A brief overview of what is currently trending on X in news, culture, and/or trending hashtags and formats.
Francis Scott: The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed following a collision with a container ship, causing multiple people to fall into the Patapsco River.
Diddy: Diddy's Los Angeles and Miami homes were raided by Homeland Security on Monday.
#airmaxday: Sneaker fans are celebrating the iconic Nike shoes.
A deeper dive into a subject that is impacting culture on a macro level, beyond just the social space.
me as a ps2 character
What it is: TikTok and X users are turning themselves into PlayStation 2 style characters using AI. In order to achieve that pixelated look found in classic PS2 games, users are uploading their photos and running prompts with Replicate's fofr/face-to-many feature. Once the perfect aesthetic is generated, this CapCut template can be used on TikTok to do a before-and-after reveal. This trend is so popular that multiple tutorials have gone viral – clearly no one wants to miss out on this widespread trip down memory lane.
What brands can learn: "PS2 character" not only provides a fun, nostalgic moment, but also allows users to instantly recreate said nostalgia in a creative way. Following breakthroughs in AI, more and more social media trends are likely to depend on its use as AI instantaneously expands the boundaries of what's visually achievable for the average user. Whether or not brands currently use AI to generate content, they should strive to lean into past-meets-present trends that provide fans multiple layers of entertainment.
Anna Kendrick's 'Cups' song was released 11 years ago 🎶
X users are doing deep dives into the evolution of music artists' Instagram accounts 📸
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were spotted in the Bahamas and created waves online 🌊
MoonPie is celebrating the April 8 solar eclipse with an "eclipse survival kit" 🌕
Want to subscribe? Reach out to culturetaskforce@substack.com.