A brief overview of what is currently trending in news, culture, and/or trending hashtags and formats.
Celtics: Fans are weighing in after the Boston Celtics lost a 20-point lead against the New York Knicks in Game 2 of the NBA playoffs.
Pakistan: Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated with India launching strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir early Wednesday morning.
A deeper dive into a subject that is impacting culture on a macro level, beyond just the social space.
The Conclave Craze
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What It Is: On Wednesday morning, cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church convened to begin the conclave – a highly secretive process to elect the next Pope. The papal conclave was famously the subject of 2024’s Oscar-nominated film Conclave, and the coincidental timing between the film’s release, awards campaign, and the late Pope Francis’ death in April have resulted in a strong surge of public interest in (and plenty of memes about) the papal election process.
Variety reported that on the day following Pope Francis’ death, Conclave viewership spiked by 283% on streaming platforms. Leading up to the conclave, the Internet has been littered with cardinal fancams, online debates, memes, and even live updates from Pope Crave – a self-proclaimed conclave fan account in the style of Pop Crave. Most notably, Gen Z and younger social users are weighing in on the papal candidates and comparing the real-life process to cinematic moments from the 2024 film, turning the centuries-old ritual into a major pop culture moment.
The Brand Takeaway: The social media frenzy surrounding the conclave is reflective of tradition meeting modernity and the digital age. Young people, regardless of their religious beliefs, are tuning into the conclave and seeing the traditional process as a spectacle. Some are turning daily news updates about the papal chimney’s smoke colors into humorous content, while others are creating fandoms around candidates based on their political and cultural stances.
While the success of the film Conclave sparked initial interest in the inner workings of the Church, social media platforms like X and TikTok have catapulted this interest into a shared experience that users across the world can follow. For brands, the conclave should be seen as an ongoing, collective, but also delicate social conversation—any content around it should be vetted for sensitivity and tone. We know Gen Z loves to blend tradition with shareable, unhinged humor, but there’s also a desire among younger people for a certain outcome: a pope who upholds and reflects their personal values as traditional institutions like the Catholic Church continue to influence future generations.
Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.
Lea Michele addressed the viral memes claiming she can’t read in the latest episode of Jake Shane’s Therapuss podcast.
The Golden Globes will introduce a category for Best Podcast starting in 2026.
Netflix announced a major redesign of its home page for the first time in 12 years.
Apple is reportedly looking to reshape Safari by adding AI-powered search options.
Poker Face Season 2 - Peacock, 5/8
Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 3 - Paramount+, 5/8
Friendship - Theaters, 5/9
Fight or Flight - Theaters, 5/9
Nonnas - Netflix/Theaters, 5/9
Juliet & Romeo - Theaters, 5/9
Even in Arcadia - Sleep Token
Pink Elephant - Arcade Fire
Sincerely, - Kali Uchis
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