 over a polarised political climate, humour serves as a natural release from the real world. It’s why the American Dialect Society selected ‘

’ to define the collective mindset of the US during 2016, after a GIF of a dumpster fire used as a metaphor for the presidential election was viewed over ten million times.

It’s not just the political world that’s been given a slick coat of satire in an attempt to take the edge off. While the rising awareness of mental health – and its discomfort in a social landscape that predominantly champions happiness – has been confronted by a wave of 

, the impossible restrictions wrapped up in the ‘clean eating’ movement are similarly being ridiculed by Instagrammer Bella Younger, a.k.a. 

. And why not? It’s better to laugh than cry, right?

From politicians to vloggers, digitally captured faux pas have become the fodder of much debate across media. But what makes cringe-worthy moments – which inspire feelings of embarrassment, awkwardness, and even pity – so captivating amid the stream of content fighting for our attention?

What draws us to cringe-worthy content?

Memes are part of the fabric of internet culture. But at a time when there’s such a disparity between reality and social media perfection, the subversion of the classic meme format reflects a shift in how people express themselves digitally. How do nihilist memes show the silver lining of sadness?

Nihilist memes: misery goes viral

HMD and Heineken have launched a limited-edition Boring Phone, encouraging a break from the immersive world of smartphones and a return to minimalist retro technology. As people look for a reprieve from fast-paced digital environments, they're turning to nostalgic tech to find it.

Limited-edition Boring Phone promotes digital breaks

With Australian society having a hot-and-cold relationship with sexuality, The Hook Up podcast dares to discuss elements of modern romance and sex as it is truly experienced by Australian Gen Zers and the growing LGBTQ+ community in the country looking for a safe digital space.

Why The Hook Up unfilters sex talk for Aussie Gen Z

With their formative years hindered by pandemic lockdowns, it’s no wonder why Gen Alphas found comfort in online communities. On the gaming platform Roblox, Southeast Asian Gen Alphas advocate for their beliefs – from politics to religion – in a way no other generation has before.

Why Roblox became Southeast Asian Gen Alphas’ social podium

As TikTok's fate in the US hangs in the balance, India's 2020 ban could be a cautionary tale. India's bold move disrupted its thriving creator scene, forcing a migration to new platforms. Now, the US weighs its options, urging a rethink of digital landscapes amid global tensions.

India banned TikTok. Can US TikTokers use this as a blueprint?

TikTok is launching a new photo-sharing app, TikTok Notes, to rival Instagram, reflecting the growing trend of personalized online experiences and the decentralization of information. However, TikTok's algorithm-driven approach has already received some pushback from users.



TikTok challenges Instagram with new 'Notes' photo app

Billie Eilish has gained nearly seven million Instagram followers in two days after adding all followers to her Close Friends stories. Social media has evolved to become more exclusionary, and communications are shifting to favor more closed-door communities to create a sense of connection.

Billie Eilish Instagram stunt adds millions of followers

The solar eclipse created a wave of online discourse, from Reddit forums about feeling its bodily effects to doomsday declarations. Though often untrue, people are projecting meaning onto cosmic events, with astrological phenomena a way for people to process and make sense of anxieties on Earth.

Solar eclipse reactions blend astrology and conspiracy

Motion sickness medication Dramamine has produced a documentary on the history of the barf bag, a playful nod to a technology made less common by the medication. Playful, oddball content is growing in popularity – creating an opportunity for 'serious' products to tap into a new cultural milieu.

Dramamine releases playful barf bag documentary

Despite the common assumption that younger generations worry most about the environment, recent studies reveal a more nuanced picture. For businesses focused on sustainability comms, there's a fresh opportunity to engage older audiences on eco values while tapping into affluent demographics. 

Boomers' eco anxiety shows nuanced generational attitudes

E.l.f Cosmetics has partnered with punk rock water brand Liquid Death to release a heavy-metal-inspired makeup collection, tapping into fandom for niche subcultures. Brands are tapping into unusual subcultures and finding inspiration in the past to stand out to adventurous, irreverent Gen Zers.

