A brief overview of what is currently trending on on X in news, culture, and/or trending hashtags and formats.
Gaza: Discussions regarding the crisis in Gaza persist this week amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Based on potential disturbing imagery featured in this trending topic we have decided to not include the link. Before sharing any content, carefully assess for potential concerns and approach with sensitivity.
Burt Young: The character actor, known for his role in Rocky, passed away last night. Users are paying tribute and reacting to the news.
Wells Fargo: In Tennessee a Wells Fargo employee was filmed not helping a customer until she put on a mask. This ignited another debate about service in the age of COVID, new strains, resurgences, and when businesses can refuse service.
A deeper dive into a subject that is impacting culture on a macro level, beyond just the social space.
The Longevity of one, Kevin James
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What it is: Nearly a month ago, an old press shot of Kevin James smirking went viral on X. This was from his King of Queens days and the overly posed, ridiculous nature of the image captured fans to meme it. But in a lesson on how trends evolve and move, the memes haven't stopped. They simply changed. Now on TikTok people are personifying Kevin standing in the corner by an aux cord. Apparently he's you, and you've disrupted the party by playing your favorite niche, extra, or referential song. Fans have even started adjusting the image of Kevin to look like a character from the media the song is from, or to fit the sort of personality that would play that music.
What brands can learn: This trend is another example to brands on how the internet and social continues to evolve. Gone are the days of memes existing on one platform for a limited time. Now they evolve, change, and platform jump. We've seen examples of going from TikTok to Twitter (Girl dinner) and now the opposite is seen. More interesting is how memes evolve based on the platform. Going from a text-based platform like Twitter meant needing a first frame in a carousel on TikTok with the prompt before showing the James image. Also, because images are more easily editable on an app like Capcut or TikTok, people are having a lot more fun with making the meme their own absurd brand of comedy, something we know hits harder on TikTok. Instead of just having their general followers use their imagination, users on TikTok know their niche humor will resonate with their followers AND find the correct audience on the FYP, so it's a more freeing platform to evolve and create using the meme.
Examples: 1, 2, 3
Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today
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Fantasizing about adopting a dog soon? Figure out which breed is right for you. 🐶
What to watch and what to listen to this weekend
Watching
Killers of The Flower Moon - Theatres, October 20
Cobweb - Hulu, October 20
Elite Season 7 - Netflix, October 20
Big Mouth Season 7- Netflix, October 20
Lessons in Chemistry - Apple TV+, Fridays
Listen
Something To Give Each Other - Troye Sivan
the rest - boygenius
nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana - Bad Bunny
One More Time... - Blink- 182
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