A brief overview of what is currently trending on on X in news, culture, and/or trending hashtags and formats.
Taylor Swift: Lawmakers have proposed an anti-nonconsensual AI porn bill after the Taylor Swift controversy. It would let people sue anyone who created or intended to spread the digitally faked sexual images. Meanwhile MAGA supporters have a lot to say about the singer, spreading conspiracy theories being picked up by the likes of Fox News.
Iran: More updates on the Israel-Hamas war. The U.S. readies for weeks of retaliatory strikes against Iran-linked targets after Iran-backed militants killed 3 U.S. service members at a base in Jordan. Iran has responded that they're not afraid of war and warns of a decisive response to any attack. Meanwhile users on X are preparing for WWIII.
#VanderpumpRules: Fresh off of the Scandoval drama of last season, Vanderpump Rules returned last night.
A deeper dive into a subject that is impacting culture on a macro level, beyond just the social space.
Elmo is just checking in
What it is: On Monday, Sesame Street’s perpetual 3-year-old Elmo took to X to ask his followers how everybody was doing. Users, celebrities and brands quickly took to the replies and quote tweets to let Elmo know how they’re doing (not great). Elmo was immediately flooded with replies reflecting the collective feeling of existential dread people are feeling right now. Did Elmo ask for this? Kind of. Did people trauma dump on him? Big time.
What brands can learn: In checking in on now adults who grew up with the show, Seasame Street and Elmo were (maybe unintentionally) in tune with the masses. The post very quickly went viral and took on a new life as meme. The replies may not have gone the way they were expecting, but Elmo’s social team quickly pivoted to acknowledging mental health and stressing the importance of emotional wellbeing in a very brand safe way. This example goes to show how even a simple engagement CTA tweet from a beloved brand/ character can snowball into a way bigger moment with national news coverage and even President Biden tapping in.
Must-click links that crossed our feeds today
Elmo wasn’t the only Sesame Street character taking over Twitter this week. Big Bird was also trending for a social stunt that turned the beloved big guy small. (Don’t worry, he’s big again now)
Horizontal video equity may belong to YouTube, but TikTok is ready to take its shot by boosting this content. It's an arrow shot at YouTube’s dominance in long-form, user-generated content.
For the Mejuri gals - just in, their new campaign “Hoops All Ways” will be spearheaded by Reneé Rapp, the singer-actress who plays Regina George in the new “Mean Girls” movie. Just take my money mother.
The water bottle brands are beefing now that news has emerged that Stanley Cups are testing positive for lead. Here's what Hydro Flask had to say in response.
Want to subscribe? Reach out to culturetaskforce@substack.com.