E.l.f. uses 'Corpse Paint' to tap into metal fandom

‘Cool’ may be hard to commodify, but cult independent newsletter Perfectly Imperfect has done just that. By creating a digital oasis where cultural insights and recommendations are shared free from algorithms and advertising, it maintains integrity by prioritizing genuine user taste exchange.

How Perfectly Imperfect broadcasts cultural cool

PNC Bank has launched a campaign asserting itself as the 'boring' bank, pushing back against instability in the financial sector throughout the early 2020s. As people react to volatility in the crypto market and the conventional economy, they’re looking for brands to project stability.

PNC Bank uses 'boring' label to promote stability

Government censorship, sexual harassment, and anti-feminist sentiments have driven Chinese women away from their favourite social networking apps, which has translated to an ever-growing ‘she-economy’ in which they are making purchases – and even creating new brands – that empower them further.

How Chinese women are reclaiming social media from anti-feminists

Cancel culture has evolved into a public accountability tool fueled by commitments to diversity and the desire for brands to mirror personal values. However, if not organized strategically and with a clear purpose, it becomes an avenue for virtue signaling rather than leading to substantive change.

Is anyone ever truly cancelled?

Climate change is a leading issue and the UK government has committed to a net zero emissions pledge by 2050. To reach it, voters must also take action and need political parties to support them. But in economically unstable times, how can political parties mobilise Gen Z voters?

How do UK voters feel about climate policy?

In a post #metoo era, young women are creating and watching more feminist content on social media. Meanwhile, increasing numbers of young men are consuming and voicing anti-feminist views. How can tech companies, brands, and advertisers help to bridge the growing divide?

How can brands bridge the growing gender divide?

As the first generation of true digital natives, it’s no surprise that Gen Alphas are already engaged in the news. Australian youth stay in the loop through video explainers and short-form updates – but these kids are still in need of more robust digital literacy skills and forums for discussion.

How are Australian Gen Alphas getting their news?

Internet blackouts are being used to disrupt farmers' protests in India as they demand fair prices for crops. Ahead of the 2024 elections, this type of digital authoritarianism is an alarming signal of human rights infringements and the need to protect access to online spaces.

Internet blackouts used to disrupt protests in India

In 2024, there will be decisive elections in the US, UK, and Germany while the cost of living crisis is likely to intensify. Instead of engaging in serious rhetoric, how might brands harness humour to diffuse societal tensions and engage consumers with a more playful tone of voice?

Why humour will be essential for 2024

Snap has announced the return of its AR Ramadan mall, complete with new features to heighten the immersive retail experience during the festive season. It’s an example of successful localisation that goes beyond product to become an integral companion in the everyday lives of local customers.

Snap uses AR to bring Ramadan shopping to life

Utah’s first-of-its-kind social media regulation – slated for March 2024 – has been pushed back by legal challenges by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). The nonprofit claims that the Social Media Regulation Act will limit protected expression for at-risk youth in the state.

Lawsuit delays Utah’s social media crackdown

The Clicks Creator Keyboard offers a nostalgic alternative to the iPhone 14 screen, resembling old Blackberry buttons. With young people increasingly yearning for real-world connections, this keyboard enables users to touch the past and challenge the prevalence of touch screens in their lives.

Clicks makes iPhone part Blackberry for tactile nostalgia

Gen Alphas have produced the youngest social media influencers in history, many promoting skincare products and following TikTok trends. As this young cohort of influencers becomes an inevitability, how can brands take precautions to avoid targeting inappropriate products to this audience?

What’s driving the rise in Gen Alpha influencers?

More and more Gen Alpha gamers in Southeast Asia are finding support and community via online games, creating multiple opportunities for brands looking to join the fun. Savvy marketers have begun partnering with popular Twitcher streamers and YouTubers, tapping into the gaming community's idols.

