The Connector Market Share Analysis for June 2026

By Anastasia Carrow. Anastasia Carrow earned her BFA in Writing from SCAD in 2022. She’s currently querying her first novel, a new adult academic rivalry romance—inarguably the best trope. This article was submitted by a contributing writer. To have an article published with The Connector, email editor@scadconnector.com. No matter the social platform, a quick scroll through the millions of posts marked with the hashtag “cottagecore” will result in a very cohesive brand of content. The hashtag has accrued nearly 10 billion views on TikTok, where you’ll find short, cute videos of influencers decked out in elf ears, prancing among wildflowers in vaguely Victorian- or Regency-era flowing dresses, usually cupping baby ducklings or rolling out some homemade bread dough. On Instagram, there are over 3 million posts filed under #cottagecore, toadstools and dangling wisteria and crochet cardigans galore. On Tumblr, where the hashtag was originally coined, you’ll be presented with meadows, wildlife, and nods to periods past — notably, a romanticized, English countryside version of a time when we were all allowed to slow down a little. Cottagecore is an idyll, a fantasy, and people are clinging to it—but why? What is so alluring to us about escapism? @camillecorlouer on Instagram Cottagecore and Corona It’s important to note the correlation between the rise of cottagecore idealism and the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. While the aesthetic gained its name in 2018, the activity of cottagecore content online spiked as cases did. In March to April of 2020 alone, cottagecore posts on Tumblr jumped 541 percent in likes. Confinement to our homes sparked sudden interest in sourdough starters, home improvement projects, YouTube knitting tutorials, or the simple act of going outside and breathing fresh air on a more regular basis. “Our brains are overloaded with information on a daily basis,” said Meredith Hrebenak, a Canton-based licensed professional counselor.