Let’s not kid ourselves - our not-so-safe world feels especially unsafe right now. There’s climate crises, the US just started another war, AI megacorps are aiding in said war… it’s a lot. But we’ve all been weirdly calm, which begs the question: are we actually doing alright? The answer is no, but fear not! For much like governments and corporations caught in scandals, we’re choosing to be vocally concerned while taking absolutely zero action - in other words, we’re monitoring the situation.

- Devin Pike, Guest Editor 💜

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Let's talk about whether Bridgerton is about to become the next Stranger Things, which seems to be the way it’s tracking. Netflix has turned Bridgerton into a full-on licensing machine, partnering with everyone from makeup brands to fashion lines to home decor companies, all capitalizing on the show's Regency-era aesthetic. And boy is it working, brands are desperate to tap into Bridgerton's devoted fanbase, and Netflix is happy to let them as long as the checks clear. It's the same playbook they used with Stranger Things, where suddenly every brand wanted to slap the logo on their products and call it a collab.

The difference is that Bridgerton's vibe is more about aspiration and romance, which translates well to beauty, fashion, and lifestyle products in a way that Stranger Things' 80s nostalgia didn't. Netflix has figured out that their shows are IP that can be monetized across every possible category. And Bridgerton, with its corsets and ballgowns and yearning glances, is the perfect vehicle for that.

Moving on, X just announced it will take action against AI deepfakes of the Iran war, which is both necessary and deeply ironic coming from a platform that has spent years actively making moderation worse. Deepfake videos showing fabricated events, fake casualties, and manipulated footage have been circulating like crazy on X, and the company is finally saying they'll remove them and label misleading content.

But do not be fooled, this is the same platform that gutted its trust and safety team, deprioritized fact-checking, and let misinformation run wild in the name of free speech. Now that it's a geopolitical crisis and governments are paying attention, suddenly moderation matters again. Ok???

And finally, the McDonald's CEO apparently can't stomach his own burger, which is objectively fkn hilarious. A recent video Chris Kempczinski trying the Big Arch is circulating. Because one glance and you can tell this man does NOT eat his own “product” or “this thing” as he confidently called the burger, like an alien pretending to be human. He proceeds to eat 2.3% of the meal, and promises to enjoy it off-camera.

LOL. This is a perfect metaphor for how a lot of industries work. The people at the top are selling something they wouldn't consume themselves, whether that's fast food, social media or AI tools, and they're insulated from the consequences because they're not the ones actually using the product. The McDonald's CEO can afford to eat somewhere else. The rest of us are just trying to get through the drive-thru.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

What situation exactly? Hm. Let me think: the US president bombing Iran while being undeniably tied to one of the most prolific pedophilic sex offenders in recent history, Anthropic and OpenAI being revealed as aiding current US military war efforts, conflict building momentum by the hour, simultaneous blizzards and extreme heat, Shia LaBeouf's homophobia, Jim Carrey's face (or, not his face, depending on what you choose to believe)...

And the collective response is honestly so calm it’s almost freaking me out. Like, what is going on? Are we okay?

No, but we are monitoring the situation. Translation: vibes checked, actions postponed.

Refreshing feeds and watching the f*ckery unfold in real-time with binoculars and popcorn (emojis). Despite it being too early to tell, this meme might just become one of the defining contenders for 2026.

"Monitoring the situation" is faux-official, like some kind of corporate speak mixed with military lingo. The kind of language brands and institutions use when something bad is happening and they need to sound concerned without actually doing anything.

The meme takes that language and applies it to almost anything: personal drama, global conflict, celeb scandals, relationship issues, climate catastrophes... you name it, you can apply it.

"Me monitoring the situation with the boys." "I bet he's texting other women. She doesn't know I'm monitoring the situation." “When the group chat is on fire but you’re just there for the plot.” Stock photos of people with binoculars, security monitor walls, news anchors looking serious.

The joke is the mismatch between formal language and zero follow-through. Instead of solving anything, you're signalling you're aware. That's it. Like I said: vibes checked, actions postponed.

