A brief overview of what is currently trending on on X in news, culture, and/or trending hashtags and formats.
Ohio: Two key issues were on the ballot yesterday for Ohio resulting in the approval of a constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights, and to legalize recreational marijuana use.
#NationalSTEMDay: Calling all lovers of science! Today is the day we officially celebrate advances made in Science, Tech, Engineering and Mathematics!
GTA 6: The next installment in the Grand Theft Auto video game series has been announced by parent company Rockstar Games putting to bed rumors and anticipation from its fans.
A deeper dive into a subject that is impacting culture on a macro level, beyond just the social space.
The art of collecting
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What it is: It seems like almost weekly Starbucks is rolling out a brand new reusable cup for consumers to purchase as a means to end single-use cups, causing fans to have collections in the dozens. Fans go out of their way to search for new, rare, or older editions of this cup showing off their finds for the ever-fascinated on social who might be inspired to do the same. Collecting goes beyond just Starbucks cups, and while this has been a practice for eons, has only become more present with the rise of social media. Not only is it valuable to have the item but the documentation of the search and acquire is becoming its own industry. This collection habit has also led to collaborations with the intent of creating something so limited-edition it drives these collectors (both professional and amateur) into a frenzy, such as the Starbucks x Stanley collab that launched last week and sold out at a rapid clip. This collector culture has even spawned specific sounds on TikTok aiming to show off products they own.
What brands can learn: While it might be exciting and a great play for brands to gamify merch by releasing updated versions of a product consistently and potentially working with these creators whose time is spent simply collecting, there is an environmental and ethical implication that might rub consumers the wrong way. It’s important for brands to weigh when it might become too much, or stay up to date with consumer sentiment, pivoting actions to help offset production damages. As consumers use social to voice their opinions, brands should take these sentiments, no matter how quantifiably small, seriously.
Examples: 1, 2, 3
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Beige Christmas, OUT. Gaudy, early 2000s holiday nostalgia, IN.
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