Stranger Things star Joe Keery’s synthpop song tops the charts, sushi is the new pizza for Gen Alpha, and the Great Meme Reset that wasn’t. But first:
Slang of the Week – “Flow State”
Flow State: In a world full of short attention spans, focus is a coveted resource. Gen Z and Gen Alpha are boasting about reaching what they call a “flow state,” a period of time when they are so immersed in what they are doing they can’t focus on anything else. It can also be used to describe the feeling of something going perfectly, like this video does.
And now for our three conversations..
1. Ends and Beginnings
What it is: “End of Beginning,” a song by Stranger Things star Joe Keery (who performs under the name “Djo”) seems to have peaked in popularity after the conclusion of the show.
Why it’s on top: As fans celebrate, mourn, and go into denial via viral fan theories (spoilers) about the end of Netflix’s hit show, many have also taken to listening to this song from 2022. In some ways, the song becoming popular (again) makes a lot of sense. As fans say farewell to beloved characters they’ve spent almost a decade with, the writing and sound of the song inspires a sense of nostalgia and remembering good times, inviting listeners to think back to a previous version of themselves. The song is named “End of Beginning” after all.
Continue the conversation: What’s something from the past you remember fondly? What’s something you’re excited about right now?
2. Give Me The Sush
What it is: For Gen Alpha, sushi is the new pizza.
Why it’s fresh: For the older generations, salmonella might be one of their first thoughts when the topic of eating raw fish comes up. But for many members of Gen Alpha, raw fish—specifically sushi—is now regarded as a culinary delight. Whether it’s the often-colorful presentation, the fact that in some restaurants sushi rides a conveyor belt to your table, or because some sushi chefs now put a lot of sugar in the rice (paywall), many North American pre-teens have developed a deep appreciation for this classic Japanese food. Unfortunately, going to a sushi restaurant can cost a lot more than ordering a plate of chicken nuggets; the Wall Street Journal highlighted a few families who mentioned bills upwards of $120 after a typical sushi outing. Of course, not all sushi is created equal(ly expensive); perhaps some of these families could try purchasing their sushi at Sprouts?
Continue the conversation: What’s your favorite thing about sushi?
3. The Great Meme Reset that Wasn’t
What it is: Some young people (and people who spend time with young people) hoped for a “great meme reset” that would leave the most annoying memes of the past few months in 2025.
Why it was never going to happen: According to middle school teacher/influencer Mr. Lindsey, this organic “great meme reset” movement was started by TikTokers who have become exhausted by the “brainrot” of Gen Alpha memes, such as “chicken jockey,” “ballerina cappuccina,” and “domer.” They wondered if the nonsense terms seemed ever-present and inescapable because of their algorithm’s echo chamber, which reintroduces these memes over and over, trapping us all in an endless loop. What if, these TikTokers proposed, everyone agreed to stop engaging with these types of memes—could they simply disappear, leaving us blessedly free from the crisis of these meaningless words? Turns out we’ll never know, because pubescent boys’ urge to shriek “6-7” is just too strong.
Let’s translate this one further…
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had certain words and phrases that I’ve latched onto and felt compelled to say over and over. For the last few months, the phrase “we’re living, we’re laughing, we’re loving” has felt almost impossible to resist; representing the generic art slogan like it’s some sort of motivational speech almost always seems funny (at least to me).
When I recently tried to explain this vocal habit to my (usually remote-working and therefore shielded) boss, her immediate response was, “I think that’s a disease.” She then sent me a link to an article about palilalia—and for a moment, it felt like one of my soul’s many mysteries had been solved. But alas, the shoe didn’t fully fit. Palilalia tends to involve repeating words over and over without a break—and the ability to take breaks is a big part of what keeps me living, laughing, and loving. (To be fair, when I was growing up, my parents probably felt like the breaks between outbursts could have been a bit longer.)
Whatever my “condition” should properly be called, it seems like our culture as a whole suffers from it, too. This may not be the fault of any one individual so much as the fault of the algorithms we’ve built ourselves to live in. But whatever the true cause, the proponents of the Great Meme Reset should have heeded this warning from the psychotherapist Carl Jung: “What you resist not only persists, but will grow in size.” Fighting the urge to shout “6-7” head-on is like telling someone not to think about pink elephants. The very fact of trying to resist something this way practically guarantees its endurance.
Jesus knew when to fight head-on and when to take the oblique path. In Matthew 5:39-41, He says, “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.” Each of these solutions involves using the momentum of a moment against itself as a way to, hopefully, inspire change in the people around you.
And of course, someday, “6-7” will go away on its own. The question is: how much will we still have left of ourselves when it goes? Will we still be living, laughing, and loving? Or will we be empty shells of who we once were, afraid of counting to ten and wondering what’s going to take over our algorithms next?
Only time will tell. For now, resistance is futile—at least until the next meme comes around.
For more context and nuance, check out our Roundtable podcast on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. In the meantime, here are three questions to help you continue the conversation with your teens:
- What was the worst meme of 2025?
- Why do you think “41” failed to replace “6-7”?
- How can we know when to fight something head-on versus when to take a more subtle approach?
Parenting together,
Evan Barber and the Axis Team
In Other News…
- Mr. Beast’s competition show Beast Games is back on Amazon Prime this week. The twist this time? Brains versus brawn. Will Mr. Beast commit more war crimes? Tune in to find out.
- The French parliament has proposed a bill that, if passed, would ban social media access for everyone under age fifteen, and ban phones from all schools.
- TikTok’s New Year trend is punch cards for resolutions, making goals feel tangible and within reach.
- Now that they’re all back from South Korea’s mandatory military service, the K-pop band BTS has officially announced their fifth album, which is set to be released on March 20th.
- Videos saying “Your sign to not bring your boyfriend with you to watch The Housemaid” are drawing attention to an explicit scene with Sydney Sweeney and the male lead, Brandon Sklenar.
PS: Know someone who could use our conversation starters with their teens? Share the CT with a friend!