Here are seven trends I anticipate will have a huge impact as we head into 2018:

 

#1:  CASH BEGONE!

Massive shift.  In 2017, I got cash out of the bank 6 of the last 12 months. In 2016, it was EVERY month. The decrease in cash usage coincided directly with my increased Venmo usage.

• This past weekend when I used an ATM for the first time in 3 months (to get cash for a work project), it really hit home how radically my cash habits had changed.

#2:  VOICE IS THE NEW SEARCH

20% of Google searches are now voice activated, and this figure is set to grow to 50% by 2020.

• 40% of adults are using voice search once per day
• 11% of those using voice search started more than 3 years ago; 60% started in the last year and 41% started in the last 6 months.
• I’ve got to start doing this but it makes me feel awkward.
• More details here on how, why and by whom voice is being used.

#3:  BITCOIN IS A “MILLENNIAL STORY,” one in three of whom will invest in cryptocurrencies in 2018

“The average millennial is 25 today. The boomers were 25 in 1982, so what did the boomers drive from 1982 to the peak population of the boomers, which was ’99? The S&P 500…Millennials have great interest in digital businesses, social media and Bitcoin and the millennial population is not going to peak until 2040.”       (Tom Lee )

I’ve been a big fan of Tom Lee, the co-founder of Fundstrat (and formerly JP Morgan Chase’s chief U.S. equity strategist). I ALWAYS pay attention to what he says because he is rarely wrong.

During a recent interview, Lee predicted that Bitcoin price will continue to rise to reach $25,000 by 2022.

 

Read on below for top trends in social media.

 

#4:  INSTAGRAM WILL CONTINUE TO TRANSFORM HOW WE EXPERIENCE ART

Some art lovers are justifiably tired of the Instagram-frenzy that has taken over the art world e.g. endless selfies at museums and galleries.

That said, I have to admit, I find shows created with instagram in mind, vastly more entertaining and visually interesting.

Five that immediately come to mind:

Yayoi Kusama @ The Hirschhorn in DC (or anywhere else…)

Rain @ MoMA

Life Is Beautiful Festival in DTLV

Pipilotti Rist at The New Museum

Hauser & Wirth, DTLA

 

#5:  TOP INSTAGRAM HASHTAGS, LOCATIONS, FILTERS (Source: Instagram)

Top hashtags of 2017

(Note: recommend using these to drive engagement and increase followers)

1. #love
2. #fashion
3. #photooftheday
4. #photography
5. #art
6. #beautiful
7. #travel
8. #happy
9. #nature
10. #picoftheday

Hashtags that increased most in popularity throughout 2017:

1. #photography
2. #travelphotography
3. #memes
4. #summer2017
5. #naturephotography
6. #meme
7. #travel
8. #fitnessmotivation
9. #bts
10. #photographer

Most-Instagrammed locations of 2017:

1. Disneyland, Anaheim, USA
2. Times Square, New York City, USA
3. Central Park, New York City, USA
4. Tour Eiffel, Paris, France
5. Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo, Japan
6. Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Orlando, USA
7. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
8. Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn, USA
9. Disney California Adventure Park, Anaheim, USA
10. Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas, USA

Most-used Instagram Filters of 2017:

1. Clarendon
2. Gingham
3. Juno
4. Lark
5. Moon

 

#6:  TOP APPS DOWNLOADED ON APPLE (Source: Mashable)

You’d never know how “over” Snap is judging by this list. Snapchat lands the #2 spot while #1 goes to snap-owned bitmoji.

Apple’s editors also picked the meditation app Calm as the best iPhone app of the year.

1. Bitmoji
2. Snapchat
3. YouTube
4. Messenger
5. Instagram
6. Facebook
7. Google Maps
8. Netflix
9. Spotify
10. Uber
11. Uber

 

#7:  GOOGLE TOP SEARCHES OF 2017  (Source: CNet)

2017 was about hurricanes: Irma, Harvey, Jose and Maria took four of the 10 spots on the top trending news searches of the year.

Other top news stories: Matt Lauer sex scandal, solar eclipse and the price of bitcoin.

No President Trump???  This seems like a weird oversight to me.

Overall Searches

1. Hurricane Irma
2. Matt Lauer
3. Tom Petty
4. Super Bowl
5. Las Vegas shooting
6. Mayweather vs McGregor Fight
7. solar eclipse
8. Hurricane Harvey
9. Aaron Hernandez
10. fidget spinner

People (not including deaths)

1. Matt Lauer
2. Meghan Markle
3. Harvey Weinstein
4. Michael Flynn
5. Kevin Spacey
6. Bill O’Reilly
7. Melania Trump
8. Kathy Griffin
9. Milo Yiannopoulos
10. Gal Gadot

News

1. Hurricane Irma
2. Las Vegas shooting
3. solar eclipse
4. Hurricane Harvey
5. bitcoin price
6. North Korea
7. Hurricane Jose
8. Hurricane Maria
9. April the giraffe
10. DACA