Social media trends: X, salmon-bowl weddings, and Jockle

Each week, Marketing Brew recaps what people are talking about on social media, the trends that took over our feeds, and how marketers are responding.

X does not mark the spot: Earlier this week, for some unknown reason (but probably just because Elon Musk likes the letter), Twitter began a slow and not-yet-complete rebrand to “X.” The iconic blue bird logo has been replaced with the letter, but the site still says things like “Search Twitter” and “Tweet” to post. Marketers scratched their heads at the change, which appears to be the nail in the coffin for the Twitter we once knew after months of chaos. CNN’s Oliver Darcy even wrote a eulogy. Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino and Paris Hilton, on the other hand, seem optimistic about the change.

According to the Wall Street Journal, starting August 7, brands that “haven’t spent at least $1,000 on ads in the previous 30 days or $6,000 on ads in the previous 180 days” will lose their gold check. Sending our best to the social media managers trying to figure out how to deal with this—or perhaps X-it altogether.

’Tok of the town: TikTok released a text post feature this week, but the bigger stories stemmed from the platform’s stars of the moment.

• Emily Mariko got married, making headlines in the process for the wedding’s “quiet luxury” feel. No word on whether they served salmon bowls at the wedding.
• The “Attenzione, Pickpocket!” woman, Monica Poli, whose voice has been trending on TikTok, was interviewed by the New York Times.

Adam Jockle, the Eastern Seaboard’s most wholesome twentysomething, is having a moment and was covered by GQ. While he seems to be American Eagle’s biggest fan based on his OOTDs, Jockle told GQ he is not a plant for the brand. He has even made content for fellow mall outfitter PacSun, but that’s not stopping his fans from manifesting an AE collab. He probably deserves a Starbucks collab too, given how many drink reviews he’s done.

Girl’s gotta eat: The “Girl Dinner” trend continues, with Popeyes offering a sides-only meal that capitalizes on the trend. For those who don’t know or aren’t a girl, “Girl Dinner” is eating lots of little snacks instead of a traditional meal. There’s even a TikTok filter now to BYOGD (build your own girl dinner).

+1: Here’s a Barbie meme.