A brief overview of what is currently trending in news, culture, and/or trending hashtags and formats.
Lollapalooza: The festival announced its lineup Tuesday morning with pre-sale tickets going on sale Thursday.
JFK Files: The National Archives released thousands of pages of declassified records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
NASA: The U.S. astronauts stranded on the International Space Station safely returned to Earth.
A deeper dive into a subject that is impacting culture on a macro level, beyond just the social space.
JuggTok vs. SlimeTok Civil War
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What It Is: JuggTok and SlimeTok are two rival niche meme communities that are heavily influenced by AAVE slang and specific visual aesthetics. JuggTok originated from the popular "I will not jugg in class" memes, with JuggTok followers posting memes using 💔 and 🥀 emojis. When JuggTok became more mainstream, SlimeTok emerged as a response and uses the 💚 emoji. This contrast in style and tone has fueled tensions between the two communities, leading to constant banter and content clashes across the platform. The rivalry has sparked a meme war, dubbed “the Great TikTok Civil War.”
Brand Takeaway: While the battle may seem intense, it is largely a playful and ironic TikTok meme trend. Meme subcultures exist to support identity and belonging. When subcultures are threatened by mainstream appropriation, they claim new spaces, norms, and factions to remain authentic and exclusive–even if that means “war.” When brands are speaking to niche online communities as part of their social strategy, they should understand the intricate lores and cues of the social ecosystem to ensure engagement with consumers is genuine.
Examples: 1, 2, 3
Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.
Dropkick Murphy suspended from X after feud with Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
RIP Forever 21.
Ana de Armas stars as a rising assassin intent on revenge in the anticipated "John Wick" spin-off 'Ballerina.'
Grand Ole Opry celebrated its 100th Anniversary with a star-studded concert.
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