Posted on 7th December 2023
TikTok have released their Year on TikTok 2023 report covering the biggest creators, trends and individual videos over the last year.
Buzz from Shooglebox is helping brands stay on top of what's big on TikTok – alerting subscribers to emerging trends and talking points an average of three weeks before they hit peak interest.
Here's ten of the biggest trends of 2023 – according to TikTok's annual report – that Buzz subscribers were quick to discover:
Girl Dinner
TikTok say 2023 has been "the year of the girl" – and #GirlDinner has led the way with more than 2.5 billion views. The concept took off in the summer referring to a plate of picky food which doesn't need cooking before becoming the subject of a catchy song.
Buzz alerted subscribers to the Girl Dinner trend on July 3, more than three weeks before it hit peak interest at the end of the month, according to TikTok Creative Center.
Tube Girl
"Tube Girl" Sabrina Bahsoon caught the attention of celebrities and influencers like Charli D'Amelio, Nick Grimshaw and Alan Carr and brands like British Airways, Co-op and Formula 1 trying to recreate her confident way of dancing on the London Underground.
The Tube Girl trend was first highlighted in Buzz in early September and continued to be tracked as #TubeGirl went on to hit more than two billion views. Boss were praised for their "real-time marketing" when they filmed with Bahsoon at Milan Fashion Week.
Roman Empire
"How often do you think about the Roman Empire?" was the question on the lips of lots of TikTokers over the autumn. The trend grew so much that people started using the phrase "my Roman Empire" in everyday language to refer to things that are always on their minds.
Wes Anderson
Earlier in the year a wide range of brands, sports clubs and charities joined TikTokers getting creative with a trend for making videos in Wes Anderson's distinctive visual style.
Red, green and beige flags
Beige flag appeared on Oxford University Press's shortlist for word of the year after TikTokers had fun with the term as something that's neither a red flag or a green flag in a relationship – just a bit beige. One of the big accounts behind the trend is Laura Gouillon who made a series of random generator effects that assign different qualities to the person being filmed.
Walking transitions
TikTokers start by filming a video of themselves with their camera before switching to someone else, like a friend or partner, filming a full-body shot of them in one slick movement. It was started by Norway-based influencer Yasmin Hero before being copied by Sofia Richie Grainge, one of the top creators highlighted in the Year on TikTok report.
Cupid
Cupid by South Korean group FIFTY FIFTY is the top global song of 2023, trending in a dance trend using hand gestures to illustrate the lyrics, on a range of CapCut templates including John Cena dancing with headphones, and as a backing track to food, fashion and arts and crafts content.
AI effects
Millions of TikTokers have been using AI-generated effects – like the AI Style effect turning images of people, pets and random objects into everything from majestic gold statues, to moss-covered stones, mermaids and looks that wouldn't be out of place in a science fiction film.
"Look at my son"
There's a huge community of pet lovers on TikTok, with billions of views across the #petsoftiktok, #dogsoftiktok and #catsoftiktok hashtags. One of the big trends featured in TikTok's report is "Look at my son" – a quote from the song Dear Theodosia in Hamilton which people have used in videos of pets doing something weird or not that smart.
Cottage cheese
Cottage cheese has been one of the biggest trends among the FoodTok community with people using it in all sorts of high-protein and low-calorie recipes ranging from ice cream, cookie dough and pancakes, to pasta sauces and pizza – and saying "We're at the head of a cottage cheese revolution".
Buzz from Shooglebox highlights more than 100 new trends every month across all sorts of topics and genres. Have a look at some of the other big trends of 2023 here.
