Dear Millennials: Facebook's Telling You To Start Planning Your New Year's Resolutions Now

It's still weeks away, but in true Millennial fashion, early planning for the New Year is a hot topic. As the holiday how-to and DIY ideas begin circulating social media in earnest, quietly breaking up the monotony of winter wonderland prep is the whisper of New Year's Resolutions.

And at the forefront of this trend is the strong voice of the Millennial – the Fearless Crusader of Facebook, the Viking of Vine and the Terror of Twitter.

Millennials And Social Media

Although social media use is increasing in prevalence across all generations, Millennials still hold the monopoly as compared to older generations.

According to recent Pew Research, 18–29 year olds exhibit the most social networking site use at 90 percent, followed closely by those within the 30–49-years-old bracket at 77 percent.

Why Facebook Trends Matter

Related, social media have become a vehicle of culture. In its infancy, social media as an amalgamative entity was seen as a commodity; this view has changed within the last decade as these outlets have become engrained into society, propelling not just dominating opinions, but political stances, social justice and ethics.

As described by scholar Jose van Dijck in the abstract to his monumental work "The Culture of Connectivity: A Critical History of Social Media," "Each of these microsystems (social media sources) occupies a distinct position in the larger ecosystem of connective media, and yet, their underlying mechanisms […] rely on shared ideological principles."

Van Dijck continued, "'Sharing,' ‘friending,' ‘liking,' ‘following,' ‘trending,' and ‘favoriting' have come to denote online practices imbued with specific technological and economic meanings."

In other words, what rampantly goes around on social media is due special attention.

New Year's And Social Media

According to Facebook analytics, approximately 100,000 people were chatting about New Year's on December 4; 96,860 users were discussing New Year's Eve; and 92,676 people were talking about New Year's Resolutions.

While it is not a perfect metric and only collects data from a single social medium, Facebook's new "People Talking" feature is an indicator of how popular topics are at the current moment.

Suffice it to say, chances are Millennials are caring and sharing thoughts about the year to come.

What To Do With This Information

While trends and statistics are important, they are often overlooked by the individuals who contribute to them. However, noting what snags the attention of a particular group can be a phenomenal way to ground and anchor personal objectives.

By providing guidance and prompting conversation, trends can help individuals stay motivated and focused on achieving individual or collective goals.

Below are a few popular New Year's Resolutions that appear year after year according to Talk.edu, each of which have been seen floating around social media lately:

• Make small investments
• Save money
• Improve finances
• Get out of debt
• Start a business
• Get/change job
• Reduce stress
• Give to charity

Note how many of these entries have to do with personal finance and financial wellbeing. It is important to realize that, just as these trending phrases appear yearly, budgeting is not a one and done event. Financial readiness and security are ongoing habits that need to be checked in on throughout the year; however, New Year's is a wonderful opportunity to refocus and gain insight into where your goals are headed.

So, keep reading those posts, keep thinking about what's trending and keep your New Year's Resolutions on track.

Remember: If you find yourself in financial duress, there is help available. Reach out to your financial advisor, personal planner or trusted colleague to guide you on your financial journey to stability.

Image Credit: Public Domain