A brief overview of what is currently trending on X in news, culture, and/or trending hashtags and formats.
Coco: X users are reacting to an umpire's controversial calls toward tennis star Coco Gauff during a third-round singles match at the Paris Olympics.
(CONTENT WARNING) Southport: A knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the U.K. left three children dead and more injured.
Trump and Vance: X users are discussing the favorability of the Republican nominees for President and Vice President.
A deeper dive into a subject that is impacting culture on a macro level, beyond just the social space.
Breakout Athlete to Meme Superstar
What it is: Casual viewers of the Olympics are using memes to relate to athletes they’re meeting for the first time and deciphering the intricacies of their sports. These athletes train their whole lives to perform at the Games but are often new faces to people who don't follow their careers in non-Olympic years. Following the Men's Artistic Gymnastics team final competition, Stephen Nedoroscik quickly became an enormous topic across social platforms due to his quirky personality and peculiar position on the US men's gymnastics team. The popularity of the US women's gymnastics team, led by all-time great Simone Biles, is typically much higher than that of the men's team, but the Olympics provide a spotlight in which any relatively unknown athlete can become a household name. With social users calling Stephen the Clark Kent of pommel horse, and even a long-lost friend in their minds, he's quickly become one of the breakout stars of Paris 2024.
What brands can learn: While Stephen wasn't necessarily expected to become such a popular Olympic face, social users immediately recognized his underdog status and celebrated his understated charm. Any brand or product has the potential to become a breakout hit, especially when the stars align during a huge opportunity like the Olympics. Planting lore for fans to easily meme-ify your brand or relate it to another top-of-mind topic are key ingredients for this. And, like Stephen, sometimes waiting for your turn on the sidelines (versus being too heavy-handed) gives other people the agency to connect the dots of your story.
Examples: 1, 2, 3
Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.
Megan Thee Stallion is reportedly making an appearance with Kamala Harris for a rally on July 30th in Atlanta 🗳️
Beyoncé was spotted leaving a filming location in New York 👀
Céline Dion accidentally took a video instead of a photo with fans in Paris, and we must protect her at all costs 🤳
Mariah Carey and Olivia Rodrigo met at the GUTS World Tour 💜
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