Topics to Watch
United States
Discover “the next big thing” to inspire product and creative development.
CONTENTS
We see that the “next big thing” doesn’t always have to be a new product or idea. Each topic offers a big-picture view of what people are talking about to fuel everything from product development to creative.
Buddha’s hand
Native to China and India and traditionally used in perfumes, in health tonics and as religious offerings, this citrus fruit— named for its finger-like growths—is now sparking conversation in the US. Despite not having edible flesh, people are exploring new ways to eat (and drink) the unique citrus, using the rind in recipes and infusing it in alcohol to make a flavorful beverage.
Associated Topics: Citron, Citrus, Fruit, Ginger, Lemon, Lime, Mandarin Orange, Soup, Vodka
Conversation Volume
Who's driving the conversation
Cortado
Cortado (Spanish for “cut”), while just espresso cut with warm milk, is giving caffeine fiends something to talk about. Places with strong coffee culture, like Boston, New York and Miami, have also been part of the conversation, as have strong espresso beverages like the sweetened Cuban espresso and lungo, which is brewed with extra water.
Associated Topics: "Boston, Massachusetts", Brewing, Cuban espresso, Espresso, Latte Art, Lungo, "Manhattan, New York", "Miami, Florida", Specialty coffee, Sucrose
Conversation Volume
Who's driving the conversation
Educational entertainment
With Millennials and Gen Xers setting the tone for the parental landscape, education is getting more hands-on. And parents are looking for new ways to help their kids get ahead in today's hyper-competitive academic environment. With increased availability of educational podcasts, music videos and education apps, parents are using a variety of tools to meet the individual needs of their children and extend learning outside of the classroom.
Associated Topics: Children, DJing, Descartes, Lions, Math, Movies, Music Videos, Podcasts, Watching TV, Documentaries
Conversation Volume
Who's driving the conversation
Kalamkari
From the traditional hand-drawn scenes of epic poems to modern-day designs, this Indian textile art is driving ongoing conversations. Older women on Facebook have especially been discussing the art form, and the associated topics reflect an overall interest in Indian clothing styles, including saris. Areas known for their saris, like Uppada and Bhoodan Pochampally, also appear in the conversation often.
Associated Topics: Bhoodan Pochampally, Blouse, Ikat, India, Namaste, Sari, Silk, Textiles, Uppada, Loom
Conversation Volume
Who's driving the conversation
Videotelephony
People still value face-to-face interactions, and that's reflected in growing conversations around video-calling solutions—most notably among 18–24-year-old women. From videoconferencing among colleagues to chatting with friends, people are adopting videotelephony to maintain interpersonal connections. In fact, Transparency Market Research predicts the videoconferencing market will reach $7.8 billion globally by 2023. 1
Associated Topics: Cell Phone, Chat room, Computers, Desktop environment, Movies, Online Chat, Smart phones, Texting, Vidoephone, Voice chat
Conversation Volume
Who's driving the conversation
Wuxia
A Chinese genre featuring chivalric quests and martial arts, wuxia is being discussed among young men in particular. This genre appears in literature, movies and now online games. The wuxia game “Age of Wulin” allows people to immerse themselves in swords and sorcery online. And iconic figures like Michelle Yeoh, who reprised her role in the latest “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” are gaining renewed attention. Kung-fu, associated with wuxia, inspired conversations on director John Woo, formerly of Shaw Brothers Studios.
Associated Topics: Age of Wulin, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Kung Fu, Martial arts, Michelle Yeoh, John Woo Movies, Shaw Brothers Studio
Conversation Volume
Who's driving the conversation
Source: Based on Facebook internal data, US only, March 2015-2016.
About Topics to Watch
Topics to Watch are conversation topics that have shown early growth patterns similar to previous topics with long-term growth (such as kale). Because the conversations around Topics to Watch mirror the volume, variance and measures of past conversations that have shown long-term growth, we predict Topics to Watch will continue to grow in the future.
Based on early testing, we found that 8 of the 10 topics we identified in the past grew as predicted.