From Gen Alpha Brainrot to Fur-fluencers, Here's What's Trending This Week
Welcome to our weekly Gen Z newsletter where we share the top-trending posts from the Newsfeed . Never miss a beat on what young people are up to.
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Kaley Mullin | Youth and Trends Insights Lead, YouTube
DAILY INTELLIGENCE | TOP STORY OF THE WEEK ??
How Many Gen Z Actually Use TikTok Shop
Around this time last year, TikTok Shop emerged as a major ecommerce competitor in the U.S., even for giants like Amazon. (Though it feels longer given the way it’s taken over the algorithm.)?Retail Insight Network?even reported that TikTok Shop aims to reach $470B in e-commerce sales within five years. But the platform’s sudden dominance has forced some countries, like Indonesia, to introduce regulations that ban social media commerce to protect local markets. So, while Gen Z and Millennials have already been shopping their feeds through influencer affiliate links on the app—TikTok Shop is making “one click” shopping even more addicting.??
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THE NEWSFEED | TRENDING NEWS
01 | Michigan is using a seventh graders’ meme design for its “I Voted” stickers.?
Among nine winning designs, 12-year-old Jane Hynous’ depiction of a werewolf ripping its shirt off in front of an American flag beat out all others by almost 2K votes. While some of the student task force members who held the competition thought it might relate to a Michigan folk lore, Hynous says it simply “didn’t have anything to do with Michigan.” But meme-lovers will likely recognize the werewolf image it’s inspired by—even Hynous herself agrees she “nailed the design.” Interestingly, Michigan is not the only state which has had funny designs on their stickers in recent years, even just thanks to tweens. In fact, Michigan’s winning nine has a few more funnies: a deer in sunglasses, a trout, and a simple, “I Voted yay” in red from a 14-year-old will also be handed out at the polls. (New York Times )?
???YPulse data:?79% of 13-17-year-olds agree, “I wish there were more ways for young people to get involved in politics” ?
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02 | Gen Z is leading social shopping.?
With Gen Z leading the way in social commerce, mobile shopping is seeing substantial growth as well. Between January and July, consumer spending on mobile shopping rose by 10% compared to the previous year, totaling $280.4B, according to Adobe Analytics. And mobile sales made up nearly half (47%) of all online sales. EMarketer anticipates that U.S. social commerce sales will reach $82.82B this year, accounting for 6.6% of overall e-commerce sales. (Retail Dive ) ??
???YPulse data:?57% of 13-39-year-olds agree, “I shop more often because I see things I want to buy on social media” ?
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03| Is Gen Z done tagging friends in Instagram posts?
Since the introduction of automatic DM notifications for tagged photos, new posts on Instagram indicate that many users are pulling back from tagging friends. This trend seems to be driven by privacy concerns (like not wanting people to know who someone is friends with or where they are) and a desire for a cleaner aesthetic, as the floating tag icon can distract from the visual appeal of images. It’s unclear just yet if this impacts user engagement, but it’s another habit in the list of ways Gen Z is treating socials differently than Millennials did. (Mashable )?
04 | Brands targeting Gen Alpha need to recognize their deep integration with technology—while also appreciating their quirks.?
For these kids, “brainrot” has become synonymous with their own generation. But just because they’re growing up using tech basically from birth, that doesn’t necessarily mean their brains are doomed. Despite their heavy screentime,?YPulse data shows ?88% of teens actively engage in hobbies, and 75% are passionate about causes like animal rights or cyberbullying. Plus, 84% of tweens feel positive about the future, because while they are highly engaged online, many are also active in the real world and maintain optimistic outlooks. So, although adults are worried excessive screentime is harming young peoples’ brains and social skills, mostly thanks to the gen’s?chaotic slang , research on its impact remains inconclusive. (Vox )??
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05 | Target is teaming up with “fur-fluencers” to launch an exclusive collection for pets.?
This group features six dogs and five cats that have amassed millions of followers, who will be showing off “The Cuddle Collab”—products themed by each influencer, along with other pet necessities. The lineup includes therapy puppies Ellie and Emma, the “modern” cat trio of Zelda, Titus, and Brave, food enthusiast dog Popeye, fashion-forward pups Ghost and Wren, self-care advocate Maple Cat, and the dog-and-cat duo Baloo and Pan. The fur-fluencers will also star in a social media series titled "The Pets of Tarjay” which parodies reality TV (a popular new choice for campaigns). (Retail Dive )?
???YPulse data:?59% of 13-39-year-olds are interested in brands making movie / TV series content to use as advertisements ?
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