[016] Thursday vibe check: what everyone's talking about on social this week.
(save yourself the brain rot)
It’s Thursday in Sydney, which means the Wednesday vibe check is now one day late. Time really flies when you’re writing a newsletter for free 🥲
The weekly AV Vibe Check is a quick lowdown on what everyone’s talking about on social media, with a few pieces of brand content thrown in for good measure.
My goal is to get you plugged into the zeitgeist without having to expose you to the level of brainrot I experience on a weekly basis (it’s too late for me but you can save yourself!)
Inside today’s edition:
The vibe of the week — what’s trending on social and swirling in the zeitgeist
Standout brand content to keep you inspired
Trends to watch
Let’s get into it!
Some brand content to keep you inspired (reminder: my big weekly scroll stopper is sent out on Monday’s! Here’s this week’s)
HGA youth ministry - perfectly executed, no notes!
The Nature Conservatory tapped into the Nicki Minaj challenge and honestly? Slay.
Elf cosmetics collaborating with sharpie in response to the latest viral TikTok trend - using a sharpie as *checks notes* lipliner (I am shuddering). A smart way to capitalise on a trend, and for Sharpie to be seen attempting to dissuade people from a potentially toxic pastime.
I’ve kept track so that you don’t have to :)
Hold the dots and scroll - this one has been making the rounds, but I find the product reveals particularly interesting. If you’re launching something soon, this could be a good creative execution to test!
Mouse trap - best used to call out your audience (with love).
Not quite news, but still relevant - this is what everyone’s talking about on socials right now…
Everyone’s an affiliate marketer now
It’s no longer just influencers using tools like LTK to capitalise on their outfit posts - the number of young people using ShopMy, LTK or the Amazon affiliate program on their social media is rising, and is no longer exclusive to well known influencers. I think this is a reflection of the trend towards everyone being a creator, with two thirds of Gen Z now identifying as content creators.
People are mad about Amertican Eagle’s “eugenics core” campaign with Sydney Sweeney.
Although the collaboration originally saw American Eagle’s stock price rose by more than 4%, backlash was swift on social media, with many users accusing American Eagle of creating a campaign with strong undertones of eugenics. Yikes. So far, Sweeney is yet to respond publicly.
Gen Z are still obsessed with claw clips - specifically, “Chelsea Park” style.
Not being Gen Z, I missed this one at first. The reason it’s of interest to me is that I’m fascinated to see who the next generation of influencers will be - and it seems like influencer turned brand founder Chelsea Park (she has created a very viral ‘PARKE"‘ sweatshirt) is leading the charge.
Office chair butt discourse continues!
This (entirely made up) condition is essentially when your bum flattens after years of sitting at a desk. However, what started as a simple social media trend now seems to be picking up steam in the wellness sphere - in this case, a wellness app has clearly capitalised on it for a PR piece with Bustle. Office chair butt paranoia reminds me of “12-3-30” and “levelling up the hot girl walk” - wellness trends that are ultimately rooted in outdated body standards.
The toupee is back, thanks in part to TikTok
No longer just the hair covering of choice for authoritarian leaders, toupee’s are having a revival, thanks in part to a more modern look/feel championed by TikTok viral hairdressers like the one featured in the above NY Times piece. I’m all for men doing what makes them feel confident, and if a toupee can look good, then you know what? Hell yeah.
We hate it when influencers quit their jobs!
People on TikTok are very riled up about a creator called hubs.life, who made content about the “realities” of being a working dad, not only quitting his job but…filming fake office content? On the flip side, I’ve seen a lot of videos of influencers returning to the workforce, citing boredom and a lack of stability as driving factors.
I think we’ll see more and more videos of influencers returning to a 9-5, as anecdotally, I see a lot of users commenting that they prefer seeing a creator who has a job and “normal life”, just like them.
IG Edits heard that we all hate their fonts, so they’ve done something about it.
A win for creators everywhere, and another week where IG Edit’s free product edges closer to being a better tool than CapCut for the everyday content creator.
Mary Phillips, the make up artist who’s “underpainting” method went viral in 2023, is launching a make up line!
It makes me wonder whether you can really “make it” as a MUA these days without having a social media presence.
Millennial brand Outdoor Voices is back, with Ty Haney at the helm
For the aussies who never experienced OV: this hugely viral (as in: one of the OG Insta successes) athleisure brand was founded by 20-something (at the time) Ty Haney, who was then unceremoniously ousted when VC investors brought in seasoned CEO Mickey Drexler to run the show. OV proceeded to go down the drain and shutter their stores, in a classic “millennial DTC unicorn turned sh**show” story arc. However, OV is back and Haney is very much steering the ship once more. It remains to be seen whether Gen Z will have much interest in the brand, and whether Haney’s frequent mentions of her friendship with Elon Musk will leave a sour taste in people’s mouths.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has acknowledged that the actual “how” of this new law is a little murky right now, but said that the Australian Government will be putting pressure on platforms to design “simple solutions”. Australia is one of the first countries to introduce legislation around age limits for social media, so a lot of eyes are on this one. For the record: I didn’t get Facebook until I was 17 (albeit because it had recently been invented), and I do think it was for the best.
That’s it for now!
If you liked this newsletter, I’d love it if you let me know, or even shared it with a friend. If you hated it, let me know too! Hatred fuels me :)