A brief overview of what is currently trending in news, culture, and/or trending hashtags and formats.
Jrue: The NBA offseason is off to a quick star with the Boston Celtics trading away star point guard Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trailblazers.
Israel and Iran: After President Trump announced that the two countries had agreed to a ceasefire last night, it was announced this morning that both countries had violated the ceasefire already.
Jeremiah: The ‘Love Island USA’ villa was shook up last night with fans discussing the drama in the house.
A deeper dive into a subject that is impacting culture on a macro level, beyond just the social space.
Taking The Edge Off In Times Of Stress
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What It Is: As we sometimes see with trends, they’re cyclical; coming back around into the mainstream when appropriate and relevant to the world around us. That is the case with the latest trend, taking the edge off, as it occupied for you pages last summer before ultimately coming back into our lives now. In this trend, users are holding things that bring them comfort or a feeling of safety as if it was a cigarette with the caption “Just a little something to take the edge off…” overlaid on top. It is meant to represent what allows the user to relax in a stressful moment, as cigarettes do for some. But, with the versatility and adaptability of the trend itself it allows you to learn something about the creator and their passions.
Brand Takeaway: On the surface this trend is one that is funny and lighthearted with users highlighting things like foods they enjoy, their beds, and even holding their partner. But, in the grander scheme of things the resurfacing of this trend may be a sign for the role social media is going to play in the near future. It shows that users are feeling stressed and as a result really do need something that is going to take the edge off; and this makes sense. Social media has become the primary news source for younger generations and with all the turmoil currently going on around the world bad news can feel unavoidable. Consequently, people are looking to find their own versions of comfort or “therapy”. As brands we can attempt to assist in that, providing peoples feeds with content that allows them to relax and take a minute away from the outside world. Doom scrolling has taken on a new meaning in 2025 and it’s our job to bring some less gloom onto the for you page.
Examples: 1, 2, 3
Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.
The Benson Boone ‘Moonbeam Ice Cream’ cookie is coming to Crumbl cookies this week, and so are the backflips.
Amtrak is having some fun with their ads for the summer on social media.
The Los Angeles Angels Double-A minor league baseball team, the Rocket City Trash Pandas, rebranded for a game to the Alabama White Sauce.
Somehow people are making better art with typewriters than I could imagine making with my hands.
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