INSTAGRAM LAUNCHES 2022 RECAP

2022 Recap is entirely editable. Users can customise their 2022 Recap Reel by choosing a narrated template from Rap & Reggaeton artist & producer (and most streamed artist) @badbunnypr, DJ & Producer @djkhaled, and Stranger Things star @priaferguson and selecting photos to share with their community to be automatically edited into a complete Reel ready to share with followers.

A year post-pandemic and now with more than 140 billion Reels plays globally across Facebook and Instagram each day, Instagram has reflected on the UK Reels trends and moments that have shaped 2022. Instagram continues to be at the centre of pushing culture forward and after a lockdown-free year, music, beauty, fashion, travel and wellness continues to be the priority from young people to creators.

Music: This year, we’ve been embracing every type of music, from upbeat pop to emerging sounds, both new and old, with songs like Kate Bushes’ Running Up That Hill to Harry Styles’ As It Was, both topping the list for Reels tracks and finding popularity whether tied to summer love or winter nostalgia.
Travel: And after previous years stuck on our sofas, we’ve also embraced travel and making lasting memories in cities in the UK and beyond. #Lagos, Nigeria and #Glasgow, Scotland beat other destinations and have been the most inspiring for the creation of Reels.
Events: Meanwhile, we celebrated the return of festivals, IRL music and parties, from #Glastonbury to #NottingHillCarnival to the #Euros, the UK really came back to embrace the everyday
Fashion and Beauty: Reels also continued to also give the seal of approval on the latest beauty and fashion trends with #nailstamping, #copperhair and #GRWM, just some of the most trending topics of 2022.

A look back on the most iconic moments on Instagram in 2022

From fresh album drops to sporting heroes, we reflect on the accounts, posts and Reels we followed, loved and liked from the year.

@adele announced she was postponing her Las Vegas Residency 24 hours before the opening. In July she then pleased fans to say the show was ready and rolling out ahead of 2023 – queue ‘Easy on Me’ on repeat, even if we can’t fly to Vegas
@beyonce dropped her track list for long-awaited ‘Renaissance’ album in stories, sending the internet into a spin in anticipation for launch. The world then embraced ‘Cuff it season’ flooding Reels with ‘Cuff It’ as the soundtrack to summer and beyond
@harrystyles appeared on Better Homes & Gardens to promote “Harry’s House”, revealing the cover to his 47.8M followers
@lilyallen reflected on her duet at #Glastonbury with Olivia Rodrigo to call out the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe vs Wade
The Lionesses really brought it home and THE photo of 24-year-old England superstar @chloekelly during the Women’s Euros swept the internet and Instagram scoring the tournament-winning goal against Germany
After a 2-year hiatus Stormzy rejoined Instagram to promote his new album and left again – we’ll see you soon Stormz
00s icons, The Spice Girls, came together to party and we couldn’t get enough updates from @davidbeckham
@cristiano becomes the first ever person to reach 500 million followers and sent followers in to a meltdown after pictured playing chess with @leomessi for Louis Vuitton photographed by @annieleibovitz
British rapper, @centralcee hit 5M followers, the first UK rapper to do so on Instagram (and rocked up to the British Fashion Awards in a tracksuit)
It was love at first sight as Harry & Meghan reveal they met through Instagram during their new Netflix docu-series

Some of the top songs people in the UK used in their Reels during 2022

From throwbacks to viral chart toppers.

Come Check This – FETISH
Moments We Live For – In Paradise
As It Was – Harry Styles
Tick Tock Boom – Sage The Gemini
The Good Part – AJR
Feels Like Summer – Samuel Jack
I Get to Love You – Ruelle
First Class – Jack Harlow
Kate Bush – Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)
Ben Rector – Living My Best Life
Patrick Watson – Je te laisserai des mots

Artists who grew thanks to Reels.

Whilst it’s about the undiscovered, all-time music faves are still reaching more and more people on Reels

Largely promoting his new album, Gloria, superstar @samsmith found new fandom with Reels plays in the millions – from glimpses into the studio to music teases, he’s been keeping fans entertained with his feel-good content all year
Whilst sing-songwriter and artist @tompeterodell, who has won many notable accolades, and recently releasing ‘Best Day of My Life’, hit plays over 23M – a upbeat achievement
Stars continuing to break-through on Reels included DJ Duo and twin brothers @altego_music, new kid on the block and indie-artist @caseylowrymusic, singer-turned comedian (mainly about dating and boys) @chiaraking and up and coming artist @henrymoodie writing pop-hits from his bedroom. Did you send this to somebody you like yet?

Fashion Forward & Beauty inspo from the year.

Some of the trending topics in beauty included nails, lips and hair inspo.

From #nailstamping, a quick fix to time-intensive nail art, to #polygels to perfect your look, no wonder #nailslove was trending this year.
Redheads ruled in 2022 (thanks @kendalljenner) with variations of #copperhair appearing on the grid. And if you couldn’t handle just the red, #balayagehighlights and #balayageombre also hit the beauty scene
Let’s not forget lips, #lipblush and #lipblushtattoo were the trends ‘on our lips’, a semi-perm wash that adds colour so you don’t need to keep topping up
And finally, turns out people really like to see the ‘fit hits as the #GRWM became one of the fastest growing hashtags in 2022. Here’s a look back at some of the most popular #GRWM creators to be following, @isabellapmayer , @whatemwore and @valslooks

The Fashion Creators who are killing it on Reels.

Out with the old Reels, in with the new – it’s the new ‘It’ girl szn. Keep watching these creators in 2023 for what’s next for your wardrobe

Head to this @_thisisclaire for simple, slick transitions and stunning fits
For 360 Reel perfection and daily inspo @estelle_aliot has it covered
Hit @valslooks for quick #GRWM’s and runway walking
Follow @lucylooxi for #photodumps with a Reels difference
Like @masa.toro for beyond her #outfitinspo and the context behind her looks

But what’s coming in 2023?

Instagram’s Head of Fashion, Eva Chen predicts…

THE NEW KNITWEAR: A new wave of Knitwear is set to take the stage in 2023. Keep your eyes peeled on London brand @AGR and @guestinresidence with Creative Director Gigi Hadid at the helm.

VIBRANT COLOURS: Colours keep killing it. Expect vibrant to be a theme of next year, with brands like @supriya_lele and @chet_lo with pops of pinks, purples, blues and more.

EMBRACING FEMININITY: It will be the year of embracing femininity. @knwlslondon, @nensidojaka, @dipetsa have been acclaimed for their designs which accentuate the feminine silhouette in creative, experimental and empowering designs.

WOMEN IN MENSWEAR: @biancasaunders and @walesbonner bring a distinctly female voice into their menswear designs in a way that feels fresh but still deeply authentic.

Reel self-love.

From mindfulness to yoga, here’s some of the top Instagram moments in self-care 🧘‍♀️Some of the trending topics in wellness included everything from consciousness shifts to relaxation.

#fitness, #motivation #workout and #gym continued to ‘top the tags’. Whilst this is nothing new, it is showing continued importance for the wellness space. #gymbro and #gymgirl creators like @lauren.jumps, @barrysbods and @lucy_xfit, continued to inspire the Reels community to stay in shape
Whilst the UK kept moving and motivated, we also took the time to relax with #relaxtime, #calmness and #consiousnessshift some of the most trending hashtags in wellness
Creators who really reached to their communities and beyond included self-improvement medic @daanish.medic and motivational creator @poeticsparkles who proved popular with motivational Reels and inspire users to reach their full potential