk about all things startups. #StartUpTwitter is growing, and there's been a 22 percent increase in discussions around entrepreneurship. Founders are building personal brands, while popular references like #SharkTankIndiaMemes and #PeakBengaluru add humor and fun to the conversation. What's inspiring is to see a 40 percent increase in women joining the conversation, with the talk around female entrepreneurship going up by a whopping 269 percent -- a clear indicator of the narrowing gender gap in the workforce.

In the months to come, these trends will define how brand-consumer relationships evolve, introducing new paths that brands will have to navigate to reach consumers where they are -- on Twitter.