💎 HBO Max gives a masterclass in how to handle a rebrand on socials
+private group spaces are where the internet actually lives now; And how marketers and brands can utilize Discord
In this Monday’s email we’re sharing:
8 curated pieces of media that we think you should check out
1 trend focused on why group chats are more relevant than ever
In the full edition, available for paying members, we zero in on:
Discord, it’s fast growth and how marketers and brands can get in on the fun
💎cultural gems💎
The moments and media catching our eye…
📺 HBO Max is in on the joke after their 4th rebrand, poking fun at themselves on social media and using their iconic characters to soften the blow.
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📸 Instagram's "Teen Accounts" promise to shield kids from harmful content, but a recent test by Gen Z users revealed some flaws.
👶 Predicting influencer baby names is practically a competitive sport online. The subreddit r/Tragedeigh has built a community 562k members, just around this
🏠 Airbnb’s having a midlife moment: CEO Brian Chesky’s is working to turn the travel app into the next everything platform, including a social network.
👯♀️ Twins, clones, doppelgängers—oh my. Between Severance and Marc Jacob’s new twin campaign, the line between real and replica is blurring with culture entering the uncanny valley.
🍿 In an effort to get people back in movie theaters, AMC is slashing their ticket prices by 50% on Wednesdays.
💙 Wooby & Fotty, a music puppet show about childhood security blankets that helps kids manage big emotions and MTD client, recently collaborated with comedian Fred Armisen to talk all things blankies! [by
]🎧 Congratulations to content creator and Senior Project Manager of Fleet Marketing and friend of MTD, Sammi Cohen on the launch of her podcast, Social Currency, connecting the dots between business and culture.
You can check out our Q&A with Sammi here.
💬 The group chat is the main character now
We said it once [we actually stay it all the time], we’ll say it again [louder, with sources]: private group spaces are where the internet actually lives now.
Discord might be the most visible example [and yes, we’re obsessed], but the real story here is about behavior. People, especially younger millennials and Gen Z, are spending less time posting to the feed and more time in their persistent digital group chats. The ones with names like “Mouthy & Messy” or “Hot Takes + Birkenstocks,” where 12 people have been sharing voice notes, crisis texts, and late-night link trees since 2019.
Closed community spaces are replacing the timeline as the internet’s social hub. Discord servers, Slack side-channels, Geneva groups, locked Telegram threads, even Notes on Substack are the new place to be for brands looking to make authentic connections to their users.
What’s driving this shift?
Burnout from public posting: The algorithm is exhausting. People are tired of playing to the feed.
Desire for trust + nuance: You don’t need to post a disclaimer in a group chat. There’s more room for real talk.
So who’s doing it well?
Daisy Alioto’s Dirt Discord and Culture Study by Anne Helen Petersen both offer invite-only spaces for readers to go deep on big themes [like AI, aesthetic labor, or whatever the Vibe Shift of the week is].
The MILF DAO, which started as a joke in a meme group chat, now hosts invite-only digital salons for women in VC, media, and tech. It’s exclusive, not elitist, and it’s growing fast.
Rachel Karten’s Substack Discord is a playbook in itself. She built a paid-only space for marketers who subscribe to
and don’t want to shout on LinkedIn, just trade insights and TikToks with other smart people who get it.Even brands like Glossier and Peloton have started seeding small, tight-knit community channels where their core fans can chat, ask questions, and feel seen. That all happens before anything gets posted to the grid.
What creators and marketers should do now:
Rethink your community strategy: Don’t just post at people. Give them a place to gather. Even if you’re not launching a full-blown server, start with a group DM or Substack Note thread.
Build for core fans, not just broad reach: It’s easier to grow outward from a strong core than to build loyalty after going viral. Start small and specific.
Get comfortable with being quiet: You don’t need to be in every convo. Sometimes the best move is to set the tone, spark the chat, and then get out of the way. Bringing on mods who are deep in the community vs employees also helps to build trust and allows users to speak more freely.
Because in 2025, the goal isn’t just to go viral. It’s to be indispensable. You want to be the first link someone drops when the group chat says, “OK but who’s actually doing this well?”
Discord has become the new digital living room.
In today’s paid portion, we’re diving into how Discord has shifted from a gamer-first platform to a space for busy adults to stay in touch with the people they love and how brands can tap into this growing community.
It’s our team’s job to stay ahead of the curve. Upgrade to paid for fresh, cutting edge trends delivered to your inbox every Monday ⬇️