A brief overview of what is currently trending on X in news, culture, and/or trending hashtags and formats.
Carrie: Country singer Carrie Underwood is set to perform at Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.
California: X users continue to follow developments surrounding the Los Angeles wildfires.
RedNote: The app has hit #1 on the US App Store following news of a possible TikTok ban.
A deeper dive into a subject that is impacting culture on a macro level, beyond just the social space.
Internet Reactions to the Potential TikTok Ban
What It Is: Social media users are mourning the looming threat of a potential TikTok ban by watching and posting as many TikToks as possible before the January 19 deadline. While the platform’s ultimate fate is still not certain, people are preemptively memorializing their favorite TikTok moments—largely in jest and with a dash of existentialism—with trends including preserving FYPs on VHS tapes, highlighting increased screentimes and contributing to farewell compilations. People are also participating in the comment sections of these posts, underscoring a collective uncertainty with sentiments like, “Are we gonna watch TikTok compilations like we used to watch vine ones” and “I'm going to scroll to the end of my fyp.” While any control of the situation is out of the hands of the masses using TikTok, these users are likely to continue similar trends focused on far-fetched loopholes to a potential ban. Needing to put their feelings somewhere, TikTok enthusiasts will also use any remaining time to lean on each other and reminisce on their favorite content.
Brand Takeaway: Brands should continue to follow their contingency plans leading up to a potential TikTok ban and avoid any form of catastrophizing developing news - especially in front of their fans who are actively lamenting the possibility of losing years of their favorite media. Good social media content and strategies will continue to resonate across different platforms, and brands can use this turbulent period of time to nurture their existing audiences. Understanding their fans are also feeling uncertain, and being a constant for them where possible, will continue to set brands up for success.
Examples: 1, 2, 3
Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.
Beyoncé has postponed her January 14 announcement due to the LA wildfires 📅
TikTok has denied Bloomberg’s report that China is considering selling the app to Elon Musk 📱
Bad Bunny surprised fans with a performance in the NYC subway 🎤
X users are posting crystal clear images with the trending text, “tap, hold and load in 4K” 📸
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