Protests, bans and internet chaos. Nothing a good cuppa can't solve...

The Moments Matrix is a fortnightly 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.

Image by: The Social Intelligence Lab[/caption]    

The drive to unionize
Starbucks launched its Red Cup Day on November 17th - simultaneously, thousands of their employees went on strike to call for better staffing. Over the past 6-12 months, we've seen a steady incline in interest around unionizing - seeing some success for a number of Starbucks stores. Much of this interest has been fueled by stories like this and big companies, like Amazon, being pressured to unionize.
Data source: Google, news/media, Twitter, Reddit
Source: Nichefire

Thanksgiving recipes heating up
Thanksgiving recipes are beginning to go viral, especially on Pinterest, with a Turkey Veggie Tray and a Cheesy Root Vegetable Gratin both grabbing attention on Pinterest
Data source: Pinterest
Source: NewsWhip

Elon embraces the chaos
Elon Musk recently took control of Twitter, and he has embraced the chaos ever since, letting go of thousands of workers, and bringing back previously banned accounts including Donald Trump, Kanye West, Jordan Peterson, and The Babylon Bee.
Data Source: Twitter
Source: NewsWhip

Unexpected election results
America recently held its midterm elections, and the Democrats did better than expected in a number of races, leading to extended online discussion and dissection of the results.
Data source: Web & social monitoring
Source: NewsWhip

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A World Cup without beer
In a last-minute about-face, Qatar has banned the sale of alcohol in World Cup stadiums, going against the decision that had previously been communicated and leaving Budweiser — one of the tournament's sponsors — potentially in the lurch.
Data source: Web and social
Source: NewsWhip

FTX and the future of crypto
This past July, Deloitte forecasted about 75% of retailers will accept some form of cryptocurrency in two years. This past week, major cryptocurrencies crashed even more after FTX filed for bankruptcy. Cryptocurrencies have had a rough few weeks - prices for many of the major cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, dropping tremendously - many, like Litecoin, failing altogether. Even NFTs are impacted here - the floor price for the Bored Ape NFT dropped by over 85%.
Data source: News/media, Twitter, Reddit
Source: Nichefire

Taylor Swift breaks Ticketmaster
If you haven't heard of Taylor Swift, you must be living under a rock. She's been hard to ignore after her latest album release of "Midnights" - one of her most critically acclaimed works yet. This past week, she "broke" Ticketmaster due to skyrocketing demand for tickets to her "Eras" tour. Ticketmaster had to cancel any new ticket sales as a result and some tickets are reselling for upwards of $13,000.
Data source: Google, news/media, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok
Source: Nichefire

Privacy issues at Twitter
Amidst the layoff wave at Twitter under Musk's leadership, the head of Twitter France has announced their departure from the company. With this announcement, Redditors wondered how Twitter will be able to comply with GDPR since "they don't seem to have the infrastructure to comply anymore" (4.1k upvotes). One redditor put in a GDPR request with Twitter, which should have taken around 24 hours - yet, they still haven't heard back from Twitter, further pointing to possible issues around compliance with EU privacy laws in the future. With Twitter seemingly going downhill, a commentator joked: "Impulse buying at that level has way different consequences than the last time I bought a power tool and struggled with my car payment" (4.6k upvotes). Others commented on Musk's inability to manage a company while others again question how long Twitter can keep going before the plug is pulled.
Data source: Reddit
Source: Listen + Learn Research

Matt Hancock in the Jungle
UK MP, Matt Hancock, has been trending on Twitter after it was announced how much money he will receive for his participation in TV show, "I'm A Celebrity". Hancock will receive £400,000, which one Twitter user described as an "obscene amount". Similarly, other people are baffled and outraged by the amount, considering he will continue to be paid as an MP, even though he won't serve his constituents while in the jungle. Some took the opportunity to remind others again of the damage that Hancock has done and how many lives were lost during the pandemic.
Data source: Twitter
Source: Listen + Learn Research

Mental health industry exposé
The video "Do these mental health products even do anything?" by Drew Gooden has been trending on Youtube. Drew tested and reviewed a number of products that supposedly boost mental health and ease anxiety. Throughout the video, he is sceptical of the products fulfilling their purpose. He argued that with more people openly talking about mental health, it's become a niche market for businesses to exploit for profit, albeit the products seemingly don't do anything. A lot of viewers thanked Drew for being so open about his own mental health issues, saying it felt refreshing and made them feel less alone. Many felt for Drew and share their own experiences with mental health. Viewers also appreciated Drew's bitter undertone while exposing these companies.
Data source: YouTube
Source: Listen + Learn Research

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Starbucks staff on strike
On the day Starbucks rolls out its famed red holiday cups, workers went on strike over stalled labor talks. So far it has had a significant amount of media interest with almost 1,000 articles, but public interest is yet to match the surge in coverage.
Data source: Web and social
Source: NewsWhip

Splashing out for the holidays
Over the past quarter, consumer purchasing habits for general needs (like gas and groceries) have increased while discretionary purchases (like apparel and furniture) have decreased. This is likely a result of rising prices across the board leading consumers to prioritize their needs over their wants. However, as the holiday season rolls in, we expect discretionary purchases to increase.
Data source: Google, news/media, Twitter
Source: Nichefire

The perfect cuppa
The video "Food Theory: Your Tea SUCKS... But That's None of My Business", by The Food Theorists, has been trending on Youtube. In it, two Americans and one British man go on a mission to find the perfect cup of tea. They aim to find out whether there is a best shape and material for tea bags, what the best ratio of milk to tea is, whether to pour in water or milk first, how long to steep, and lastly, what the best type of tea cup is. They say they expect to upset a lot of British people with their video. However, one British viewer disagreed, saying, "As a British person this video is not ruining my tea experience" (2.2k likes). People from other countries shared how they make their tea, especially focusing on how they would never put milk in their tea. Others suggest doing a similar video but with coffee.
Data source: YouTube
Source: Listen + Learn Research

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Buy now, pay later for Black FridayFor the past five years, Buy Now/Pay Later (BNPL) options have steadily increased in popularity among consumers - interest has increased by nearly 80% since 2017. However, this trend also has seasonal spikes around Black Friday where BNPL explodes in popularity ahead of the holiday season. We forecast the same thing for this year.Data source: Google, web trafficSource: Nichefire