A brief overview of what is currently trending on X in news, culture, and/or trending hashtags and formats.
Zuckerberg: In a letter to the House Judiciary Committee, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote that the Biden-Harris administration pressured Meta to censor COVID-19 content after the company resisted coercion.
Oasis: The brand Oasis has announced a major reunion tour 15 years after their split. Fans have long hoped for this day that the Gallagher brothers would take the stage again.
Shadow: After the Sonic Movie 3 trailer dropped last night, fans are excited to see Keanu Reeves join the Sonic family as he voices Shadow.
A deeper dive into a subject that is impacting culture on a macro level, beyond just the social space.
Generation Alpha is Built Different
What It Is: If you haven’t heard about the 3-year-old social media chef whose career started at 15 months old, get ready to be humbled. When San Diego couple Melody & David realized their daughter Penelope wanted to help in the kitchen, they agreed. Documenting their joint cooking adventure on social media, Penny Kay quickly became an internet sensation known for her charismatic personality. Videos posted this past year show off Penny’s confidence cooking chicken without the help of her mother & her adult understanding of complex recipes like Pear Upside-Down Cake & Duck. While Penny isn’t the only sophisticated child out there on the internet, her page is a testament to the ways in which Generation Alpha is morphing into an outspoken, fiery group many are now calling honey badgers.
Brand Takeaway: Brands, if you were confused by ‘Skibidi toilet,’ just know that we were too (yes, including our Gen Z employees). There’s something to be said about the new kids on the block who seem lightyears ahead of us in their understanding, so much so that their content is baffling. In trying to make sense of Gen Alpha, the best way to define their strong-willed, ambitious, spicy, and confident personalities is through the “Honey Badger Don’t Care” meme stemming from a 2011 YouTube video.
This metaphor speaks to the fiery nature of today’s kids who are completely resetting the status quo. Why does this matter? Well, as the title says, COVID babies are seemingly built differently with their own slew of unique behavior patterns we as marketers are still trying to comprehend. From their vernacular (Ohio, Fanum Tax) to their sense of adult-like independence in the kitchen, this can all likely be attributed to COVID-19. The disparity of lockdown for families is being seen and felt in the starkly different ways this generation presents itself. While some children spent quality time with their parents, others were faced with a lack of resources, financial difficulty, & parental mental health issues that impacted cognitive development. Needless to say, the myriad of ways we’re seeing Gen Alpha present itself proves these kids are ‘mini-Millennials’ modeling their parents’ sarcasm, self-awareness, & influence.
Examples: 1, 2, 3
Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.
🧐 An influencer marketing firm study found that digital creators want to chime in on politics…but most social users don’t want them to.
📹 Elon Musk wants X to be “the everything app” which is why a video conferencing tool is in the works to compete with Zoom, Microsoft, & Google.
💸 See how this TikTok creator handles trademarks and legal issues? Very demure. Very mindful.
📅 On this day in 1996, Prince Charles of Wales & Princess Diana divorced.
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