As the world embraced a sense of normalcy in 2023, the creative and cultural industries benefited from a wave of revenge spending and people looking for inspiration. Looking ahead into the new year, we have to wonder: What peak moments of culture will 2024 serve us? How will the worlds of art, creativity and culture reflect and address the interesting and challenging year ahead?
Here are five things the MullenLowe team thinks will influence the cultural landscape in 2024 — in a good way.
#1: Athletes are cool again
The rise of technology had once ushered in the age of the geek, putting them on par with, if not cooler, than the jocks. But 2024 might be the year athletes are cool again. The Paris summer Olympics and paralympics will be watched by millions around the world, and we’ll see the hip hop dance style of breaking make its Olympic debut this year, while surfing, sport climbing and skateboarding all make a comeback.
Also making sports cool again is Taylor Swift’s high-profile relationship with American football player Travis Kelce, which has brought incredible levels of attention to his team and the sport in general. While nothing new (the Beckhams did it once), such a confluence of sports and music could create a powerful kind of cultural phenomenon.
#2: Voting and social activism
2024 is the year of elections. More than 60 countries and 4.2 billion people are heading to the polls and selecting their government this year. This includes three of the world’s biggest democracies, India, Indonesia and the US. The year of the vote will bring into focus issues such as the rise of authoritarianism, a shrinking civil society, and ideals of freedom and fairness. Young people are likely to take charge of their political choices with enthusiasm, educating themselves and advocating for their candidates online.
#3: Celebration of the girl
From girl math and girl dinner to peak bow and coquette aesthetic, embracing femininity will likely continue through 2024. This builds on the year-long extravaganza that was the press buildup to the Barbie movie, and taps on a collective nostalgia and longing for a return to girlhood during simpler times.
#4: Sequels, reboots and reimaginings
2024 will be the year of tapping into known cultural capital for new sequels and reboots. The copyright for the first version of Mickey Mouse as seen on the classic “Steamboat Willie” is expiring, along with iconic characters such as Minnie Mouse and Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, while literary works from Agatha Christie, D.H. Lawrence, H.G. Wells and Virginia Woolf are coming into the public domain — all of which are available for the rest of the world to rewrite and subvert. Plenty of movies being released are relying on the audience’s prior knowledge and anticipation, such as the new Mean Girls movie musical, and seeing Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn in Joker. There will be much conversation about iconic cultural artifacts and new, intertextual understandings.
#5: Fandom reigns supreme
The power of fandom has never gone away but in 2024 people are ready to scream their hearts out for their objects of obsession. Swifties in Asia will be on their feet with the Eras tour arriving in the region, while Blackpink’s Lisa just broke records to become the first Kpop artist and first Asian woman to reach more than 100 million Instagram followers.
New releases will excite fans all across music, gaming, Hallyu and celebrity, and — how can we forget — the beginning of the return of BTS as Jin becomes the first member to complete his army duties in 2024… to resume other ARMY duties.