A brief overview of what is currently trending on X in news, culture, and/or trending hashtags and formats.
#MetGala: Fashion fans are recapping last night's red carpet looks.
Drake: X users are breaking down the beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, a conversation brands should steer clear of given the nature of subjects being discussed.
Rafah: Israel's military has seized the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing.
A deeper dive into a subject that is impacting culture on a macro level, beyond just the social space.
brain rot
What it is: Is your brain cooked from being extremely online? There’s a trend for that. Brain rot refers to the impact of being chronically online to the point where those affected start to constantly reference online topics in offline settings. This phenomenon is specifically associated with content thought by some to have little to no substantive value (like memes and popular slang) and the tendency to link those online references with the real world. Brain rot itself has even become a content category: the latest TikTok trend features two drawn people having a conversation – except the first person keeps being interrupted by the second person deep in the throes of brain rot. It’s a good example of how deeply ingrained the internet can become in our real life and how users are actively embracing that blurring of reality by making brain rot one big inside joke.
What brands can learn: Brain rot is more or less now a permanent mindset people experience on and offline, and brands should be prepared to understand and tap into this mindset. On the surface, that means keeping up on the latest memes and slang that your followers care about. It also means understanding that all of said memes and slang inevitably become so entangled that they morph into one, indistinguishable brain rot web. As always, it’s also important to understand how the content your brand puts out affects followers, including potentially negative effects it could produce. Brain rot is an inherently funny territory to explore, though, so start consuming and don’t stop!
Examples: 1, 2, 3
Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.
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