The Return of the 2014 Tumblr Aesthetic

How will this trend shape social media in 2024?

Anticipated media trends for 2024 suggest a revival of the '2014 Tumblr aesthetic,' a nostalgic comeback that we're wholeheartedly embracing. But what exactly is the Tumblr aesthetic, and how will it shape today's social media landscape?

Kylie Jenner, who was renowned for her Tumblr popularity during the time, has just shared with her socials a return of an iconic coloured hair look that she sported during the time. The 2014 Tumblr aesthetic, which originated on the blogging multimedia platform, made waves in the early 2010s, flooding platforms with moody colour palettes and high-contrast edits. Now, fragments of this aesthetic are resurfacing in mainstream culture, influencing everything from music genres to fashion choices.

So, why is this trend making a comeback nearly a decade later? Gen Z, particularly during the pandemic, has been essential in revitalising cultural trends. Y2K style, popularized by Gen Z influencers and TikTokers, was one of the first resurgent fashion trends.

TikTok has also brought back music mashups from the early indie sleaze scene, with TikTok audios playing a key role in this resurgence. Artists like Lorde, Lana Del Rey, and The Arctic Monkeys, who rose to fame in the early 2010s, have released new albums in the early 2020s, reshaping their genres and public images.

Finally, we have seen the rise of outdated technology that gears towards a newfound fascination with older forms of photography and other technologies, such as vintage cameras, vinyl record players and headphones.

At its core, trends often survive on nostalgia as a coping mechanism for the present. Each generation adapts trends to echo what they experienced in their youth, creating a continuous cycle of pleasure through the ages. We’re eager to see how this trend will influence social media content in 2024.