In the midst of the greatest boom in creativity the world has ever seen, 2022 marked another year of memorable and innovative online moments. From the emergence of new apps and growth of existing platforms to streaming records and new viral dances and videos, 2022 was filled with milestones for a growing industry of online creators and entrepreneurs…and opportunities to spread awareness, enhance communication and sometimes just encourage smiles.
Below are just a few of the year’s best in digital creativity — made possible by platforms that rely on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
📱 More than 165 million creators joined the global creator economy in the past 2 years according to Adobe.
📚 #BookTok continues to drive book sales, leading to a record year for Barnes & Noble and boosting books to the tops of the bestseller lists.
- The Kindle Direct Publishing service also marked its 15th anniversary, with self-published authors earning more than $10 million in 2022
🌽 The Corn Kid’s viral interview on TikTok led him to a Spotify single and brand deals with franchises like Chipotle.
🎵 Taylor Swift’s TikTok hints and teasers boosted the listening frenzy when Midnights broke many streaming records, including the most streamed album in 24 hours. Swift also became the first artist to take the top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100.
📸 The app BeReal launched a more authentic approach to posting photos and now has 20 million users accessing the app daily.
🎤 Internet fame paved the way for 20-year-old social media influencer & entrepreneur, Emma Chamberlain, to take on the mantle as Vogue’s lead red carpet interviewer at the Met Gala
🎹 “Stranger Things” drove Kate Bush’s 1985 song Running Up That Hill to #1 on the charts for the first time in over 30 years.
🎃 Users flooded Twitter with memes of Spirit Halloween costumes.
💎 Popstar Lizzo went viral when she played James Madison’s 200-year-old crystal flute at the Library of Congress.
🏀 A coal miner took his son directly to a University of Kentucky basketball game without changing out of his work gear. The head coach saw the pair’s viral photo and gave the family VIP tickets to a University of Kentucky game.
🏥 Creators on YouTube, Twitch and Facebook Gaming raised millions for different organizations through online streaming. In 2022, professional gamer Benjamin “DrLupo” Lupo raised $829,195 during a 24-hour event, surpassing $10 million raised for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital across the last 5 years and has now raised the largest amount of money as a single creator.
✏️#Clearthelist enabled Americans to buy items from teachers’ Amazon wishlists to ease the financial burden of cash-strapped teachers and help provide educational resources for their students!
🤳 Making silent comedy skits, Senegalese immigrant Khaby Lame became the most followed TikTok creator, which has provided him with opportunities to travel the globe to film videos with celebrities, collaborate with brands and be one of four global idols in the McDonald’s FIFA World Cup 2022 campaign. Khaby immigrated to Italy from Senegal in 2001, is estimated to make around $10 million this year, and hopes to learn English and become an actor one day.
🇺🇦 Social media platforms brought the war in Ukraine straight to our phones and desktops, showing us photos and videos of the hardships and bright moments that Ukrainians are experiencing. Digital platforms also streamlined opportunities to mobilize donations and demonstrate support.
🏈 Buffalo Bills fans banded together over social media to donate more than $90,000 in one day to fight pediatric cancer in memory of the brother of tight end Dawson Knox.