digdig Inc. conducted a trend survey targeting readers of its media outlets, focusing on Gen Z and Gen Alpha females, and announced the "2026 First Half Trends Chosen by Gen Z and Gen Alpha." This ranking was created by conducting a survey in May and compiling the results to look back at the trends that garnered attention in the first half of 2026. The categories covered are "SNS Words," "People," "Things," "Apps," "Characters," and "Idols," totaling six categories. Furthermore, it captures the "real present" of young people sensitive to fashion, SNS, and culture, providing valuable hints for understanding ever-changing trends. [Survey Overview] *When using the survey results from this release, please clearly state "Survey by digdig." Survey Name: 2026 First Half Trends Chosen by Gen Z and Gen Alpha Survey Period: May 20, 2026 (Wed) - May 21, 2026 (Thu) Survey Method: Instagram survey feature Target Audience: Followers of our company's Instagram who are primarily supported by Gen Z and Gen Alpha. "@velle.jp", "@retlog_official", "@peeps.mag", "@ssd_by_digdig", "@zirai_zyoshi" Number of Valid Responses: 26,039 (Multiple selections OK) Survey Results Summary 2026 First Half Trend Tendency 1: Boom in "Verbalization" of Social Satire and Human Relationships In the SNS Words category, while social and human relationship criticism/satire keywords like lookism satire and frenemy ranked in the Top 2, the third place "〇〇 de Metsu" was a positive phrase expressing enthusiasm for oshi-katsu (supporting idols/characters) and things they love. Including "constructionネタ" (meme-like phrases) such as Kansai-ben memes and Tagosaku sentences, it suggests the establishment of a culture of empathy through wordplay. 2026 First Half Trend Tendency 2: Comprehensive Retro Revival In the Things/Events category, sticker trading, Tomodachi Collection, and gachapon, and in the Characters category, Tamagotchi, Monchhichi, Jewelpet, and Usahana, retro content occupied almost all of the rankings.