A brief overview of what is currently trending in news, culture, and/or trending hashtags and formats.
Gene Hackman: Fans are mourning Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, after they were found dead in their Santa Fe home.
Real Sociedad vs. Real Madrid: Real Madrid will advance in the Copa del Rey semifinals after beating Real Sociedad 0-1.
Epstein: The US Justice Department announced plans to release flight logs and client lists related to Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday.
A deeper dive into a subject that is impacting culture on a macro level, beyond just the social space.
Elmo is Social Media’s Most Wholesome Star
What It Is: Sesame Street has taught generations of children about the ABCs, basic reasoning skills, and life lessons with their quirky muppets and celebrity special guests. Characters like Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch have become notable pop culture icons in their own right, but there’s something about Elmo—the lovable furry red monster—that has made him a beloved staple on social media.
While many Sesame Street characters have their own personal X profiles, Elmo has consistently gone viral for his wholesome and relatable updates. It’s partly because Elmo is often in tune with major cultural moments and figures, whether he’s giving Sza her flowers for her Super Bowl halftime performance, or reminiscing on his time with Beyoncé and his voice is always true to character. Elmo also taps into relatable human truths — his most recent viral post openly let his followers know that his nap didn’t go as planned. In 2024, a simple wellness check from Elmo unknowingly spurred over 19,000 replies from people eager to share their feelings, and garnered the attention of former President Joe Biden, who chimed in to highlight the importance of community during troubling times.
The Brand Takeaway: Elmo’s transition from children’s TV star to adults’ social media icon is a great example of a brand extending its relevance and growing up along with its core target audience. By bringing its most recognizable characters to life on social, Sesame Street spreads its messages of positivity, wellness, and education to a wider audience, and makes the internet a better place in the process. In a climate full of divisive news and tension, Elmo’s wholesome presence on social fills a need for uplifting, relatable content and activates the nostalgia of multiple generations.
If brands can learn anything from Elmo’s social media stardom, it’s that relatability, humanity (even from a monster), and nostalgia continue to be major engagement drivers on social. At a time when social is at its most divided and users are under constant pressure to keep up with the pace of culture, small reminders of our own humanity and callbacks to the things we all know and love most can be enough.
Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.
Michelle Trachtenberg, former Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl star, passed away at 39.
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Luka Dončić, now a Los Angeles Laker, paid for fans’ parking at his first game against his former team, the Dallas Mavericks.
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Running Point - Netflix, 2/27
The 97th Academy Awards - ABC/Hulu, 3/2
Last Breath - Theaters, 2/28
Alter Ego - LISA
Off With Her Head - BANKS
The Sky, The Earth & All Between - Architects
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