Why games are the new social media for Southeast Asian Gen Alpha

A report has revealed that almost half of adults using TikTok have never posted a video. Combined with its increasing use as a news source, the use of the social media platform solely for consumption increases the challenge for brands to ensure the information they share is verified.

Report reveals that TikTok has more lurkers than posters

Klarna's AI assistant managed two-thirds of customer service chats in its debut month, showing efficiency and customer satisfaction. The trend towards AI customer service reflects a preference for quick, accessible support, alongside a debate on AI's impact on jobs and service quality.

Klarna celebrates AI handling the majority of customers

Following a number of politically and socially polarising events unfolding on the global stage, brands have come under heightened scrutiny to respond. Canvas8 spoke to Dr. Francesca Sobande about the role of brands in social justice advocacy in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Dr. Sobande on the future of social justice marketing

Cuffed addresses swipe fatigue by allowing users to match with only one person at a time. This approach aims to foster more meaningful connections, focusing on individual conversations, increasing the likelihood of long-term romance, and reducing cognitive overload from an overload of options.

Dating app Cuffed offers mindful matches one at a time

McDonald's has introduced a four-episode campaign to pay tribute to the chain’s omnipresence in anime and manga, reacting to the art form's growing popularity among young people worldwide. Even heritage brands like McDonald's are getting in on the act, demonstrating the rising power of fandom.

McDonalds taps anime fandom with limited series

The European Digital Services Act (DSA) has officially come into force, and Dutch digital rights foundation Bits of Freedom is helping to educate critical influencers, such as NGOs and activists, on how to use it to amplify their voices. Meanwhile, trust in Big Tech continues to decline.

Bits of Freedom empowers users to tackle Big Tech

Home Buddies, the Facebook group-turned-company reshaping Filipino homes, has mastered the art of organising communities online. The mammoth user-led group has become a safe space for Filipino home enthusiasts to share their living spaces, home design tips, and shopping recommendations.

How Homes Buddies gathers a village of home designers

Pacsun is pioneering a strategy to co-create and build a community around its brand with creatives. As people demand transparency from businesses and expect them to step up to society's challenges, collaboration opens up communication in ways that could lead to increased trust and loyalty.

Pacsun initiative collaborates with creatives on brand

Social media is seeing a rise of influencers who have been ‘cancelled’ rebranding themselves with conservative values and aesthetics to achieve redemption. This growing acceptance of conservative viewpoints online, packaged as nostalgia, signals an interesting shift in political outlooks.

Influencers adopt conservative values to find redemption

BeReal once dominated the charts of app stores in 2022, but its glory days are ending in the western parts of the world. Meanwhile, the platform has rebirthed itself in Japan, captivating young Gen Z users thanks to the respite it offers against the norms of its society.

How BeReal relieves Japanese Gen Zers from social curation

An Re/Max ad has humorously tackled the issue of getting recommendations from strangers on big decisions like buying a house. It emphasises its agents as trusted experts amid the pitfalls of word-of-mouth recommendations, positioning the brand as a reliable authority and source of truth.

Re/Max ad tackles unsolicited housing advice

Pizza Hut is offering customers a personalized pizza to break up with their would-be paramore ahead of Valentine’s Day. Young people are growing pessimistic about the holiday, and there's an opportunity for brands to use a playful irreverence to resonate with disillusioned consumers.

Pizza Hut offers 'Goodbye Pies' for Valentine's break-ups

The Soul app has proved successful in combating loneliness among China’s Gen Z population by promoting healthy social relationships. Now, brands are using it to better understand the generation’s nationalistic tendencies and need for connection, leading to various marketing success stories.

How Soul helps lonely Chinese Gen Zers make more friends

Yelp has introduced a series of AI-driven features to provide quicker pathways to the information that diners care about when looking for recommendations. As AI becomes the norm for recommendations, consumer expectations for accuracy, immediacy, and ease of use are increasing.

