Bank bailouts, bugs and...a new Bard for our time?

The Moments Matrix is a guide to what’s trending on the world’s leading social media sites. Find out what’s going viral and what's here to stay across mainstream and niche topics.

This week's matrix has been compiled by ViralMoment.

  Image by: The Social Intelligence Lab    

TikTok turmoil
The social platform continues to be banned on devices across the world. This week, TikTok CEO addresses US Congress. Biden has ordered TikTok and Chinese-owned Bytedance to separate, and all parties are calling for 3rd party regulation. Platforms like Reddit are clapping back with their own social video feeds.
Data Source: Short form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Future of work
With AI seemingly doing more by the day, workers are starting to wonder…is this coming for my job? The main echo on the internet is that people USING AI will be the power players of the future, but skeptics remain. We used to think the loom would replace all of the needlepoint workers in London… are you ready to evolve?
Data source: Short form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

New NYC logo
New York is changing its logo from the iconic I Heart NY. Sentiment is generally negative, and the new logo feels a little…crooked? What do you think?
Data Source: Short form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Candida auris
New research sheds light on a superbug fungus that is spreading across the US. It has been around for several years now, but the fungus is trending on social media after a recent paper was published on it. Yikes - lets just hope it doesn’t merge with the trending The Last of Us conversation and develop mind-control zombie powers.
Data Source: Short form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

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The banks are… alright
Yes, yes…ViralMoment did bank with Silicon Valley Bank. We’re fineeeee. A bank run on San Francisco based SVB resulted in the bank getting taken over by the US government. A Credit Suisse fiasco followed on its heels. Social media is alight with conversations about whether or not our money is safe.
Data source: Short form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Trump arrest
Speculation abounds about what will happen if Trump is, in fact, arrested. But you don’t have to use too much of your imagination, because AI generated photos (these are very fake, folks) showing Trump getting dragged by a band of police have gone viral. We’re in a new era of making rich media, and already fast-moving narratives are emboldened by generative AI tech.
Data source: Short form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Happy Nowruz!
It is Persian New Year, and interest in the holiday is at an all time high. There has been increased attention on Iran this year, and the Persian community is very strong, vocal and tight-knit on social video. Mickey Mouse even showed his support, and Disney dropped a video explaining how the Persian holiday is traditionally celebrated.
Data source: Short form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Sleeker spacesuits
Space suits are getting a much-needed overhaul, and will now be friendlier for women. Rethinking design for women is a popular topic lately, as society has the aha moment that women’s bodies aren’t just smaller versions of men. Crash dummies, space suits and lab coats are all getting a re-think to be more accommodating, and social is excited!
Data source: Short form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers
Capitalising on the internet’s current obsession with nostalgia, the Power Rangers are back, and they are still larger than life (did they ever leave? Can a social intelligence leader check into that?). They are trending again, and the trailer for the latest Power Ranger drop has taken over social video.
Data source: Short form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Gwyneth Paltrow trial
The internet loves nothing more than a good celebrity trial, and Gwyneth is giving the people what they want! She’s being tried for a skiing accident she was a part of, and from which she may have fled the scene. Sentiment isn’t favourable for Gwyneth - people don’t love her attitude and vibe.
Data source: Short form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Capybara TikTok
We’re just the messenger… but Capybara’s are soaking in all the attention. #capybara has 6.1B views, and #capybaratiktok has 2.1B views. Capybara TikTok is exactly what you think - we recommend the Capybara Guesser filter to ID which Capybara you are.
Data source: Short form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Fairleigh Dickinson Madness
American basketball fans are mid-march madness this month, but the real attention grabber is FDU. This 16-seed team unseated number 1-seed Purdue. This has garnered over 4B impressions.
Data source: Short form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

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Google’s Bard
Google’s answer to Open AI is live (and hopefully they worked out the issues this time…). Bard has hit the public, and consumers are buzzing about how to start using the AI assistant.
Data source: Short form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Wordle won't quit
Wordle lovers - we know you are out there. Perhaps it is the ease and joy of sharing Wordle online with your favourite social community, but this trend is sticking around. Players continue to share their scores online, and volume continues to rise.
Data source: Short form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Game Stop is back
GameStop is back in the news. The meme stock that went bonkers on Reddit in 2021 is soaring again after GME announced profitability. Diamond hands, rejoice!
Data source: Short form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

Therapy presentations
Gen Z is extremely self-aware and comfortable openly discussing their mental health. We’re taking this to the next level with Therapy Presentations, making powerpoints for our therapists to really colour in life details and put faces to names. Is there an app for this yet?
Data source: Short form social video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)