This year, there will be more political campaigns on social media and sexting might finally become a thing.
2017 was an interesting year for Nigerian pop culture in general, and Nigerian millennials, in particular.
Thanks to an increase in the use of mobile phones and devices, the spread of internet access and the penetration of platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram among others, more trends caught traction and pop culture as a whole was advanced in ways it never had before.
The influx of young IJGBs during the Summer and Christmas holidays also influenced the culture as it shifted to meet their needs and accommodate their preferences.
ALSO READ: Top 10 controversial Nigerian pop culture moments in 2017
2018 is a promising year. Some of the factors that advanced the culture in 2017 will also play a role this year. Without much ado, here are 5 pop culture trends Nigerian millennials should expect in 2018.
(1) Social media political campaigns:
Thanks to the guys at Statecraft, President Buhari won the 2015 Presidential elections by changing the narrative and gathering the support of young Nigerians.
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All of this was done because his team focused heavily on millennials in the one place where they can be found en masse; social media. Since 2015, Nigerian social media has become charged with political and social conversation.
Anti-government protests have been organised based of the strength of social media trends and conversations. In 2018, as the next general elections draw near, expect various political parties and personalities to get involved on social media, from hopping on trends to announcing their candidacy.
If you look closely, it has already begun. Did I just hear you say Atiku? I think you’re right.
(2) Snapchat and Instagram concerts:
One of the main subplots of 2017 was how Instagram took Snapchat’s features and recreated them on its platform. It was a clear case of “If you don’t sell it to me, I’ll steal it”.
What we didn’t foresee was how quickly features like Instagram stories and Live would be adopted and put to good use.
Celebrities and other personalities such as Toke Makinwa and Freeze used the platform to address issues, or in the case of Freeze, start important conversations around religion.
The most notable example was Nathaniel Bassey’s Olowogbogboro concert. Over the course of a month, His Instagram Live concert #HallelujahChallenge was a rallying cry for Christians to come online and worship God.
ALSO READ: Are Nigerian pastors telling us prophecies that have already happened?
At one point, 70,000 were streaming his concerts live at a given point. During the December concert period, many Nigerian millennials followed concert from the comfort of their homes via Snapchat and Instagram Live.
In 2018, expect the artistes and production companies to take advantage of this under-appreciated resource and serve your shows in the comfort of your own home.
(3) Street culture enters the mainstream:
In 2011, rapper Olamide pronounced on his song, “Ilefo Illuminati”, “... Street ti takeover” loosely meaning that the streets had taken over. It may have taken 7 whole years but 2018 should be the year when street culture finally enters the mainstream.
In ways, it has already begun. Small Doctor, an ambassador of the streets if there ever was one, scored one of the biggest songs of 2017 with “Penalty”.
This year, two songs, “Legbegbe” and “Shepeteri” are causing mayhem from Agege to Ikoyi. Then there’s Shaku Shaku, the street dance style that has got everyone from Davido to DJ Cuppy testing out their skills.
ALSO READ: Shaku Shaku is the new street dance style we all need to learn in 2018
(4) Sexting:
Millenials are having more sex and becoming more comfortable with their bodies at a younger age than ever before. On the one hand, social and messaging platforms have replaced physical interaction.
Merge both and what you get is simple: as they create sexual relationships, millennials are adopting various sexting practices to find new mates, stay excited and work with what they have.
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Already a number of sexting apps are fairly popular among young people. Tinder and Badoo are at the top of this food chain.
But even beyond that, millennials have never been afraid to get intimate and creative on messaging apps like Whatsapp or getting down in the DMs.
2016 was the year when nudes became a thing. In 2017, millennials began to use social networks became a hunting ground. In 2018, sexting.
(5) Locally made millenial fashion:
Despite the fact that Nigeria has millions of young people and a budding fashion market, there’s very little stuff made for millennials.
Fashionable or not, most young people have to patronise foreign brands or locally-made imitations, depending on how deep their pockets are.
Expect that to change in 2018; already some urban fashion brands like Garmspot and Severe Nature are creating street fashion and urban wear for millennial Nigerians. There's also Orange Culture's collaboration with Davido.
ALSO READ: Davido and Orange Culture turn "IF" into new urban code at fashion week
While their products may be relatively high-priced and distribution is restricted to certain areas, it’s only a matter of time before the idea inspires others and sets the ball rolling.
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