WEEKLY TRENDS REPORT
Friday 17 April 2026
Pictured: Unsplash
THIS WEEK’S FORECAST
FOR YOUR INFO
TikTok trends
The north London chicken shop link-up
“Computah make this reader supa happy”. The computah vocal stim trend.
Speedrunning Scientology. The POVs of rushing the church.
ICYMI
The performative glamping culture at Coachella. If your tent doesn’t have a fully functioning living room, don’t bother.
Phrase
of the week
“A Must for the Next Food Craze? Be ‘Social Media Gorgeous.’” Get out the way Matcha! Why people are going yam about Ube.
Digi updates
The different ways teens are using role-playing AI chatbots and the AI-influencers at Coachella
Dégage-toi! The French government is ditching Windows for Linux to rely less on US tech companies.
This week’s dates & microtrends
Tea of the week
Bieber’s low-key Coachella performance. It’s not clocking to you?
What we’re loving
Angine De Poitrine’s mind-bending math rock viral performance
The next bag charm trend is going to be hyperrealistic fruits? If you notice a foul scent around our bag, that’s just our durian bag charm.
Established trends
The NeeDoh squishy toy shortage. Last week, we saw a 6-7-year-old drop to his knees in shock.
‘Whimsy’ is the current dating app buzzword.
Insights of the week
Remember the Christian Gen-Z revival in the UK and US? The NYT & nymag found the opposite.
What’s it really like to be a teen girl in 2025/26?
On our radar
Michael – 24 April
Mother Mary – 24 April
Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 – 23 April
Kneecap: FENIAN – 24 April
Weekly doses of cute
The Hungarian health ministers victory dance Pat fell down a hole the library of obsolete sounds, meowing pilot and Daesung’s Trot
Rising trends
Young New Yorkers are lining up for construction apprenticeships. I’m workin’ here!
The green and cream cap popping up on every guys’ head and will male ballet flats catch on?
The future
Sorry, here’s worst news of the week: Emperor Penguins are now endangered, the UK cod population is flailing.
Stat of the week
From 2023 to 2025, haul content grew 41% and outperformed GRWMs by 1.7x in engagement.
One to watch
Over 2,000 signatures from the top dogs of Hollywood sign a letter opposing Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros.
Image: @coachella
Image: KEXP
Image: @prettylittlehu
TREND TRACKING
How some of the trends we’ve identified have evolved in recent months
Alpha male camp Eat the broligarchy Manifestationmaxxing
There’s a rising trend in the US – alpha male boot camps that promise to teach men how to “be more masculine”. Capitalising on growing male insecurity, men ‘falling behind’ and backlash to modern feminism, attendees are ”taught to understand emotional pain, economic anxiety, and social disorientation through militarised rituals, physical suffering, and the language of discipline, dominance, and brotherhood.” It reflects the teachings of the manosphere, with bootcamp activities including digging your own grave and bear-crawling through rivers billed as helping men reach “warrior mode,” or “modern knighthood”. While most bootcamps are designed for adults, the Squire programme trains teenage boys to take control in a society filled with “docile men”.
Trend: Evolving masculinity
AMC’s latest show, The Audacity landed this week, a “black comedy about a manchild tech titan spinning out of control”, a social satire that skewers the “broligarchy” of Silicon Valley. Much like the ‘Eat The Rich’ sentiment of recent years, attention is turning to the tech bros, shifting from fascination to critique. It’s no surprise, as recent data showed the world’s 12 richest people now have more wealth than the poorest half of humanity – more than four billion people. The Audacity confronts the consequences of giving the broligarchy unchecked power over the world – it’s darker than silicon valley satire that’s come before it. The show itself was piloted on elevator screens in tech workplaces, as part of a guerillastyle launch, taking it directly to the very system it critiques.
Trend: Eat the rich
As we’ve covered before, people are turning to spirituality and manifestation as a way of dealing with the times we’re in. On TikTok, a new financial manifestation soundtrack has emerged – disco banger Ring My Bell – which had over two million streams in the US in March alone as users reported financial windfalls after listening to it. In China, Kris Jenner has been rebranded as a digital lucky charm, with Gen Z channeling ‘momager’ energy to kickstart their own prosperity journeys and sharing altered images of Jenner as a “CEO in a suit, a doctor in a white coat, or a Ph.D. student in a graduation gown; a shape-shifting symbol reflecting users’ varying career goals.” BRB, changing our screensavers now.
