Letter from Ann M. Mack Director of Facebook IQ 1 ACTING GREENER Dear Reader, People have been talking about sustainability for years. Now, many Welcome back to our annual Topics and Trends Report From Facebook IQ! This is a report are making small lifestyle changes that have a big impact on the I look forward to each year, as it’s an opportunity for us to reflect back and imagine what environment as access to information and eco-friendly products grows the future holds. around the world. In Canada, people are taking on beekeeping as a form of environmental activism. In Sweden and the UK, people are making This has been an especially meaningful year for us at Facebook IQ, as we just celebrated conscientious choices when it comes to fashion purchases. And in our fifth birthday. Since we began our work in 2014, we’ve uncovered insights on everything Germany and the US, people are seeking more plant-based foods in an from how people expect to use AR and VR in their daily lives to how communities form on effort to reduce their meat consumption. social platforms. While our insights have evolved over the years, one thing has remained constant: our focus on people. We’ve consistently looked at how people connect on and off our platforms to understand what matters to them and what that means for marketers. And, in crafting this year’s report, we wanted to share what we think will matter to people next. As we looked through topics of conversation on Facebook across countries, cultures 2 CHANGING THE CHANNEL and categories, we saw some clear patterns emerge, signaling larger behavioral shifts. We identified five macro-level trends, which are presented on the following pages. From art to entertainment, people are experiencing popular stories and pastimes in new mediums, and some are even discovering these for the first Inspiration can come from everywhere and anywhere; we hope this year’s report encourages time on new channels. In Mexico, up-and-coming artists are bringing their you to think beyond category and geography and push your ideation in 2020. work to social media and independent spaces across major cities. In the US, podcast lovers are prompting the entertainment industry to create companion Best, podcasts for popular TV shows and, conversely, to bring popular podcasts to TV. And in Indonesia, gamers are moving from computers to mobile devices to Ann M. Mack participate in new esports competitions. Director of Facebook IQ The 2020 Topics and Trends Report From Facebook IQ 4