Share
Pin
Tweet
Share

It has to be said that the events of the last few years have been awful and devastating for a lot of industries. One industry that found many ways to turn problems into solutions is the entertainment industry. Quick on its feet, forever evolving, the best entertainment is only worth anything as long as someone somewhere is entertained by it. Winning is fun, and that’s all the entertainment industry has done lately; they’ve provided us with ways to spend our time when so much of it has been spent at home; they’ve provided us with new ways to stay in touch with friends, family, and colleagues; they’ve provided us with ways to stay fit and safe a the same time, all from the comfort of our sitting rooms.

Join us as we take a look back at the top entertainment trends of 2021. The year is slowly winding down, but you still have time to try these and join the rest of the world on the online entertainment version of Cloud 9.

Social Media Video Content

While social media giants like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter have been with us for a long time, they have almost always relied primarily on still images as their primary currency. Youtube has always been solely for video content, but it did not have the impact on entertainment and social media culture that TikTok had when it came out of the blue in 2017. While it did take a few years for the video-sharing app to become big enough to compete with the likes of Instagram, the effect that it has had on social media has been undeniable. As TikTok grew in popularity and threatened to take users away from Instagram, Instagram adapted and added reels to its creative offering.

Video content is now the most recognised form of social media content used on these platforms. Videos perform far better than stills; any creator worth their salt now knows that to keep up with the demand of the algorithm and the hunger that their followers have for dynamic, stimulating, interactive content, they need to be on the video train.

Podcasts Go Mainstream

Another form of entertainment that has been with us for quite some time now, the podcast, came into its own this year in a big way. Services like Apple Podcasts, Luminary, and Stitcher have been overflowing with amazing podcast content for years, but the world has been moving too quickly for people to take the time to listen. Any one of these services hosts a library full of podcasts on topics ranging from politics to fashion to cooking or comedy. The world of podcasts offers us a plethora of things to listen to, and the content never runs out. You can keep your brain busy and learn about the history of language, philosophy, or photography. You can switch your brain off by listening to a comedy show or news of the entertainment industry or lifestyles of the rich and famous. You can stay up to date on current events, what’s happening in the latest presidential race or humanitarian issues from all over the world.

If you have strong opinions on a topic and a little extra time on your hands, why not try starting your own podcast? All you need is a basic knowledge of sound editing (there are many tutorials for that), a microphone, and a topic to talk about.

More Video Streaming Options

The need for content to consume to take our minds off the everyday stresses and struggles that we face has grown significantly over the last two years. Of course, in the entertainment industry, no need stays unfulfilled for long. To fill in the empty spaces left by streaming giants like HBO Max and Netflix (not that there are many), more streaming services such as Disney Plus have emerged to offer us yet more things to watch to while away the hours.

While more TV might sound like a horror story to some people, fear not; not all of it is entertainment for the sake of entertainment. CuriosityStream, for example, is a documentary-based streaming service. You can learn about ancient man, nature, new science and technology events, and evolutions. You could try Amazon Prime Video to see new shows developed specifically for the channel that won’t be available anywhere else. We certainly do live in the golden age of “television”; tremendous talents like Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, and Alexander Skarsgard are now acting in series, which was never the case in previous generations. Names like Zoe Kravitz are now in multiple episodes instead of just one movie.

New Sporting Entertainment

There is already a vast array of sporting entertainment available to consume across a variety of platforms. We have seen with the rise of independent streaming services and filmmakers or documentarians that there are so many more sports out there than we thought, and new ones are joining the sporting world all the time. We have access to seemingly crazy men and women in a tiny town in the English countryside chasing a massive wheel of cheese down an almost impossibly steep hill. We can watch brave people throwing axes across a room in the hopes of hitting a bullseye. We also have access to written articles about new pursuits such as “bike packing”; backpacking while on a bike. You could read about and try “plogging,” a new Swedish fitness trend: you go for a jog with gloves and a plastic bag in hand and pick up rubbish that you may see along the way.

There are many new fitness options available through online magazines and apps or subscription services. Stay fit without ever having to leave the house by trying dance workouts, yoga, or HIIT training sessions for free or for a very reasonable amount each month.

Wrap Up

Online entertainment is expanding at a rapid rate, and you can bet it’s not done yet! Entertainment trends come and go, and when they go, there is always something new waiting in the wings to replace them. Make the most of the online entertainment trends available to you!