Internet Ghosts: Part 91
7/11: Moo Deng turned one, TikTok chefs are cooking up takeout, why people are striking a pose, it's officially a "do it lady" summer, everyone is spilling their lore, and more.
A bit of the internet:
Cooking up some takeout | Chefs of TikTok rise up!!! Well… kind of. In a recent trend, people are dramatically flipping a big pot upside down like they’re about to unveil a homemade culinary masterpiece. But when the pot gets lifted, the big reveal is just food in a takeout box. And honestly, sometimes the best recipes are delivered.
Divas sitting down | Nicki Minaj's pose in her 2013 'High School' music video is currently trending on TikTok. The pose? Simply squatting with her legs crossed. Creators are putting their own spin on and the recreations just keep getting better -- here are the three that are currently ranked: 1) a ballerina doing it in pointe 2) a barb doing the pose underwater 3) and a barb doing it in the rain.
Pose, then turn around | Inspired by Charli XCX's song "Girl, so confusing," TikTok users are creating funny and relatable videos. These videos feature individuals confidently strutting as if on a runway, then striking a pose before turning back around.
DO IT LADY | New brain rot alert! “DO IT LADY,” is the internet’s new way of saying, “you’ve got this!” The saying comes from an awkward character named Chit who stars in an Office-esque TikTok series. Fans of Chit and early adopters of “do it lady” feel like they’ve “never been this early on a pop culture phenomenon” and have been expressing their shock that more people don’t know about the iconic tagline.
Dropping Lore | A viral tweet from April asking people to share lore about themselves has started making the rounds again. People are sharing personal stories, niche experiences, and fun facts. Even brands like sweetgreen, Penguin Books, Merriam-Webster, and X have hopped on the trend quote tweeting things about their brand’s history.
What brands are up to:
A24’s Eddington | In anticipation of the latest Ari Aster film, Eddington, A24 has begun a clever social forward campaign to promote the film by creating a TikTok account for Austin Butler’s character. The profile is centered around Butler’s character, Vernon Jefferson Peak, who is a radical cult-like spiritual guru spewing sermons in a series of posts that have begun to go viral on the platform. Fans of Butler are both confused and excited in the comments and have been complimenting A24’s promotion strategy for the film.
A Lyft to Sephora | In the midst of Amazon Prime week, Sephora is taking a stand for in-person shopping. The beauty brand partnered up with Lyft to incentivize shoppers in 5 major U.S. cities by giving them a $20 Lyft credit when they book a ride to their local Sephora location. Custom Sephora-wrapped Lyft vehicles deliver the shoppers to the stores in style, where upon arrival they receive personalized shopping assistance and a $10 off coupon. The campaign extended into social with influencer support from creators like Aiyanna and Amina and organic conversation driven by fans en route.
Wales Bonner x Bose | In partnership with Bose, designer Wales Bonner created custom Bose's QuietComfort Ultra headphones for tennis stars Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton. It's unclear if this collaboration is available to the public, but with minimal promotion -- the demand of this collaboration is how. The interesting part of it all is how people are finding out about it and it's through the many social touchpoints of the brands' owned social but also through creator culture commentary like @akwardrhino
Collabs of the Week | Highlighting some brand collaborations we saw this week:
Fanatics x Complex x BLACKPINK
Crocs x Animal Crossing
Bratz x Jean Paul Gaultier
Platform News:
Meta Updates:
Meta introduced new features to its Edits app, including sticky notes on audio, task status filters, and completion markers to help creators manage ideas and streamline their content planning process.
Meta launched marketing messages on Messenger, allowing businesses to reconnect with subscribed customers through personalized chats, helping them stay engaged, share promotions, and build ongoing customer relationships more effectively.
Pinterest Updates:
Pinterest’s new Men’s Trend Report spotlights a growing wave of Gen Z and Millennial men on the platform.
Extra Credit Scrolling:
