July 2025 Trend Report
A Senior Bombshell Has Entered the Villa
Welcome to neuewave!
It's July, and time for another trend breakdown!
If we're being completely honest, this one felt particularly difficult to nail down. Not only does the internet move at lightning speed, but so does the world, and it felt almost insurmountable to try and wrangle all the things that are happening right now into a singular report. While this is always a formidable task, and we never claim to be able to cover it all, this month presented a unique challenge.
However, as we wrestled with the sheer volume of information, a consistent theme emerged.
If you missed it, neuemotion was at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity where our SVP of Production took the stage as a Future Gazer to let the audience in on what we see coming for the future of content. Our core message, where we believe the future of content is centered around humanity and evergreen principles that connect deeply with audiences, felt all too true when analyzing content trends from the last month.
In a landscape that felt scattered; heavy in some places, and surface level in others, what continues to resonate are the trends that speak to something deeper, something intrinsically human. From aesthetic choices to intentional consumption, it's clear that in these times, we are spending the month looking for content that cements us together in the here and now, in the messy and real moments that make us human.
Let’s dive in.
🏝️ A Hot New Bombshell…
…has entered the feed! Even if you're not one of the dedicated viewers tuning into six hours of content each week, you've likely encountered snippets, clips, or unforgettable soundbites from “Love Island” on your social feeds. While we could probably write an entire piece analyzing the marketing slam dunks and social media movements that this show creates, it is an indisputable fact that "Love Island USA" has become this summer’s leader of viral moments and trending sounds, with brands like IHOP and Poppi using references a cornerstone of their summer content.
This isn't just television; it's a masterclass in capturing and dominating the digital zeitgeist. "Love Island USA" has proven that its influence extends far beyond the screen, becoming a mainstay of pop culture conversation and a goldmine for brands looking to tap into a highly engaged audience.
How this shows up on social:
With the #loveislandusa hashtag accruing over 1.1 million videos and counting on just Tiktok alone, the real question is, how doesn’t this show up on social media? Brands capitalizing on memes, an AI video of an islander endorsing a perfume has made the product go viral (although this smells of a lawsuit when she gets out of the Villa), and countless videos of engaged viewers giving their two cents on the islanders and what they want to see for their futures. In a show that is run by viewer engagement via voting, the social media movement that fuels the show’s drama is nothing short of dominant on social feeds.
📼 VHSthetic
Film camera users and vinyl record listeners, I raise you: VHS filmers. What started as a cozy, nostalgic trip down memory lane for music lovers and film buffs is now bursting beyond consumption and into creation. We're not just watching analog culture; we're actively creating it. The "VHSsthetic" is blowing up, and it's so much more than just a filter. It's a deliberate embrace of the grainy, glitchy, unpolished look that makes old videos feel authentic and scratches the nostalgic itch that we are all still longing for. And from luxury brands to pop stars, everyone is starting to lean into this fuzzy, raw, vintage film look.
Brands like Skims and Burberry, for example, have incorporated a distinct lo-fi, vintage visual aesthetic into their recent social ads. This tactical deployment adds a raw, effortlessly cool edge, subtly tapping into a more relatable yet aspirational vibe for their brands. Similarly, Sabrina Carpenter has integrated this old-school video aesthetic throughout her content and visuals for Manchild, effortlessly creating a sense of authenticity and a deeper, more immediate connection with her audience through a grainy VHS filter.
We look at this rise as a natural progression into nostalgic mediums and technology that has taken off in the past few years and as a more direct reaction to the development of AI technology– where we are seeing an even more subversive pull away from the “perfection” that AI offers into these grainy tech mediums that feel real, even if flawed.
How this shows up on social:
Aside from major brands, many users are adopting this more analog visual aesthetic for their own social feeds, providing tutorials on how to achieve this look, and investing in modern camcorders to capture their summers.
🌲 AI Revolt
Speaking of the pull away from the perfection of AI, we are not just seeing it in aesthetic choices but in more bold revolts of the AI tech that is exploding everywhere. People feel disillusioned and untrusting of AI the more it permeates our lives and online feeds, with Pew Research recently reporting that only 11% of the U.S. public are more excited than concerned about the increased use of AI in daily life.
