WEEKLY TRENDS REPORT
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THIS WEEK’S FORECAST
FOR YOUR INFO
This week’s dates & microtrends
TikTok trends
The rare aesthetic trend exposes the collective experiences we all live. Who can relate?
Flexing to your classmates. The huge cost of back-to-school hauls is all over social media.
ICYMI
The pole-vaulting GOAT Mondo Duplantis gets his 14th world record (6.30 metres).
Protecting the down under. Koalas to be vaccinated against chlamydia
Digi updates
A deep, blocky dive into the wacky world of Roblox (A)I love you. Falling in love with AI and the wide array of potential AI lovers
Phrase of the week
“Decision paralysis”. Every decision feels overwhelming and exhausting amid information overload from the internet.
What we’re loving
Clipse rapping to screaming nuns was not on our bingo card. The Pharrell concert at the Vatican
Doing a reverse Mondo Duplantis. The 50-year-old skater dropping down a 21-story building ramp.
Tea of the week
The cheating scandal rocking the Stone Skimming World Championships.
Established trends
The fall invasion. The off-season is becoming its own peak holiday season.
Musky people and their holy grails. The young, vintage crowd breathing new life into flea markets.
Insights of the week
All hail the great studier. How Lofi Girl became a business empire
Where’s the best place to achieve virality as a pop star? The Big Apple.
On our radar
Weekly doses of cute
Hot-dog Kid, Silksong cat, bread cat, talkative cat.
Rising trends
Genital odour anxiety driving the new whole-body deodorant market
Eating raw steak with your pup. The wellness boom pushing the pet food industry to go full Goop.
The future
Real life musical chairs. Meeting the new faces of the fashion industry.
Stat of the week
86% of Gen Z said they were down to see sex depicted in movie and TV. With 43% saying it made them more knowledgeable about sex.
One to watch
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle cuts down records with the biggest opening weekend domestic gross for an anime movie with $70 million.
TREND TRACKING
How some of the trends we’ve identified have evolved in recent months
British Chaos
The world’s fascination with British culture isn’t slowing down. Nostalgic and charming Britcore has morphed into a content style dubbed “British Chaos”, described by Vice as “a term spanning everything from pub CCTV footage to the work of highly monetised content creators. It encompasses ‘stop the boats’ slop ironised by trendy meme accounts and rambling pavement vlogs.” Internet characters like Ibiza Final Boss and DannyBoy83 contribute to the growing lore of the genre, which spans manosphere adjacent toxicity to beloved internet dad personalities like Big John, who is currently on a tour of the US. The common dominators of this chaotic universe are the Bizarro undertones, largely male cast and, as Vice surmised, regionalised madness shaped by long-established rituals and local divides.
Trend: London calling
The girls are screaming Hobby based parenting
Scream it with us; “THE GIRLS ARE ANGRY!”. Female rage has been a much-discussed topic in media of late, with various depictions playing out in culture. The latest is seen in Broadway dramedy John Proctor Is The Villain, where a group of tweens cathartically scream in response to building angst and societal pressures. Olivia Rodrigo implored her fans to scream along during her Guts world tour. Florence & The Machine’s album dropping 31 October is called Everybody Scream. Where before screaming was a solitary action, it’s now become a form of group therapy, because sometimes feelings can’t be communicated through words.
A new generation of millennial and Gen Z parents are blending prechild hobbies and interests into modern playdates. New York-based A Parently Kidding calls itself ‘the place where cool kids party with their own kids’. The Brooklyn Stroll Club is all about ‘redefining modern fatherhood’ by ‘spending time with our kids, giving mums a breather and connecting with other dads in a meaningful way.’ They use Discord to organise meet-ups and attract sponsors like Baby Dove and Depop. According to LSN these parents are seeking cool, cultural experiences rooted in their hobbies, fostering both self-expression and parenting support systems in an interesting way.
Trend: All the rage
Trend: Scrunchy parenting
Image: @theflyestdad
Image: @itsbigjohn1
Image: @johnproctorbway
This week’s long read
THERE’S A FUNERAL FOR THAT
Faux funerals are the new protests
A few weeks ago, over 200 people gathered in a San Francisco warehouse to mourn the passing of Claude . If we posted this a year ago, you’d be forgiven for thinking Claude was human. But the year is 2025, and Claude is an AI whose Sonnet 3 model had met its demise.
Throwing a faux funeral for a character isn’t new. Back in 2013, diehard fans of Breaking Bad threw one for Walter White (should that come with a spoiler alert? If you haven’t watched it by now you never will!). At the time it was criticised for making a spectacle of a sacred ritual, but in today’s unserious, irony-soaked culture the tactic is being used as a form of soft protest from passionate communities.
Communities is the key word here. The best fake funerals can’t be manufactured, rather they emerge organically from the fervour of enthusiasts or niche groups e.g. IT workers for Windows XP or football
fans for new ownership . This kind of loyalty can’t be bought – it must be cultivated. When we do see successful brand-led funerals, they’re shaped by deep lore and fandom understanding. When Duo Lingo ‘ killed off its ubiquitous owl in protest of a drop in engagement, it relied on fans to bring it back. KFC’s fry funeral nodded to a fan hatred for its bland fries.
Because when it goes wrong, it goes very wrong. Microsoft showed we shouldn’t be too quick to dance on a grave as it threw a funeral and procession parade for the iPhone following the launch of its Windows Phone 7 back in 2010.
Ultimately, only one device faced a tragic end, and it certainly wasn’t the iPhone. It’s still being talked about today.
As the boundaries between technology and real life blur, we won’t be surprised if fake funeral parlours for AIs, apps or even memes become a reality.
Weber Forecast Insight
Unlike typical marketing stunts, a genuine communal sentiment must underpin these funerals. Much like with Claude (ethical concerns about AI aside), we’re seeing more communities leverage the symbolism of funerals not only to express grief but also to voice dissent and rally support around shared values or grievances. Before announcing major changes, anticipate the reaction, and plan accordingly.
Image: R/pics
Image: @duolingo
Image: @deepfates
Image: BBC Sheffield
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