Trend: The return of positivity
Image: @themdkproject
Image: @pauladelstein
Image: @paris2000s
As hobby tracking apps take over feeds, consumers are walking a fine line between performance and pleasure. Brands can help people wear their passions proudly without fueling excessive pressure. Celebrate passion at all levels, especially the ones that get a little weird.
This
week’s long read
HOBBY HUBS
Must there always be ‘an app for that’? The internet weighs in.
Move over TikTok, people are swapping traditional social media platforms for niche, hobby-based digital hubs. Even celebs, like Charli and Gunna , have gotten in on the fun. Goodreads, Strava, Letterboxd, now Beli – it’s hard to keep tabs on all the trending tracking apps.
Culture is passing the microphone to bookworms, movie buffs, and foodies. And they’re not holding back, spilling their takes and flexing their achievements with confidence. Between logging PRs on Strava, crafting witty, one-line reviews on Letterboxd, and snagging the hottest reservations on Beli, these apps have turned pastimes into a performance. (Yes, I’m proud of my 15-week Beli streak. Thanks for asking.)
While many are all for the cultural cache, some are challenging the need to quantify every aspect of their lives and going cold turkey Because not all pursuits
need a progress report, especially not the things you do for fun. And when you’re forcing yourself to meet goals and maintain streaks, you know you’ve likely lost the plot. (Yes, I’ve stressed about losing my Beli streak, too.)
However, others are unlocking new ways to keep the fun alive on these apps. Have you tried running a mile in your bathtub ? Or a 5K inside a van ? Some influencers are making it their entire personality. The more absurd, the better.
So, whether you’re meticulously logging every run, read, or restaurant or just vibin’ with the chaos, the best flex is still having a good time.
Image: The Boston Globe
Image: @notreallywellness
Image: r/Fauxmoi
Image: @allegrasbeli
BRANDWATCH
Inspiring creative from around the world
Škoda Sotheby’s X Steph Curry hOMMEMADE Starbucks Pokémon
Meet Škoda DuoBell the bicycle bell designed for the headphone age. Created with scientists from the University of Salford, DuoBell uses a smart sound profile that cuts through active noise cancellation - helping cyclists alert even the most immersed pedestrians. As cities get busier and quieter at the same time, Škoda’s latest innovation blends science, simplicity and social good, reinforcing the brand as a forwardthinking champion of everyday urban safety. Proof that sometimes the smallest innovations make the loudest impact.
Sotheby’s The Stephen Curry Collection, My Sneaker Free Agency has just made the uncollectible, collectible. The digital auction showcases over 70 game-worn and tunnel-worn pairs featuring iconic brands, legendary silhouettes and deeply personal moments. At time of writing, one pair has a current bid of $30k! Equal parts fashion and sports history, the collection celebrates a slam-dunk of freedom and legacy.
A$AP Rocky’s design studio, hOMMEMADE, is levelling up with a custom-built retro gaming console that fuses throwback charm with modern design flair. Powered by RetroPie, the console features a flip-up LCD screen and can even link up for multiplayer play. Following its success in furniture and home goods, hOMMEMADE’s move into gaming reinforces the brand’s genre-blending creativity. It’s nostalgia reimagined!
Starbucks Korea is letting imaginations run wild with a Toy Story inspired collaboration that brings play to your day! Launching ahead of the highly anticipated Toy Story 5, the collection reimagines beloved characters through colourful beverages, character-led treats and collectible merch. The collab turns everyday coffee moments into nostalgic, feel-good memories, proving fun never goes out of style.
Catch the beat: Pokémon swaps gyms for the dancefloor to mark its 30th anniversary. The iconic franchise is hosting its first-ever EDM festival, Pokémon Night Out landing in London and Los Angeles with Marshmello headlining. The event reimagines Pokémon for a grown-up, culture-savvy audience while keeping its playful DNA intact. It’s a bold, unexpected crossover that taps nostalgia, nightlife and next-gen fandom marking a true evolution moment for the brand. Pikachu’s electricity just got a BPM upgrade!
Image: Škoda
Image: Sothebys
Image: @hommemade
Image: @starbuckskorea
Image: @pokemon
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Pictured: Unsplash