A brief overview of what is currently trending in news, culture, and/or trending hashtags and formats.
Snapchat: Snapchat, along with other apps hosted on Amazon Website Services, is experiencing a widespread service outage.
Tyler: In classic Twitter fashion, resurfaced tweets from Tyler, The Creator have sparked conversations around colorism and anti-Black rhetoric.
Jack Dorsey: The X co-founder is publicly endorsing Rep. Thomas Massie in his bid for the presidency.
A deeper dive into a subject that is impacting culture on a macro level, beyond just the social space.
Let’s Bring Back Physical Media
What It Is: As Gen Z and Millennials continue to yearn for the simplicity of their childhood and adolescent years, a wave of nostalgia is bringing physical media back into focus. In an era where streaming dominates movies, TV, and music, the space for tangible content like DVDs, CDs, and even physical books has shrunk dramatically. Yet a growing number of consumers are calling for the return of these formats, not just as a way to disconnect, but to honor how media consumption once felt: intentional, tactile, and deeply personal. On platforms like TikTok, users are encouraging others to build physical media libraries or proudly showcasing their collections as a form of digital storytelling. Micro-trends have also emerged, such as “vinyl for vinyl” swaps, further fueling the movement.
The Brand Takeaway: Consumers are gravitating toward physical media not simply out of nostalgia, but because it fulfills a deeper emotional need. Each purchase feels like reclaiming a piece of their identity. These are sentiment-driven choices, signaling a clear opportunity for brands to lean into emotional resonance across digital, physical, and experiential touchpoints. To stay relevant, brands should lead on social while honoring legacy formats, crafting campaigns and activations that blur the lines between modern engagement and tactile experience. This isn’t about going backward. It’s about meeting audiences in the middle, where memory and meaning converge.
A recap of what you might have missed while not online
No Kings rallies took place across the U.S. over the weekend.
Sabrina Carpenter served as both co-host and musical guest on SNL.
Black Phone 2 led the weekend box office with $26M in ticket sales.
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