Bill Barr: The Attorney General who formallly said a second term for President Trump would be "chaos" has come out and endorsed the former President for the 2024 election. Users are sounding off at the hypocrisy of the move.
Nike: In repsonse to Caitlin Clark's shoe deal, Aces star A'ja Wilson posted a message cryptically shading that Nike denied her the same deal. Users are dissecting the message and calling out the company for the racial biases and implications.
TTPD: On the eve of Taylor Swift's latest album, fans were hotly anticipating when the album leaked online Wednesday afternoon. Now X is flooded with leaks, links, fake leaks rick rolling users, and fans warring with those who listened and judged the leaks. There's even some conspiracies amongst Swifties that these leaks are AI.
Genovia Doesn't Look Like the Brochure
What it is: On TikTok, users are blending nostalgia with the harsh reality of adulthood. Using the iconic closing lines of 2001's The Princess Diaries as Mia finally sees her gorgeous home country, the fictional Genovia, users reveal themselves looking at something...not so lovely.
Most examples use the audio to criticize business travel, directly addressing the romanticization of work travel with its usually grim reality: isolated neighborhoods, mediocre hotels, and disparate food options. We're also seeing the sound and video structure used to address hyped-up moments that fall flat, like the eclipse not being visible due to clouds and meals not living up to the hype.
The trend is another example of the existential quarter-life crisis elder Gen-Z and young millennials are in. While blending the nostalgia for a better time with a childhood movie favorite, there's underlying disdain for the promises that life didn't deliver. Whether it's the false expectations by older generations of glamorous working life or just feeling unfulfilled, users are once again keeping it real that life isn't all it's cracked up to be.
What brands can learn: More than ever, users are over it. Nihilistic humor stays, but people aren't sugarcoating it anymore: life is tough. Things they looked forward to aren't giving them the same happiness they hoped for. Gone are the days of looking for the silver lining in the situation or being toxically positive. The silver lining is now how ironically and darkly comedic the circumstances are.
Authenticity in these situations isn't putting on a brave face and pretending it's fine. What reads as authentic is cracking a joke, acknowledging a letdown, and simply moving on. Life is too short to focus on the bad, and brands can learn that from how audiences address these roadbumps. So brands should crack a joke, have a little fun at their own expense, and gain respect from those doing the same.
After all, we're just here doing our best, too.
ICYMI: Kesha changes iconic TikTok P Diddy lyric to diss the disgraced rapper. 👏
Travis Kelce is officially hosting "Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?" ✏️
In honor of the 20 year anniversary of Kill Bill: Vol. 2 this week please rewatch the iconic trailer fight. 🐍
Do you agree with this list of insufferable male TV characters? 👀
Abigail - Theatres, 4/19
Migration - Peacock, 4/19
Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver - Netflix, 4/19
The Circle Season 6 - Netflix, Wednesdays
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare - Theatres, 4/19
The Tortured Poets Department - Taylor Swift
The Morrison Project - Billy Morrison
Dark Matter - Pearl Jam
Name Your Sorrow - Pillow Queens
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