The Voice of Tomorrow: Trend Insights from a 14-Year-Old
What Teenagers Are Thinking:
Meet Joe.
In the overpopulated landscape of trend forecasting and cultural insights, there's an emerging voice that's often overlooked, the perspective of youth.
Meet Joe, a 14-year-old who recently spent some time at Collaborate for his work experience.
Joe isn't your typical trend analyst or seasoned marketer. He's a work experience kid who stepped into the world of our creative agency with a level curiosity. interpret.
What makes Joe's perspective unique isn't just his age, but his unfiltered and authentic view of the world around him—a world shaped by digital connectivity, social media immersion, and rapid cultural evolution.
In this report, we invite you to join us on a journey through the lens of a 14 year old living their life in today’s confusing climate. From the latest TikTok crazes to the shifting attitudes towards sustainability, Joe offers a fresh perspective from a voice that is often not heard - the 14 year old boy.
Social Media
In 2023, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp were big, but Facebook's not really cool anymore. TikTok and Snapchat are where it's at because they're quick and straight to the point. Snapchat's all about sending quick pics, and 'snap streaks' keep us hooked. TikTok's massive with its short, funny videos—where trends start. You can spend hours scrolling through them.
Millenial comments:
The death of Facebook was inevitable, but Tik Tok and IG Reels have created the phenomenon called Doom Scrolling - never really reaching the ‘end’ of the content you are watching, so YouTube is still the winner for entertainment purposes.
Events
Events tend to grab the attention of younger folks when they're something special. Like, if it's unique or a celeb shows up, then it's a big deal. Also, being in a cool, creative spot—whether it's a trendy venue or an Instagram-worthy location—makes people wanna be part of it.
I went to this BLUR concert and had a blast. The vibe was amazing, the music was banging, and I had a great time with my dad.
CODE - NAAQ9AUDKE3BR4FW
Millenial comments:
It is interesting that parent’s taste has a role on their child’s choices and can have a profound effect on the culture that transcends. Arctic Monkeys are a perfect example of a band that has moved and shifted generation.
Apps & Learning
Duolingo is a hit among our generation. Loads of people use it because it's famous and kinda like Snapchat—it's got streaks for doing daily lessons, which makes it feel familiar. Personally, I'm not into it 'cause I'm not learning a language, but loads of my mates use it to learn languages in a fun way.
Millenial comments:
It was never really a thing to blend the world of actual learning and apps in our generation. It is really interesting to see how the aspect of gamification has been used for good and the same properties that keep people scrolling on TikTok can be used to help something positive - like learning a new language.
TikTok
TikTok is like the birthplace of so many internet trends because it's everywhere. Stuff blows up there and gets spread all over the world. It's usually just jokes, making fun of stuff or people, but then everyone's jumping on board, referencing or doing their own versions.
Millenial comments:
The introduction of TikTok has slightly commercialised the role of what content is. Vine, the video sharing app before TikTok, never found a way to commercialise itself, but it meant the content was a lot more genuine. I think there is a level of inauthenticity that is coming out of the newer-age content. Content trends are also evolving at a such a rapid pace that it is basically off-trend to be late to the party - we are in the era of ‘new’ content. Everything has to be fresh, new and exciting. Gone are the days of cat compilations and fail videos.
How do you find out about brands?
I discover brands mainly through social media, especially TikTok, where I see influencers getting sponsored or ads popping up. Also, spotting stuff on bus ads is pretty common, and it's cool 'cause it's just part of everyday life.
If I'm already into a brand, I usually find out about their new stuff through my TikTok For You page. It's like, tailored to me, so I see what I'm interested in.
CODE - NAAQ9E4FQBTP7FLA
Millenial comments:
The millennial generation entering the workforce has had a huge impact in how ads are consumed. We are so switched on to what an ad is and when we are being sold something. Experiential works best, as there is a value offering back - come and do this thing and in return we will tell you about our thing. It is an invitation, rather than forcing us to watch 8 mid-roll adverts on a youtube video that we are enjoying in our down time.
Quick Fire Section
Favourite brand
Gen Z - Carharrt
Millenial - Dickies
Favourite artist
Gen Z - Childish Gambino
Millenial - Nick Mulvey
Favourite video game
Gen Z - FC24 (Fifa)
Millenial - N/A - maybe GTA?
CODE - NAAQ9UDNUJM6VBQG
Favourite aftershave
Gen Z - Marks and Spencers
Millenial - Anything Sandalwood-esque from Zara
CODE - NAAQ9JCDN22Y4TYP
Favourite show/movie
Gen Z - Breaking Bad
Millenial - Lone Ranger