A brief overview of what is currently trending in news, culture, and/or trending hashtags and formats.
#China: Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for many countries, except China.
#Luka: Luka Dončić scored 45 points in an emotional return to the Dallas Mavericks.
#Lorde: Lorde is teasing new music following a four-year hiatus.
A deeper dive into a subject that is impacting culture on a macro level, beyond just the social space.
God Forbid…
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What It Is: The “God forbid” TikTok trend has users highlighting traditionally shameful or "toxic" traits and reframing them as positives. From being obsessed with your situationship’s location under the guise of “loving geography,” to defending gossip as a way to “keep traditional storytelling alive,” the trend leans into irony and self-awareness. Online culture often uses self-deprecating humor as a defense mechanism, but here, it becomes a tool for empowerment. What might once have been seen as cringey or over the top is transformed into something confident and relatable. This is delulu culture at its best, rooted in excessive self belief, radical confidence, and emotional transparency.
The Brand Takeaway: The trend follows a fill-in-the-blank format that encourages participation and personal storytelling, which is something we continue to see across viral TikTok moments. What begins as a personal confession quickly becomes a public meme, turning individual experience into something communal. It reflects a broader consumer mindset where there is no solo shame. Instead, shame is softened in the scroll, and what remains is a shared language of self-acceptance and radical relatability. For brands, one takeaway is that audiences are not looking for perfection — they’re drawn to content that feels self-aware, a little messy, and emotionally honest. Leaning into the delusional, the dramatic, or the "too much" can actually build trust, signaling that a brand does not take itself too seriously. This kind of content creates space for audiences to either see themselves in it, or simply appreciate the authenticity of a brand showing up imperfectly online.
Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.
The internet has reacted to Sabrina Carpenter’s Fortnite debut 🕹️
All White Lotus stars are reportedly paid the same amount 🪷
Gen-Xers in creative fields are experiencing a career meltdown 💼
Here’s a list of Coachella performances you don't want to miss 🎸
The Amateur - Theaters, 4.11
One to One: John & Yoko - Theaters, 4.11
Black Mirror Season 7 - Netflix, 4.10
Doctor Who Season 2 - Disney+, 4.12
The Last of Us Season 2 - Max, 4.13
SABLE, fABLE, Bon Iver - 4.11
Aspiral, Epica - 4.11
And The Adjacent Possible, OK GO - 4.11
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