Star Wars, scary stories and a surge in social media stardom

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 Nichefire.

Image by: The Social Intelligence Lab

Heat waves and hurricanes spark climate change discussion
This Summer has been one of the hottest on record and - according to many pundits - global warming and climate change to blame. This, along with Hurricane Hilary hitting the North American West coast, has raised alarms for many in regards to the climate crisis - sparking new discourse regarding climate change. This is becoming a consistent pattern we can expect going forward - as abnormal weather patterns emerge, the discourse regarding climate change will rise with it.
Data Source: News/media, Google, Twitter/X

Deep fakes are becoming the new meme machine
"Let's talk about buttered sausage..." says Gary Busey during an interview on a web series called The Jeff Richards Show. Except... it's not Gary Busey. It's a deepfake rendering of his likeness saying silly thing in a video. If you haven't seen this video yet, please do - it's weird, funny, but also perplexing as to how convincing generative AI is. And we can expect a whole new type of content come from this.
Data source: TikTok, Instagram, news/media

Overnight music sensation, Oliver Anthony, introduces the new wave of music stardom
There is a new breed of musicians coming to play and they are being skyrocketed to stardom using social media. Oliver Anthony is one of those who rose to success overnight and his song "Rich Men North of Richmond" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 because of it. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok are giving unknown musicians a chance to be seen in a unique way. JVKE is another musician to reach stardom from the exposure these platforms give budding musicians.
Data Source: YouTube, TikTok, Spotify, news/media, Google, Instagram

The AI boom sparks new jobs - that pay **extremely** well
A year ago, did you think "prompt engineer" would be one of the most sought after positions? Jobs in AI are on the rise - along with the salary. Many senior positions in AI paying $300k-500k/year. Prompt engineer positions are paying in the six-figure range as well. If you fancy yourself a ChatGPT prompt wizard, this may be something to look for!
Data Source: news/media, Discord, Reddit, Twitter/X, LinkedIn

Wildfires ravage Maui
Maui saw one of the deadliest wildfires in US history. The resulting catastrophe led many to take to social media to share their thoughts on the matter and ask questions - how did it happen? How many people were hurt or died? How did the government respond?
Data source: News/media, Google, Twitter/X

Trump's fourth indictment and the Republican Party's road to the White House
The first debate for the Republican Party’s nomination for the US 2024 election took place this past week. The front runner for the Republican ticket, Donald Trump, did not appear. What's more, Trump is facing his fourth indictment for interfering in the 2020 US presidential election in Fulton County, Georgia. Despite his absence at the debate stage and his multiple indictments, he is still the frontrunner for the Republican Party.
Data source: Twitter/X, news/Media, Google

Ahsoka - the latest Star Wars instalment - brings an animated fan-favourite to life
The latest Star Wars instalment, Ahsoka, has fans of the animated series, Star Wars: Rebels, raving. This has sparked significant traction on platforms, like TikTok and Instagram, where fans posted their reviews of the first two episodes as well as reviews of the new Lego set series in partnership with the show.
Data source: TikTok, Instagram, news/media, Google

Michael Oher vs. the Tuohys
If you are a fan of the 2009 blockbuster hit, "The Blind Side", this may hurt a bit. Oher, the subject matter of the movie, filed a petition against the Tuohy family that supposedly adopted him. Oher claims that the Tuohys tricked him into signing a conservatorship agreement that he believed was an adoption. The Tuohys became his conservators in 2004, which gave them control over his contracts - to which Oher claims that the Tuohys made millions from his life story and withheld his share of the profits from the movie.
Data source: News/media, Google

Baldur's Gate 3 the hottest new game to hit the market
For the role-playing video game fans out there, Baldur's Gate 3 has been all the rave. Communities for the game have been gaining momentous traction across the web and at major conventions. Reddit and Discord in particular have picked up traction - players have been sharing tips, tricks, and memes regarding the game.
Data source: Reddit, Discord, news/media, Google

Halloween is coming a bit early on TikTok
Hashtags like #scarystories and #scarytiktoks are taking off on TikTok ahead of Halloween. In these videos, creators sharing spooky stories about ghosts, horror, and the paranormal. Examples include last words and images from celebrities, amateur horror videos, movie snippets, and history.
Data source: TikTok

Have you tried freeze-dried candy?
If you own a freeze dryer or dehydrator, you may have been tempted to experiment on all sorts of foods. Content creators on TikTok have started freeze drying their candies to show viewers the outcome - the result has created a new niche segment of candies that have been gaining popularity on Amazon, Etsy, and online candy shops. Skittles, Nerds Rope, gummies, and all sorts of candies are now being sold in their freeze-dried versions.
Data source: Amazon, TikTok, Etsy

Monopoly GO! the latest game to dominate mobile devices
I'm sure many of us have had our fair share of hours-long Monopoly games. Now you can play Monopoly with anyone in the world! The game made this list because of the fast growing communities on forums and Reddit. Players trading tips, in-game items and cards, etc. The popularity of the app has grown alongside the rumours of a new Monopoly movie coming out soon.
Data source: Reddit, forums/blogs

Let's get cracking...eggs
A new challenge has emerged on TikTok that has some people concerned about the potential harm it has on children. The Egg Crack Challenge features videos of parents cracking eggs on their children's heads as they make a dish. Critics suggest this could lead to an increase in abuse to children and warn of the future emotional damage this could do to them.
Data source: TikTok, news/media

Credit card debt at an all time high
With inflation woes still persisting, many have been relying on their credit cards to afford staples - and some discretionary spending. Credit card debt is at an all time high as a result.
Data source: News/media, web traffic

Rise of the digital nomads
You're likely familiar with the remote working battle between companies and employees, but a new trend has emerged from the world of remote work: digital nomad visas. Digital nomad visas allows someone to live and work in a specific country. The visa allows freelancers and remote employees to work from the country for one year. Many of these digital nomads are opting to do this to shake up their work life a bit and explore the world.
Data source: Google, Reddit, LinkedIn, forums/blogs

Disc golf growing in popularity year over year
Although we are at the end of disc golf season, the interest in the sport has grown year over year since the early 2010s. Although the sport didn't see as immense of a lift in popularity as pickleball, disc golf has been steadily growing!
Data source: Reddit, Google, forums/blogs

Independent musicians getting the support and distribution they need
Forums and SubReddits, like r/DistroKidHelpDesk have been growing in popularity among budding musicians in an attempt to get their music out in the world. DistroKid is one of the popular services used by these musicians to help distribute music across many platforms for a small fee - making it a favourite among musicians that haven't had a breakthrough yet.
Data source: Reddit, Spotify

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