
2026 Trend Theme:Irreplaceable Instinct 01 Audiences will move to retrain their irreplaceable instinctwith real curiosity, conviction, and care that connect us. Trend Signal 1:Reali-TEA 02 Fantasy is fading. In 2026, audiences will realignthrough the chaos to forge new realities together. Trend Signal 2:Curiosity Detours 03 In 2026, audiences will seek new rabbit holes ofcuriosity through new doors of discovery. Trend Signal 3:Emotional ROI 04 Impulse will lose to intention in 2026 as shoppersreward the brands that justify the why to buy, first. 05 Whatʼs Next Actionable next steps to get ahead of thisyearʼs biggest shifts TikTok Speeds of Culture Foreword When we first introduced TikTokʼs trend methodology, Speeds of Culture, in2021, our platform was already rewriting how trends move. Our communityʼscollective creativity spread signals faster than ever. We danced, we flopped,we made too much feta pasta, uncovered “who tf did I marry,ˮ and cackledtrying to assign meaning to “6,7.ˮ Today, culture has shifted into a new gear. Itʼs layered. It's quick. It's shapedby people changing direction fast, and marketers urgently need the tools tostay on top of these trends as they manifest and evolve in real time. That'swhy we've rolled out new AI-powered tools to help marketers identify andcapitalize on trends faster, digging into the stories, language, and behaviorsthat connect us. This yearʼs report looks and feels different. Using TikTokʼs own solutions, weanalyzed trend data and collaborated with humans globally to understandhow culture is evolving in real time and where itʼs headed next. It has a newname, a new design, and more answers than ever. Weʼve distilled insightsinto three key user forecasts for the year ahead, complete with more angles,accelerated by TikTok and backed by data no one else can provide. Weʼre pulling back the curtain so marketers can use these same toolsyear-round to unlock insights for brands, agencies, creators, and even themost active TikTok comment warriors. Let's get into it! Cassie TaylorGlobal Head of Platform & Trends Marketing Irreplaceable Instinct /ˌi(r)rəˈplāsəb(ə)l ˈinstiNG(k)t/ noun; what technology canʼtreplace: connection, curiosity, and presence, even when itʼs alittle messy Shaped by people, powered by AI In 2025, when everything felt “too much,ˮ people found ways to copesuch as quiet quitting, avoiding intensity, and running on autopilot. But in2026, audiences will move away from passive living toward activecreation, retraining their irreplaceable instinct with real curiosity,conviction, and care that connects us. This yearʼs trend signals were powered by AI, then shaped by humaninstinct. Our tools helped us surface patterns across countless videos,searches, comments, and communities. But the meaning, what peoplecare about, where their attention goes, and how they spend their tightbudgets, comes from understanding how our community on TikTokactually feels. We're rebalancing our lives, changes in economy, andanother year of the "new normal". And we arenʼt backing down. It is inthese moments of realignment that we rediscover what matters. TikTokis where people are exploring it all in true depth. This is whereirreplaceable instinct shows up in real time. That is our focus this year: helping marketers sharpen what makes themhuman. Tech like AI is not a replacement, it is a creative amplifier. WhenAI fuels the data and human instinct sets the direction, creativity doesnot just keep up with culture, it leads it. Shaped by People We turned data into trends using human insight We used our tools to analyze countless pieces of content, comments, andsearch queries. But the real magic came from the humans behind the dataand the creativity on our platform. Partnering with brilliant minds aroundthe world, we mapped the trajectory and velocity of todayʼs trends to bringyou our 2026 predictions. What we'recuriousabout What wespendour money on How to grab ourattention Reali-TEA Emotional ROIImpulse will lose to intention Curiosity DetoursIn 2026, curiosity becomes Fantasy is fading. In 2026,audiences will realignthrough the chaos to forgenew realities together. in 2026 as shoppers rewardthe brands that justify thewhy to buy, first. the new currency asaudiences dive deeper intonew journeys of discovery. Powered by AIis year we moved faster by using our own tools Th Leveraging our own AI powered solutions, TikTok One Insight Spotlight andTikTok Market Scope, we were able to test and validate our TikTok Next 2026trend hypotheses against real-time data and brand interactions. We alsoexplored high performing content across paid and organic with TikTok OneContent Suite, then workshopped new campaign ideas with Symphony CreativeStudio. With our full suite of solutions, marketers can move from trend insight tocreativity within minutes. The Trends ShapingYour Industry Now Turn Organic TalkInto Strategic Content Multiply YourCreative Momentum Symphony