CHICAGO, Oct. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sprout Social (Nasdaq: SPT), a leading AI-powered Social Intelligence platform, today released its second annual Social Media Dictionary, a comprehensive analysis of the words, phrases and viral movements that shaped global culture in 2026.

The report analyzes public social media posts across major platforms throughout the year to reveal the key words shaping online culture. Sprout’s analysis breaks down what this changing language tells us about shifting user preferences, evolving consumer behavior, and broader cultural trends, highlighting a clear move away from quick, surface-level content toward depth, real community, and human effort.

The Top Words of 2026

At the top of the list, Lore was named Sprout's 2026 Word of the Year after generating over 10 million social mentions. Driven by everyday trends like "realizing your friend has lore," the term's rise reflects a broader cultural shift away from fast, surface-level posts toward content rich in context, history, and narrative. McDonald’s proved the commercial value of this shift by tapping into The Backrooms, a viral internet mythology that inspired an A24 film. The brand's lore-inspired campaign earned over 16.6 million views and 744k engagements.

"Lore isn't just a viral moment, it's a signal of how audiences want to engage with brands and culture in 2026," said Scott Morris, Chief Marketing Officer at Sprout Social. "The future of social strategy isn't about chasing surface-level attention or fleeting trends. It's about understanding the deeper context and narrative that audiences are craving, and showing up with content that rewards that curiosity rather than exploiting it. When brands invest in that kind of depth, relevance and connection can grow exponentially."

The other top words of 2026 included Slop, which generated 8.8 million mentions across platforms as audiences continued to push back against low-quality, mass-produced AI content.

The year also saw Niche become a badge of honor, mentioned 4.2 million times as communities retreated from algorithm-driven feeds into smaller corners of shared interest. Meanwhile, Maxxing reached 3.5 million mentions and broke into frontline news coverage, appearing in over 67k news articles as media outlets tracked culture's obsession with optimization.

The Year's Top Marketing Words

The Dictionary also identified the terms marketers leaned on most in 2026. These concepts moved from social feeds directly into campaign briefs, executive approvals, and brand positioning, reflecting the strategies that shaped marketing throughout the year.

Unhinged emerged as a key term with 4.6 million mentions, describing the chaotic brand voice popularized by consumer brands, such as Grillo’s Pickles, whose viral "pickle sees the Statue of Liberty" stunt generated $8.5 million in Earned Media Value. Meanwhile, Episodic content gained strong momentum with 115,960 mentions, as 57% of social users expressed a desire for original, multi-part brand video series that mirror TV storytelling.

Looking Ahead to 2027

While the Dictionary looked back, it also looked forward to the words set to define digital conversation in 2027. Polyester (264,424 mentions) is being used figuratively by Gen Z to describe anything cheap or over-polished, signaling a sharp sustainability and content backlash against synthetic marketing.

Meanwhile, terms like Influencer Fatigue (62,238 mentions) reflect growing audience weariness with paid influencer posts, and viral conversation surrounding MySpace (203,070 mentions) underscores a broader hunger for nostalgic, less-algorithmic corners of the internet.

"Looking toward 2027, we are seeing an incredible opportunity for brands to stand out through genuine creativity and effort," added Morris. "Audiences are craving content that feels thoughtful, authentic, and distinctly human. Success in the year ahead will belong to brands that lean into bold, creative storytelling, leverage nostalgia, and create meaningful experiences that build lasting, trust-based relationships.”

Read the full 2026 Social Media Dictionary [here] or learn more about Sprout Social [here].

About Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a leading AI-powered social intelligence platform, built on the belief that All Business is Social℠. Powered by Trellis, Sprout’s proprietary AI agent, the platform is designed to transform real-time social media signals into actionable insights that drive business forward. Consistently recognized as a top software by G2, Sprout enables brands to deliver smarter, faster business impact through a suite of solutions including comprehensive publishing and engagement, customer care, influencer marketing, advocacy and predictive media intelligence. Sprout’s software operates across all major social networks and digital platforms. For more information about Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT), visit sproutsocial.com.

Social Media Profiles
www.x.com/SproutSocial
www.x.com/SproutSocialIR
www.facebook.com/SproutSocialInc
www.linkedin.com/company/sprout-social-inc-/
www.instagram.com/sproutsocial

Media Contact
Abigail Hart
Email: pr@sproutsocial.com
Phone: (860) 309-4550