TikTok released TikTok Next 2026, its sixth annual global trend forecast in the METAP (Middle East, Turkey, Africa, Pakistan & South Asia) region, revealing how audiences are shifting away from passive consumption towards more intentional, emotionally driven engagement and what this means for brands looking to stay relevant in the year ahead.
The report introduces “Irreplaceable Instinct” as the defining cultural theme for 2026, signalling a renewed focus on connection, curiosity, and presence. These are human qualities that technology can amplify but never replace. As regional audiences navigate economic pressure, cultural change, and evolving priorities, data shows they are actively seeking meaning, authenticity, and value in how they engage, discover, and shop.
With a global community of over one billion users, TikTok continues to be where culture is shaped in real-time, powered by AI-driven insights and brought to life through human creativity, conversation, and community.
You can view the full METAP TikTok Next forecast here.
Three trend signals shaping 2026, according to Tik Tok Next report:
- Reali-TEA: Fantasy is fading in favour of real connection. This reflects a shift toward honesty, relatability, and shared reality, with communities bonding over unfiltered life moments rather than polished perfection. Audiences embrace authenticity over escapism, sharing real stories, humour, and emotion as a way to navigate everyday life together. Brands that listen closely and reflect how people truly feel will earn trust and relevance.
Visit Abu Dhabi, for instance, has built one of the strongest organic presences among tourism boards on TikTok by sharing the reali-tea of travel, authentic, relatable moments that highlight culture, leisure, and entertainment. Using TikTok One Content Suite, which enables brands to seamlessly amplify genuine user-generated (UGC) content as native ads, the brand surfaced high-performing organic videos and repurposed them as paid ads, maximizing reach while keeping storytelling genuine. By leaning into community-driven content, the campaign boosted engagement, encouraged organic sharing, and strengthened trust and brand affinity.
- Curiosity Detours TikTok has become a powerful discovery engine, where users arrive with intent but leave with new ideas, interests, and unexpected paths to brands through search, comments, and creators. Discovery on TikTok is non-linear. Users explore interests through unexpected cultural intersections, niche communities, and creator-led journeys, creating multiple entry points for brands to be discovered beyond their core category.
- Emotional ROI Purchase decisions are increasingly driven by meaning, community validation, and trusted tastemakers. Consumers may use AI for information, but they turn to TikTok for the human context that brings confidence and joy to buying decisions. Shoppers are redefining what is “essential”, prioritising emotional return on investment and rewarding brands that clearly justify the reason to buy.
This shift is already playing out on TikTok in the region. A recent example is Property Finder which strategically partnered with TikTok creators who aligned with the brand’s values and target audience. By collaborating with creators who have a genuine connection with their followers, the campaign effectively leveraged authentic content to drive awareness and spark conversations around Property Finder’s offerings. These partnerships not only helped amplify the #PFforEveryLife message but also created a sense of community and trust, leading to higher levels of engagement and more organic app installs. Property Finder saw remarkable success in driving strong Ad Recall and reinforcing its position as the leading property portal in the UAE.
Shadi Kandil, General Manager, Global Business Solutions for Middle East, Turkey, Africa, Central and South Asia at TikTok:
“By 2026, the way people engage online will continue to deepen. Users are increasingly following their curiosity, exploring content with more intention, and expecting real value in return for their time. For brands on TikTok, this creates an opportunity to move beyond visibility toward meaningful participation: showing up in ways that feel timely, culturally connected, and useful. The brands that win will be the ones building on what already works, combining human insight with smarter AI tools and richer data to create content that feels relevant, responsive, and genuinely worth engaging with.”
TikTok Next 2026 is powered by the platform’s own suite of marketing and analytics tools, including TikTok Market Scope, TikTok One Content Suite, and Symphony Creative Studio, and many others, enabling marketers to move from insight to execution in minutes.
TikTok is where culture evolves in real time, where people explore identity, redefine value, and discover what matters next. As 2026 unfolds, brands are encouraged to sharpen what makes them human: listen deeply, create with intention, and show up authentically.
By doing so, brands can stop reacting to trends and instead partner with the platform to lead culture forward, turning insight into impact and curiosity into connection.
