Where Art and Social Change Converge
The Top 5 Cultural Moments That Defined 2024
by Ayushi Dutta
(The Artivist’s Editor-in-Chief looks back at events that shaped the previous year for her.)
Every year has its defining cultural moments, and 2024 was no exception. From viral internet phenomena to game-changing artistic movements, this year proved that pop culture is more influential than ever. As a teenager constantly scrolling through the chaos of the digital age, here are the top five media and art moments that shaped my year!
- Brat Summer
If there’s one aesthetic that dominated this year, it was Brat Summer. Coined by TikTok and fueled by artists like Chappell Roan and Troye Sivan, this movement was all about embracing chaos, smudged eyeliner, and the anything-goes energy of early-2010s indie pop culture. It felt like a rebellion against previous years’ polished, try-hard aesthetics—people were over the clean-cut influencer look and ready to romanticize messy, unfiltered fun. Whether it was through blurry flash photography or throwing on whatever thrifted outfit felt the most ridiculous, Brat Summer was a throwback to the times when imperfection was cool.
- Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and the Reinvention of Country
Beyoncé once again proved that she can do literally anything with Cowboy Carter, an album that flipped country music on its head. By blending traditional country elements with R&B and her powerhouse vocals, she not only created something groundbreaking but also challenged the long-standing gatekeeping of the genre. The internet, as expected, went feral. From discourse about Black artists in country music to the sheer hype surrounding each track, Cowboy Carter wasn’t just an album—it was a moment, a statement, and a conversation starter all wrapped in one. Winning the Grammy’s was just the cherry on top!
- The Rise of AI-Generated Art and Its Controversies
AI’s presence in the creative world skyrocketed this year, and not without controversy. AI-generated music, writing, and visual art became more advanced, leading to some people embracing it as a revolutionary tool while others saw it as a threat to human creativity. The debate over AI’s role in artistry got heated—were AI-generated songs just soulless copies of real music, or was this the future? As lawsuits flew and artists spoke out, 2024 became the year we all had to grapple with what ‘originality’ and human-made art even meant anymore.
- Inside Out 2 and the Evolution of Animated Storytelling
Pixar’s Inside Out 2 was more than just another animated sequel—it hit hard. Expanding on the original’s emotional depth, the movie introduced new emotions and tackled the chaos of growing up in a way that felt painfully real. Whether you were a kid, a teenager, or a full-grown adult pretending not to cry in the theater, Inside Out 2 reminded everyone how powerful animation can be. It reignited discussions about mental health and identity, proving that animated films aren’t just for kids. I also thought that it captured the awkwardness and embarrassing moments of adolescence painfully well– the anxiety character felt like a breath of fresh air for relatable teen fiction.
- The ‘Delulu’ Mindset, ‘Demure’ Aesthetic, and Internet Escapism
If 2023 gave us ‘girl math,’ 2024 belonged to ‘delulu’—but not just the classic ‘delusional’ optimism. This year, the ‘delulu’ mindset intertwined with the ‘demure’ aesthetic, a trend-obsessed with soft femininity, quiet luxury, and a romanticized approach to life. Social media feeds became flooded with images of flowy dresses, candlelit journaling, and people trying to embody a main-character energy rooted in old-school elegance inspired by iconic actresses like Audrey Hepburn and Meryl Streep (psst- my favorite’s still Julia Roberts).
From music to movies to the way we exist online, 2024 was a year of reinvention. Whether we were embracing the messiness of Brat Summer, getting emotional over Inside Out 2, or debating the future of AI art, one thing was clear: pop culture is as influential as ever. And if this year taught us anything, it’s that sometimes, the best way to navigate the chaos is to lean into it and make it your own. 2024 felt like a fever dream, but the way 2025 is going- it looks like we’re in for a whole new genre of pop culture!
Ayushi Dutta