Transcript

Episode 37- Snack Wars, Corecore Clones, and the Age of AI Covers · Trending Now: Top 10 Topics This Week

Alex Carter: Welcome back to Trending Now: Top 10 Topics This Week. I’m Alex Carter, your guide through the internet’s most chaotic corners, where pop culture, tech, and social media meet. This week, we’re tasting tension in the snack aisle, questioning creativity on TikTok, and watching music evolve—without musicians. Alex Carter: Coming in at number 10, there’s a full-blown Snack War happening online. It started when Dunkaroos called out Gushers in a tweet saying, “Only one of us is still iconic.” What followed was a brand-on-brand roast battle, with Capri Sun, Fruit Roll-Ups, and even Lunchables jumping into the mix. Gen Z and Millennial nostalgia is fueling these interactions—but so is the marketing strategy. Brands are using meme warfare to reassert relevance in a saturated market. Alex Carter: Number 9—“Corecore” clones are flooding TikTok. Originally a genre of emotional, lo-fi video montages meant to make you feel something, Corecore has now splintered. We’re seeing “Mallcore,” “Officecore,” “Gamercore”—with creators editing together random footage with melancholic music and vague captions like “we used to dream.” The internet is now curating entire moods in under 60 seconds. Alex Carter: At number 8—AI-generated music covers are blowing up again. This week, viral clips of Ariana Grande “singing” Linkin Park and Frank Sinatra covering Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For” crossed millions of views in hours. Fans are torn. Some call it impressive artistry, others call it identity theft. Music labels? Still scrambling to figure out how to control it—or profit from it. Alex Carter: Number 7—The “Just a Guy” content trend. Creators are making intentionally low-effort videos titled “Just a guy who…” followed by oddly specific identities, like “Just a guy who vapes in silence during lunch break” or “Just a guy who fixes boats and listens to 2007 indie rock.” It’s oddly relatable, strangely calming, and pure algorithm bait. Alex Carter: And number 6—“Quitfluencers” are back. Influencers who used to post constant hustle content are now going viral for quitting—leaving their jobs, ending brand deals, or ditching social media altogether. The twist? They’re monetizing the exit just as hard as they monetized the grind. It’s the latest cycle in online performative identity: burn out, bounce, and brand it. Alex Carter: That’s it for this week’s snapshot of the cultural chaos. I’m Alex Carter, and whether you’re team Gushers or just vibing to Sinatra-Eilish mashups, remember—if it’s trending, we’re talking about it. Catch you next time.