We're living through what The Trend Report calls "polycrisis" - multiple overlapping catastrophes happening simultaneously with no breathing room between them (I need not name them all, as I’m sure we’re all well equipped by now) while all of it is documented on the same devices we use to shop and socialise and work.

Google searches for "is the US going to war" spiked 5,000%. "World War III" searches surged 2,000%. People are hyper-aware of what’s happening. Obsessively tracking and refreshing feeds, trying to piece together the fracturing world from hundreds of miles away while being deeply within said collapse.

This meme captures that perfectly. It's awareness without action, engagement without participation. The compulsion to continually refresh during political turmoil, pulling down at the top of the scroll for the next update, knowing it won't change anything but unable to look away.

It's an expression of helplessness. "Monitoring the situation" acknowledges that no matter what we do, these things unfold. We can watch, track, stay informed. But can we actually stop any of it? The meme says: probably not. So, all that's left is to monitor.

It's dark humor as coping mechanism. When reality is this overwhelming, you either crash out or you make jokes. "Monitoring" lets you acknowledge while maintaining emotional distance.

It's the slowing or halting of activism. Previously we would have protested, organized, mobilized. This time, we monitor. The shift from "what are we going to do about this" to "I'm keeping an eye on it" represents a fundamental change in how we relate to crisis. Observation has replaced action, because action feels futile.

We're monitoring not just to stay informed, but because information itself has become entertainment. Crisis is content, war is something to track for viral reactions. Suffering happens on the same feed as influencer drama and celebrity gossip. All flattened into equal weight, all equally consumable.

Some monitor to know more because they know less. Some monitor to spot bombs for the purpose of having viral reactions. Some just stand, arms-crossed, in unfiltered bald non-joy. The watcher as genius, as vulnerable, as lunatic, as normal.

Then there’s the fact that your computer is monitoring too. Claude and ChatGPT - the AI systems we're using to write, to work, to create - are actively participating in warfare. AI aiding military operations while we use the same technology to generate memes about monitoring the wars those systems are helping to wage.

The irony is suffocating.

I think it's both. It's an honest acknowledgment that individual action feels futile in the face of systemic collapse. But it's also a refusal to look away.

We're not pretending everything is fine. We’re bearing witness. The meme says: I see what's happening. I can't stop it. But I'm not going to pretend I don't know.

At some point, monitoring has to turn into something else. We cannot simply watch forever, the meme is funny because it's true, but it's also disturbing because it's true.

We're monitoring the situation. And the situation is monitoring us back. And somewhere in that infinite loop of surveillance and observation, we've lost the foresight to ask: what next? 

-Sophie Randell, Writer

Listen, nobody asked for Bean Boozled to make a comeback, but the algorithm works in mysterious ways. People are using this absolutely brutal coughing audio - like someone genuinely fighting for their life, gasping for air type beat - and pretending they're playing Bean Boozled. Except instead of getting rotten egg or vomit flavored jelly beans, they're getting hit with something that makes them equally sick to their stomach. The choking reaction is how it feels when you're hit with an uncomfortable reality check that makes you wanna cease to exist. My fav examples include:

Use the aggressive coughing audio. Pretend to cough/choke like you just ate the worst Bean Boozled flavor while captioning "when we're playing bean boozled and I get [insert gut-wrenching call-out or correction] instead of [insert Bean Boozled flavor]."

A few ideas to get you started:

-abdel khalil, brand & marketing exec

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Hey Ricky,

Yes, it's absolutely possible to get into the industry without a degree in marketing. Of course, it is definitely helpful to have an understanding of consumer behaviour and marketing principles. But with all the free resources out there, you can take it upon yourself to learn from books, podcasts, YouTube, etc.

As far as getting experience, if I were you, I would immerse myself in the industry as much as possible. Go to in-person marketing events. Follow and connect with marketers on LinkedIn. Book coffee chats with anyone who will give you 30 minutes of their time. Not only is this the best way to learn, but it may even lead to an opportunity to intern or get some actual work experience.

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

We get it. Creating content that does numbers is harder than it looks. But doing those big numbers is the fastest way to grow your brand. So if you’re tired of throwing sh*t at the wall and seeing what sticks, you’re in luck. Because making our clients go viral is kinda what we do every single day.