Welcome to The Trend Report: Business Editionâ˘, a midweek look at top stories, trends, and more of whatâs happening online and off by Kyle of The Trend Reportâ˘. Today, weâre exploring the incoming Kirkaversary and 9/11, why robot fails are trending, huge stats on vintage fashionâs appeal, and preparing for water wars.
đš The Thing: Kirk/11
Two weeks ago, I noted a rise in 9/11 memes and how that seems to be rising up alongside what feels to be an influx in Charlie Kirk memes. While none of these memes have âgone away,â instead becoming an ever tightening weave within the modern internet, our entering September 2026 feels like it will be a mega-moment for these memes as itâs the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and one year since Charlie Kirk died. Things are going to cross-over and cross-pollinate in ways that will wow, as weâre already seeing Charlie Kirkâs face on the Twin Towers and buzzing about this meme double feature. In both directions, things are getting less weird but of a bigger volume: for 9/11, weâre getting mini-docs on memes, sincere memorials that verge on shitposts, viral funny memories of the disaster, Dolly Parton and Tim Curry as the towers, Woody and Mario on the scene, and various Osama Bin Laden references; for Charlie Kirk, there is an unending edit sequence (him as old ladies, comic book characters, generic rappers, and other lewd characters), expressions like âhis soul is trapped in AIâ and âthree kirks ago,â a trend of slipping his face where it shouldnât be, a drag queen parody, and various runoff posts. As the days dwindle down to Kirk/11, know this date is already being buzzed about, suggesting we are to experience an internet holiday like weâve never experienced before. You have two weeks to prepare. Are you ready for the second Kirkening?
đ˛ Tech Talk: Robenfreude
Fail videos of Amazon robots, the robot sprinting into a wall, that awkward home cleaning robot, the robot that died lifting weights, the robots that run like Nene Leakes, the hatred of robots at coffee shops: these are just a few glimpses at the content in and around robots in real life, which are mostly of a genre of our laughing at them because theyâre so fucking dumb and failing so hard at being human. Theyâre all great! Call it Robenfreude, call it the breath before they kill us: unsure, but the content is an assured way to grab eyeballs, underscored by legitimate efforts like (What feels to be more frequent?) robot races and a production race that has yet to turn profits. Yet: the parodies persist, from drag queens to TikTokers, all reveling in robofails. Why do we love this content? This was something I wrote about in the Q2 Trend Reportâ˘â
Despite Elon Musk and Melania Trumpâs attempts, robot fails are in. The Michael Jackson failbot, the kid kicking failbot, the love-struck delivery failbot, the French TV flinging failbots, the falling for Cardi B failbot: robot fails went viral this quarter, laughs as reinforcement of humanity. Most were clanker comedies but some â like the robot race in China â posited how the technology doesnât actually fail. This is a stumbling block on the way toward normalization.
It is a stumbling block on the way to normalization â but remember: in times of hate for tech CEOs and data centers, what better proof that this expensive tech that is ruining our life doesnât work than robots failing? Itâs a feel-good genre of content that reinforces our humanity, one that may eventually spawn action as stories of vandalizing and destroying working robots in cities are an emerging genre to watch. Could this yield a further cuteification of tech? Weâll see.
đ Aesthetically Pleasing: Vintage is very popular
I barely shop anymore for clothes and, if and when I do, itâs typically via resale platforms or vintage shops. I got too many clothes! And the bulk of fashion now is shit that already exists in the world, made with poorer materials and with less craftsmanship. I donât have time for that shit! And I donât want to support such a wasteful industry. You very likely agree, as we now have four resale reports from resale platforms that paint a picture of where the future of fashion really is. Yes, these calls were made from inside their houses, but when taken together they reveal a very real trend of resale being more important than ever.
