Chai tea and tea tea, ketamine and a submarine
The Moments Matrix is a guide to what’s trending on the world’s leading social media sites. Find out what’s going viral and what's here to stay across mainstream and niche topics.
This week's matrix has been compiled by Nichefire.
Image by: The Social Intelligence Lab
Elon Musk enacts new viewership limitations for Twitter
Elon Musk's bold actions with Twitter have caused other social data sources to reconsider their business model. Musk's latest announcement concerned many Twitter users - as their Tweet viewership will be limited to just 6000 tweets a day for verified "Blue" users and 600 tweets for unverified users in an attempt to thwart web scraping. With these trends, we see more social platforms change their business model in a similar way.
Data Source: Twitter, news/media
US Supreme Court rejects student loan forgiveness plan
US President Joe Biden's plan for student loan relief was rejected by the US Supreme Court. This decision can potentially impact the debt burden many consumers have - which has been the biggest concern for supporters of the plan. Student debt is among the most prominent political topics in the US - we expect to see the conversation sustaining over time on this topic.
Data Source: News/media, Google, Twitter, Facebook
Affirmative Action struck down by US Supreme Court
This ruling by the Supreme Court effectively ended the systematic consideration of race in the college admissions process - a major win for Conservatives, but a concern for Liberals saying affirmative action is a key tool for remedying historic race discrimination. The lasting impact on college diversity is one to certainly monitor for the future.
Data source: News/media, Google, Twitter, Facebook
Pay-to-play with data trend continues with Reddit
Over the past few months, Twitter has launched new API offerings - with an extremely high sticker price. Now Reddit is doing the same. As a result, many of Reddit's moderators for top SubReddits have turned their SubReddits private for a temporary "black out" to protest the new API. With the advent of AI, language-based models have relied on sources like these - now these platforms want a piece of the pie.
Data source: News/media, Google, Twitter
Bitcoin sees slight jump
After being dormant for months following the FTX scandal, Bitcoin has seen a resurgence. The cryptocurrency surged by over 14% after BlackRock filed for an ETF to track Bitcoin. The surge could potentially spike renewed interest in cryptocurrencies - we haven't seen the last of cryptocurrencies.
Data source: Google, news/media, web traffic
OceanGate's Titan submersible implodes while its story explodes
On June 18th, the Titan submersible, operated by OceanGate, imploded during an expedition to the wreck of the Titanic. The story had gone viral in the media - but the memes and conversation about it took off even more. Many took to create memes criticizing the preparedness for the expedition - including the fact the submarine was operated by what appeared to be a gaming controller. However, much of this conversation turned into criticism of the ultra-wealthy due to an expedition like this being only accessible to the ultra-wealthy.
Data source: Google, news/media, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook
Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in full swing
We are in the midst of Taylor Swift's Eras tour - with ticket prices in the thousands of dollars and cities getting economic boosts in the 10s of millions of dollars due to her concerts. Many fans have been sharing their experiences at her concert - dubbing themselves as "Swifties".
Data source: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, news/media
Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg
It's on... maybe! Billionaire rivals Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have proposed a cage match between the two. Musk challenged Zuckerberg after reports emerged that Instagram was working on a Twitter alternative.
Data source: News/media, Twitter, Instagram
Former US President Donald Trump indicted for the second time
Former President Donald Trump's legal woes aren't over. He was indicted for a second time due to his mishandling of classified documents. The former president is the current frontrunner for the Republican ticket in the 2024 US election - whether or not this will spell trouble for his chances at a rematch with President Joe Biden is still up in the air.
Data source: News/media, Twitter, Google
The new Grimace Shake from McDonald's takes over TikTok
In celebration of one of its mascots, Grimace, McDonald's launched a new purple milkshake. The new shake was a hit on TikTok in which users would give upbeat reviews of the milkshake... then appear assassinated with Grimace as the implied assassin.
Data source: TikTok, news/media
Chai tea? Or, tea tea?
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is out with raving reviews. One of the trends to emerge from this though was... Chai tea. A favorite scene from the movie showed banter between characters discussing whether or not it's called "chai tea" or just "chai" because chai also means tea. How's your "tea" tea?
Data source: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube
Bookworms share their bookish thoughts
Another trend to hit TikTok involves bookworms - #bookish and #bookish thoughts have been increasing among bookworms while they share their favorite parts of books, pose questions to the author, and share memes/funny opinions regarding their favorite books.
Data source: TikTok,
Street Fighter 6 allows you to create your own fighter
The latest installment of Street Fighter allows you to design your own character. However, fans of the game took this to the next level by designing characters that resemble popular memes, characters in pop culture, and celebrities - such as Waluigi, Geralt of Rivia, and Hide the Pain Harold.
Data source: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit
Diablo 4 hits the mark with RPG gamers
Diablo 4 hit the market this month with raving reviews. However, this game has become a passion for many dedicated gamers. Communities on Reddit and other sites have been forming to talk the best tips and tricks for various character classes and the best ways to play the game.
Data source: Reddit
Candybox Subscriptions and Care Packages
The latest trend to hit TikTok involves creators preparing and unboxing candy boxes and care packages. The combination of ASMR, colorful visuals, and novel candies spark the curiosity of viewers!
Data source: TikTok
Formula 1 is on the rise
With recent documentaries, like Formula 1: Drive to Survive and increased coverage, Formula 1 has been on the rise and more consumers have been able to able to appreciate the sport with that increased coverage. Younger generations especially have increased in viewership. This in turn has also increased the exposure of luxury/sports car brands, like Aston Martin and Ferrari due to the association.
Data source: Google, podcasts, forums/blogs, news/media
True Crimers leverage Reddit to investigate crimes
When True Crimers can't get their fix from podcasts and documentaries, they are taking the next step and attempting to be investigators themselves. Many of these True Crimers are participating in crowd-research to help solve unsolved crimes and discuss ongoing trials and investigations. Some of the prominent examples include the University of Iowa stabbings and, more recently, the case for Alexee Trevizo.
Data source: Reddit
Ketamine: one of the latest suggested treatments for depression
Researchers have been exploring the case for psychedelics and other drugs to help with mental health issues. And one of the latest stories to gain attention has been the a potential link between ketamine and improvements to depression symptoms. As more use cases for psychedelics and drugs like this gain more traction like this, we can certainly see this trend sustaining over time.
Data source: Google, news/media, forums/blogs
Dispersed camping for the true outdoor enthusiasts
One of the latest trends to gain traction with outdoor enthusiasts has been dispersed camping. Dispersed camping is camping on public lands. No amenities, services, campsites, etc. And as long as camping on public lands is legal, we'll likely see this trend sustain over time.
Data source: Google, forums and blogs, Reddit
The novelty of dangerous stuff
One of the fastest growing communities on Reddit is a SubReddit called r/OopsThatsDeadly (~100k subscribers in the past month) - in which the community shares instances of people in dangerous situations or with dangerous animals and not knowing it. Content that can create shock and awe like can certainly be addicting!
Data source: Reddit