Zendaya Hat Theory 🎩?? Woke Pope🕊️?? Breaking down this week's Internet lore
"What does this mean? I'm employed." (Dw, we got you) — plus our interview with TikTok's "People Princess" Tanner Devore
🌶️ What’s Happening: Ranking Met Gala’s top AI looks, #WestVillageTok, and the “It” no one is saying out loud
👀 Double Click: Duolingo’s hard AI shift and Gen Z’s clutching our pearls
🙏 People to Watch: The “that one friend who…” comedian Tanner Devore
What's Happening:
🚀 AI Hits the Met - Katy Perry “stunned” on the Met Gala carpet in the strange tradition of fans (and haters?) creating an uncanny AI-fashion moment for the pop star. Now, other celebs are getting the AI Met Gala treatment with a viral TikTok “judging” AI looks from Perry, SZA and Gaga. Have we officially crossed over into a new (scary) era where we’re taking deep fake content … seriously?
📲 The Algorithm Experience – Is TikTok deprioritizing large creators or is the algorithm proving that content really is king?
recently put that question to the test by posting two identical videos—one on her main account with 660K followers, and another on a brand new account with zero followers. The result? Nearly identical engagement. Does this prove that your follower count is less important than hitting the right topic at the right time?🪷 White Lotus: Ohio - President Trump’s announcement that he wants to put tariffs on films “produced outside of America” has internet users imagining the unintended consequences like a Dune shot in Cleveland, a White Lotus set in American suburbia, and Survivor season in Brooklyn. A bankable meme format or a genuine prediction?
💅 West Village's TikTokification – Are we witnessing the gentrification of culture through algorithmic taste? Once a bohemian haven, many are saying that TikTok has turned the West Village into a lifestyle aesthetic. Now the neighborhood is filled with long brunch lines and transplants treating NYC as a backdrop or a “study abroad.” It’s become part of a wider convo on homogenization of culture online and off.
⁉️ When “It” Happens: The next evolution of cryptic internet speak: vague, coded, and universally understood. To dodge shadow-bans and censorship, no one names “it”— but everyone’s in on the secret. This is how Gen Z talks about what’s coming next, without ever saying it out loud (and risking the wrath of the algo)
🎩 “Zendaya Hat Theory” - Remember TikTok’s “theory” era (when Taxi Cab Theory, Bean Soup Theory and October Theory filled our feeds)? Well, welcome “Zendaya Hat Theory,” a new digital philosophy that the FYP filled with creepy edits of Zendaya in her infamous “big hat.” Interestingly, the edits mimic conspiracy theory videos, making it a subtle and effective parody of a now ubiquitous type of content. And she wore a hat to the Met Gala — further sending the Internet into a tizzy
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🦈 “I’m too employed for this one, I fear.” – Brainrot content comment sections are flooded with people claiming they’re “too employed” to get the joke (and asking for an explanation), while others are realizing their online fluency is perhaps a sign it’s time to head to Indeed.com. Since when did gainful employment mean you’re now officially out on the joke?
⛪ Digital Pope-print - It’s official: Robert Prevost, or Pope Leo XIV, was elected to lead the Catholic Church. He’s the first Pope to have a digital footprint and online sleuths are already digging into his past political posts on X, leading some to call him “woke pope.” His more progressive politics and the hype built by “stan” accounts like PopeCrave has led to an influx of Pope Leo XIV fan edits.
Double Click 👀
"Against AI" - Duolingo lost some digital goodwill after their CEO announced they’re going “AI-first,” replacing contract-roles with AI technology. We wouldn’t blame the Duolingo team for being a bit taken aback by the strong reaction to the news. ChatGPT use is near-ubiquitous among Gen Z and Gen Alpha students. Plus, generative AI trends like the Studio Ghibli filter have become social media monoculture. But even as AI-use rises, the sense that AI is threatening young people’s job prospects and replacing creative labor remains high, and thus the technology is still very controversial. TikTok feeds are filled with young people cringing at AI job interviews, making fun of those who are over-reliant on the technology and lamenting its impact on the environment.
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With that, any company making a big AI announcement should expect pushback, but why did Duolingo’s AI-pivot inspire such a huge reaction? Duolingo, with its omnipresent (now deceased) mascot and its ubiquity in TikTok comment section, has positioned itself as an ally to the next gen — the rare corporate voice that “gets it.” Their earned trust means that a potential misstep could be taken as a grave betrayal. So was Duo’s “all in on Gen Z” strategy a mistake given this now-revealed risk? Of course not, but it would be wise to consider the costs of making a big announcement around AI. Do Gen Z Duolingo users really care if their language course was made by a human being or AI? Probably not … but the feeling that the robots are taking people’s jobs does zap the fun of learning español.
People To Watch - Tanner Devore
TikTok comedian Tanner Devore (996 K followers) has become an internet staple through his hilarious skits, sharp monologue series and newly launched podcast. PRZM chatted with the busy creator to learn a bit more about the method behind his magic.
What’s a word you’d use to describe your content?
Ridiculous.
What’s your favorite part of working in social media?
The balance of performing for people and connecting with them on the side. It’s amazing receiving comments calling a video funny, but I find myself really moved by the messages I receive about friends who quote my videos as an inside joke or moms who watch my videos with their kids. It reminds me what this is all about.
What advice would you give someone interested in doing what you do?
Remember who you are without your phone. Connect with life around you and find a way to bring that back to the digital space. At times, I think our inspiration, interactions, and interests all come from the digital side. It’s important to remember the world outside of our phones too. It helps me enjoy the work so much more knowing I can set my phone down and not be itching to check my notifications for a while.
What’s your favorite TikTok trend or sound right now?
Right now there’s a compilation of dogs dancing to a song about bacon egg and cheese sandwiches that really moved me.
What are you currently gatekeeping?
Men with a follower-count under 1000.