The Youth Lab

#1: MATES RATING MEALS

In our Youth Culture Uncovered report, we shared how food / gourmet themes are topping the ways young people are seeking out joyous, everyday moments of enjoyment together. So it’s no surprise to see foodie memes topping this list. Earlier this week we saw a series of Insta-posts go viral, giving mates ‘ratings’ of their plates of food. Comments range from ‘No words to describe 1/10’ to ‘I don’t know where to start…3/10’ but all are 10/10 hilarious.

#2: THE FROG HOUSE

Move over ‘Let Me Do It For You’ Borzoi and Happy Capy Capybara Affirmations, there’s another iconic creature in town. Frog content is BIG, but the world is particularly loving the wholesome Frog House story - where a loving creator made ‘Froderick’ his own bespoke home, with upgrades as suggested by the Tiktok community. Needless to say, we stan Froderick and his little teeny tiny frog house.

#3: WATERFORD WHISPERS NEWS X GAEILGE

For Irish readers, you can always rely on WWN for some of the best satirical Irish news and this week, we were ‘ag gáire’ (laughing) at how they ‘celebrated’ the Irish language (during Seachtain na Gaeilge) in their own way..

#4: THE NIC CAGE X PEDRO PASCAL MEME

Nicholas Cage? Always iconic (and on our minds since the recent Renfield trailer dropped) Pedro Pascal? Our fav internet crush who is starring in the new season of The Mandalorian released this week. Put the 2 together with a TikTok trending tune from Cass Elliot and you get our most shared meme this week. You’re welcome.

#5: JOHN TERRY EATING IN THE BATH

You know the feeling. You’re on the way for a nice relaxing bath and then suddenly…tinned plum tomatoes ruin it all? Randomness and humour, the building blocks of some of Youths' favourite memes of all time come together to form this incredibly shareworthy TikTok.

#6: THE CHEESE TAX

Anyone with pets knows the joy of making up and singing silly little songs to them to distract them as you cook. We challenge you not to have this cheese-inspired dachshund delight of a tune going ‘round and ‘round your head all weekend. Pay the cheese tax, they deserve it all and more.

#7: IRONIC HUSTLE CONTENT

Post-Covid, young people all over the world are prioritising balance and purpose, over the grind and the ‘hustle culture.’ We’re seeing a rise in sharply ironic, self-help-style content which takes the tropes of toxic ‘hustle’ life and adds a sprinkling of comic reality. Laugh along as the ‘Entrapranure’ rises!

#8: THE AUTOSHOP THAT WENT VIRAL

The cheeky ‘I lied on my CV’ intern style of content has exploded online in 2023, as young people use their innate talents and skills in digital media to make themselves famous. The internet LOL’d along at the genius content at the heart of the US Fort Lauderdale Autoshop Twitter stream - as they built their way to 50,000,000+ views and 187.4K followers in just a week. Bonus points if you recognise ‘Maxwell’ the spinning cat too.

#9: BOLT X BREAKUP TO BREAK FREE

Shot in a realistic, mock-docu-style, we couldn't help laughing along with the recently released video piece from Bolt (the Estonian mobility company.) The mock-seriousness of the ‘stories’ and the call-to-action to ‘breakup to break free’ is a really clever, memorable and shareable idea which we loved. And If you have ever named an inanimate object, this is made just for you.

BRAND TAKEOUTS

Humour is at often the heart of the best brand marketing. (see more about fun and joy here: Youth Culture Uncovered Report 2023) To win, tap into 2023-style internet-first humour.