Knowing this, along with the growing desire for digital detoxes generally felt by the public, it is no wonder that we are seeing even more people speaking out on social media against the use of AI, AI content being used by brands receiving mixed reviews at best, and new social trends that poke fun at the use of AI and lift human creativity and connection with nature up. This collective lean towards the imperfectly human signals a significant shift in how society is grappling with the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence.
How this Shows Up on Social
Polaroid’s latest campaign touts the joys that analog media enables, while boldly critiquing AI and what it can’t replicate– real human experiences. Both online and out-of-home, this campaign elicits a memorable stand against screen fatigue and the omnipresence of AI.
Additionally, with some users taking existing trending formats like the “Who said that?” to slam AI, or taking existing AI-centric trends and doing the “non-AI” twist, there has been a rise in slamming the phrase “I asked ChatGPT..”, where people get candidly sassy with those that use the AI chatbot, and encourage free thinking.
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Whether through creative campaigns or direct social commentary, users are actively pushing back against the ubiquity of AI.
👒 Senior Creators as the New Comfort Creators
We’ve discussed the inevitability of digital detoxes this summer, and we’ve also seen marketers' wondering, “how do we stay relevant if people are logging off?”. It may surprise you, but we don’t think the first and only step is to invest in out-of-home only.
Because the truth is, if people are really logging off, most of them won’t be shunning social media forever. Social media is not just platforms; it’s an extension of our lives. With over 93% of people reporting they use social media regularly, it is crucial in today’s world to how we connect with others and how we get information. So while the world is calling for a detox and break from social media, when they inevitably return, we predict there will be longer-lasting “digital dieters”, who are more intentional with both the quantity and quality of what they consume.
With this shift in mind, we've seen a new conversation emerging: the destigmatization of aging. This began with the surprising popularity of "The Golden Bachelor/Bachelorette" series in 2023, which sparked discussions about how life doesn't end with age. It served as a heartwarming reminder that life can be as fulfilling as one allows it to be. While older generations are often overlooked in marketing and influencer discussions—with the focus typically on younger individuals—the global rise of some "Golden" stars has been remarkable and telling of a future to come where older influencers are looked to for comfort, guidance, and a hopeful view of a future that may feel uncertain at times. This trend is so significant that even wellness brands like Oura Ring are reframing aging not as something to fear, but something to aspire to.
Fast forward to the legendary Sports Illustrated Runway Show in May 2025. Full of supermodels and celebrities, the unexpected star of the show was former Real Housewife Bethenny Frankel, with the internet obsessed over her appearance at the show. Her health, confidence, and outlook on life as a 54-year-old woman resonated widely– gaining her an increase of over a million followers since she walked in the show. And she's not alone; other women, from Martha Stewart to Pamela Anderson, have re-emerged into the limelight, offering a refreshed view of aging in modern society and becoming genuine influencers for younger generations. They aren’t just talking about aging– they are showing how their life can be more full and rich with age, a stark departure from messaging around aging in the past and a comfort when the future is often talked about fearfully.
As digital consumption becomes more intentional, older influencers are uniquely positioned to offer this comfort, embodying resilience and wisdom. Their authentic presence and life experience provide a reassuring anchor, making them valuable guides for younger audiences navigating complex times.
How this Shows Up on Social
While these well-known celebrities and reality stars have been gaining traction, there has been a growing desire from younger generations to follow and uplift senior creators like @baddiewinkle, and one that has recently taken the internet by storm is Queen Sheila, who posts her retired life full of day-drinking with the girls and going to yoga– a viral sensation that shows a funny, vibrant side of those in their Golden age.
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As we zoom out at these trends, we’re once again reminded of an idea we introduced in The Hollow Canyon, where we are witnessing a collective pull towards what is messy, tangible, and authentically cemented in time, anchored in the humanity that connects us all.
It's evident in the nostalgic surge of VHS content, where the unpolished video is a clear pull away from the “perfection” that AI offers, and a celebration of the messy, raw moments that connected us in the past.
It's profoundly present in the comforting rise of Senior Creators, whose lived experiences offers an authentic and hopeful beacon for younger generations grappling with current uncertainty.
And it's at the heart of the intense, in-the-moment cultural phenomenon of “Love Island”; gloriously messy, driven by raw human interaction, and the communal experience of living it in the moment makes it profoundly real and 'cemented' in collective memory.
The human experience is, by its very nature, messy and complex. As we navigate an ever-changing real and digital world, it is precisely this messy, raw reality we endure that will continue to deepen our connections and drive conversations into the future.