Electric Touch: Swifties are reacting to Taylor's first-ever live performance of "Electric Touch" at the Eras Tour in Tokyo.
Goodwill: The thrift store is going viral after a worker refused to give a pair of shoes to a police officer attempting to assist an unhoused woman who had no footwear.
Clarence Thomas: The SCOTUS judge is under fire due to today's hearing regarding election interference and the attempted overturning of the 2020 election. People are calling out his actions as hypocritical since his wife was a participant in the overturning efforts and Jan. 6th.
The Digital Water Cooler
What it is: Monocultural moments feel few and far between. Gone are the days of talking cliffhangers at the water cooler and texting friends during primetime. Now that cable cords are cut and streaming has risen, it's rare to feel like people are on the same page anymore, watching or listening to something simultaneously. Modern monoculture conversation has extended to meet the current cultural barriers in a new way. Most recently, Saltburn became a moment...or months-long moment. Murder on the Dance Floor is still charting (on the Billboard and our social feeds.) It echoes of Running Up That Hill and Stranger Things last summer, which had a similar show obsession to music charting trajectory. We may not all consume these things simultaneously, but we consuming them *around* the same time because of social media. This shift has resulted in cultural moments becoming more like cultural eras. If you're not dancing to the revived song or making trendy references to the Upside Down or to Jacob Elordi's bath water, you're out of the loop. You don't have to tune in at 9 pm on Sunday to see what people are discussing. You can see what song's trending, stream the movie later, post your TikTok, and the zeitgeist extends. Did you miss a viral moment? It's on social within seconds. Catch up the next morning and wait for the funniest meme to develop in a few days. The shelf life on everything has extended, and monoculture thrives in a new way.
What brands can learn: But even if missing something live is a commodity, wanting to be a part of conversation is certainly not. The physical water cooler may be no more, but social has become our watercooler. And it's everywhere and available 24/7. There's even more pressure to understand where trends, memes, and revived music is coming from and put your own spin on it.
As for brands, we feel this pressure every day. Whether it's a reactive opp, coopting a meme format, or referencing the trending sound, all brands want to look like we're in on what our fans are celebrating. Monoculture runs us all, and it always has. It just looks much different now, and lasts even longer. We're all just trying to time it right so we're not too early before crowds have caught on or too late after the moments fade. Searching for the perfect moment to feel a part of something, isn't that what social is supposed to be about?
Examples: 1, 2, 3
Gina Carano is suing Disney in a suit backed by Elon Musk. 💰
Desperate for Valentine's Day ideas? Here's a list for any relationship stage 💕
Did you see Gordon Ramsay's son scowls just like the chef?
Have you seen the trailer for A Quiet Place: Day One? The cat better survive.🐱
One Day - Netflix, Now Streaming
Lisa Frankenstein - Theatres, 2/9
Cat Person - Hulu, 2/9
Bob Marley: One Love - Theatres, 2/14
Madame Web - Theatres, 2/14
What Now - Brittany Howard
Phasor - Helado Negro
She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She - Chelsea Wolfe
Harm's Way - Ducks Ltd.
Want to subscribe? Reach out to culturetaskforce@substack.com.