Yelp uses Ai to enhance user recommendations

Saucony found that the average American swipes their phone screen for 78 miles a year. In response, the brand has launched the Marathumb Challenge to promote physical activity over screen time – addressing collective unease about screens and helping people to rebalance their relationship with tech.

Saucony pushes Americans to run further than they scroll

The University of Iowa independent student newspaper has purchased two weekly local newspapers in the state – increasing their reach and giving students more chances to grow their reporting skills. This comes amid a nascent resurgence of print and an increase in youth political engagement.

Student journalists take local news into their own hands

In an oversaturated K-pop industry and global media market, fourth-generation girl group NewJeans enjoys a rare dominating success. Through Phoning, a NewJeans-specific, Y2K-branded app, the girl group grants superfans the illusion of hyper-personalised inside scoops into the lives of group members.

Why Phoning recalls the flip-phone experience for Gen Zers

Peanut Butter brand Jif has launched its 'Save The Celery' campaign ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, looking to encourage eaters to go with unconventional dips at their game-day watch parties. People are turning to healthy – if less conventional – snacks, and brands are encouraging experimentation.

Jif targets adventurous eaters in Super Bowl ad

TikTok's 'legging legs' trend has fuelled the spread of toxic beauty standards as young girls discuss the 'perfect' body shape. With signs that harmful body image tropes are returning via social media, platforms have a responsibility to protect users from potentially detrimental content.

'Legging Legs' trend signals toxic beauty standards

Faced with algorithmically enforced censorship on social media, users are relying on algospeak, a form of coded speech, to communicate. How can platforms protect free cultural and political expression while ensuring that algospeak isn’t used to disguise harmful online speech?

How is 'algospeak' changing online activism language?

Lucy & Yak has responded to the ban on FKA twigs' Calvin Klein campaign with its 'Baring All' clothing range – which celebrates body diversity, specifically breasts. People want to shop with brands that align with and understand their values and ethics and actively support and amplify them.

Lucy & Yak encourages Britons to bare their breasts

Social media has long been a part of Indonesian politics, but the campaigning season for the 2024 election saw presidential candidates establishing social media personas and working closer with influencers. What’s going on, and what can brands learn from this shift towards online campaigning?

Inside the influencer-ification of Indonesian politics

Despite facing various controversies, Southeast Asian Gen Zers remain active on Twitter, now known as X, utilising its features for news and video discovery. The online platform offers brands the opportunity to engage in sociopolitical conversations and tap into fandom subcultures.

How Twitter and X changed ads and news for Gen Z in Southeast Asia

A photo of two people sat outside talking

For Gen Zers, Black History Month can be a period marked by constant skepticism. Equipped with ample knowledge about corporate virtue-signaling, they’re wary of any statement of support for Black causes and communities. So, how can brands ensure they’re seen as authentically engaged allies?

How do American Gen Zers feel about Black History Month?

Former Cloudflare employee Brittany Pietsch decided to film herself being fired to show her friends and family but received an outpouring of support when she shared it on TikTok. Brands are having to respond to the challenge of increased scrutiny as social media makes consumer trust more precarious.

TikTok layoff convos highlight elevated brand scrutiny

Year-on-year growth of TikTok’s monthly active users slowed markedly in December 2023, and some commentators are suggesting TikTok Shop could be to blame. Users are frustrated by an overload of advertising content when they value TikTok for its ability to facilitate community.

TikTok users frustrated by overload of shopping content

From fuelling global protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death to driving boycotts against ‘woke’ brands, the impact of social media on grassroots movements has become impossible to ignore. Why are these channels so valued by activists? And how can brands navigate through contentious issues?

How social media became an engine for change

'Bookshelf wealth' has become a TikTok interior design trend. Featuring stacked bookshelves of loved books, some are calling it a less moody 'dark academia'. The trend's emphasis on curated objects of personal inspiration pushes back against a landscape dominated by algorithmic decision-making.

'Bookshelf wealth' opposes algorithmic taste-making

With 2024 seeing a significant chunk of the world’s population go to the ballot boxes, OpenAI has announced new measures to curb misinformation and disinformation. Brands are challenged with minimising consumer concern over safety and agency as fears over its potential effects continue to simmer.

OpenAI reassures AI anxious about misinformation

A study by AI company Anthropic has found that much like humans, AI can also learn the skill of deception and possibly become increasingly adept at it. As fears around deepfakes continue to grow, there’s an opportunity to use tech as a means to enhance transparency – not diminish it.

Research shows that AI can engage in deceitful behaviour

The notion of ‘anti-fandom’ has come a long way since its fan fiction roots. Rather than subverting existing fandoms due to a disliked IP or artist, individuals and communities are critiquing entire fan groups and ideologies. What does this suggest about people’s engagement with media and culture?

How anti-fandom is subverting pop culture norms

Consumers expect brands to be activists, yet many attempts fall short or are perceived as opportunistic ‘woke washing’. How can brands participate in activism while maintaining authenticity? Canvas8 spoke to Dr. Abas Mirzaei about the key dimensions of brand activism authenticity.

Is this legit? The science of ‘woke’ authenticity

Cancel culture is real, but are Gen Zers more forgiving than we think? Fashion brands Sunnei and Reformation spent 2023 sharing negative feedback for the world to see, and social media consumers are loving it. So how can criticism be spun into a successful marketing tactic?

How fashion brands use criticism to their advantage 

The Stanley Quencher – a colorful insulated tumbler – has enjoyed an explosion of viral popularity, selling out on shelves and fetching impressive resale prices online. Items like Stanley’s tumblers offer customizable, functional status symbols, catering to a desire for self-expression.

TikTok causes engagement with Stanley tumblers to boom

Gen Zers are digitally tracking their outfits to monitor how often they wear each piece and move towards slower models of fashion consumption. As budgets get tighter and sustainability awareness increases, young people are looking to become more intentional with their money choices.

Gen Zers turn to wardrobe tracking to manage consumption

A holiday cruise around the world has become the latest Tiktok obsession, as users anticipate the drama that will unfold over its 9-month voyage. People’s desire for organic and spontaneous content may be leading to the creation of an entirely new genre of social media-led reality entertainment.

TikTok turns nine-month cruise into a reality show genre

In an era where micro-trends reign supreme and everyone’s a critic, Data, But Make it Fashion is cutting through the noise to provide fashionistas with technology-based information on what’s actually trending and worth investing in. How is the platform shaping the future of fashion?

How Data, But Make it Fashion reshapes shopping trends

Aiming to harness social media and channel it into a powerful force for social impact, Roar Social has exciting ambitions to revolutionise the world. Courting Gen Zers and business leaders alike, the app is a smart and effective way of democratising the process of giving.

Why Roar Social reimagines social media for impactful change

Instagram is rising as one of Korea's most popular platforms for reading web-based cartoon strips – webtoons. With community and co-creation central to how people consume media, Instagram is winning with fans who want to easily share webtoons and consume media in shorter formats. 

'Instatoons' rises in popularity in South Korea

Central Cee is the British rapper injecting a fresh and vibrant energy into the hip-hop scene which is garnering the attention of a new generation of global music fans. With his raw and unfiltered template of authenticity, what can brands learn about the power of utilising such a figurehead?

Why Central Cee is taking UK rap music to global fans

One of Germany’s biggest multimedia companies recently announced that it would be cutting jobs, replacing some with AI technologies. How are Germans reacting to digital changes overall and what interest is there among Germans amid this shift toward an AI-supported workplace?

AI is coming for German news habits. What will change?

Communications

The internet has a long history with uncomfortable humour. And while cringing over obnoxious politicians and reality show stars is one side of the coin of black comedy – Google searches for the word ‘cringe’ rose 257% between August 2014 and July 2016 – satire is arguably the other.