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Resource of the Week: The Culture Translator Roundtable
Each year, we recap the top 20 biggest cultural events that shaped the world your teens are growing up in. This year, we’re also giving you a peek behind the curtain to see how we decide on this list. Part one of our Roundtable podcast’s (at times slightly heated) debate about which events mattered most, and what order they all belong in, is available now on our Culture Translator podcast. Check it out on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Or, if you just want to read the final order, keep scrolling down.
20. Moo Deng: It’s hard to think of a cultural moment from 2024 more wholesome than Moo Deng. The baby pygmy hippo stole the internet’s heart with her chubby cuteness and tiny ferocity. The small hippo was the source of countless memes, internet trends (including, oddly, skincare routines), and even an SNL sketch. While Moo Deng might have seemed like just another transient internet obsession, the popularity of the little sausage-shaped hippo pointed to a world in need of some levity and cuteness.
19. Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson: Jake Paul, a YouTube prankster who started posting (cringeworthy) Vines in 2013, has grown into a sports, business, and entertainment giant. He is now the CEO of the betting app Betr, the men’s skincare brand W, and as of the last six years, a boxer. His much-hyped fight against former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson had so many viewers on Netflix that the livestream froze. However, many of those who got to see it were left unimpressed, wondering if the whole thing was scripted and whether or not sports gambling is a scam altogether. Regardless, the fight set streaming and betting records, and became one of 2024’s top sporting events.
18. MrBeast in Trouble: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, for the most followed person on YouTube. MrBeast launched his Lunchables competitor, Lunchly, enjoyed massive success with his Feastables chocolate line, and signed a contract with Amazon to produce a game show with the biggest cash prize of all time. But with this success came an increased level of scrutiny. MrBeast, real name Jimmy Donaldson, was accused of fostering a toxic work environment on the set of his game show, Beast Games, and one longtime member of his crew quit the show in the wake of allegations about sexually predatory behavior. But somehow, MrBeast seems to remain as popular as ever, at least amongst his primary audience: pre-teen boys.
17. Charli XCX’s brat Summer: Charli XCX’s album brat is fast, synthetic, and in your face, sounding more at home in a club than a stadium. This was all reflected in the cultural moment around her music, as brat and “brat summer” became synonymous with young women owning their faults and embracing their more chaotic feelings and impulses. Like the album, the term “brat” came to mean being unapologetic about who you are and what you do—embracing your imperfections and more volatile tendencies. In a world that some see as holding young women to unattainable standards, it makes sense that Gen Z might resonate with an artist giving them freedom to embrace their imperfections.
16. The Assassination of the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson: Details surrounding the murder of CEO Brian Thompson and the subsequent trial of accused killer Luigi Mangione will likely continue to play out in the headlines over the next several months. While many Americans expressed sadness and horror that the Minnesota father-of-two was killed in broad daylight in midtown Manhattan, some celebrated the crime. In TikTok and other online spaces, Mangione was valorized as an altruistic vigilante, with some even sympathetic to his action. The fact that many young people were eager to justify a murder just because of who its target worked for is reflective of a society primed for class conflict.
15. The TikTok Ban: At the start of 2024, it was announced that if the Chinese-owned ByteDance did not divest their ownership of TikTok, the social media platform would be banned in the United States. Arguments about foreign intervention in culture and free speech abounded, but despite it making a lot of news at the time (we made a video about it), throughout the year, it felt like the looming ban melted into the back of our collective minds. Now, the ban is a month away, and looking more and more likely to go through. The Supreme Court of the US will weigh in, and the ban will probably be delayed while they discuss it, but we might be looking ahead at one of the most significant cultural moments of 2025.
14. Caitlin Clark: In a year full of big sports moments, Caitlin Clark was arguably at the top. In February, she broke the all-time scoring record for NCAA Division 1 women’s and men’s basketball. Then, after being chosen first overall in the WNBA draft, she broke the record for three-pointers for a rookie and dragged the Indiana Fever into the postseason. Accolades aside, Clark also inspired a fever-pitch of interest in women’s basketball. Her college championship game drew more eyes than any NBA Finals or World Series games that happened this year, and it’s no secret that she’s the reason the WNBA had its highest-viewed and highest-attended season in decades. Has the WNBA found a star to lift it into mainstream popularity? It’s hard to tell right now, but any aspiring athlete can respect and look up to Clark’s hard work and no-nonsense attitude.
13. Hip-Hop Goes Country: If you were asked what song defined 2024, it would be easy to make an argument for songs by pop stars like Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish, but there’s also a very real argument for “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” The country song performed by hip-hop artist Shaboozey spent 19 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s “Hot 100.” The song’s success was indicative of a pretty major trend in music in 2024: hip-hop artists going country. Beyoncé, Post Malone, and of course, Shaboozey all released music in the country music genre. Hip-hop and country often foster a tribalism of sorts from fans, with the two genres seemingly warring for cultural dominance, but that doesn’t mean the artists see it that way. In 2024, we saw more and more artists stepping past those line-in-the-sand boundaries of genre and sound.
12. #BookTok, Blake Lively, and It Ends With Us: The much-anticipated film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us novel was a box office success, earning $309 million globally. But for the career of the film’s star, Blake Lively, the movie may have been a net negative. The storyline explored serious issues like domestic abuse and cyclical trauma—but instead of talking about the real consequences of violence in relationships, Lively chose to highlight her work on the film’s pretty costumes and promote her hair care line on the press trail. The cascading backlash against Lively for bypassing the heart of the conversation she was supposedly trying to help start was evidence, to some, that the era of the shamelessly self-serving celebrity is over.
11. Inside Out 2: Did you know the highest grossing animated film of all time came out this year? Inside Out 2 was the biggest movie of 2024 and the eighth highest grossing film ever. In a year which also saw the releases of popular animated sequels like Despicable Me 4 and Kung Fu Panda 4, it was the story of a young girl dealing with the emotions (and pressures) of fitting in, trying new things, and moving into high school that captivated our culture. While Inside Out 2’s success isn’t unexpected, its navigation of the complexities of pre-teen (and early teen) emotions and mental health is surprisingly nuanced and applicable—and the movie’s willingness to take its audience into the uncomfortable and difficult sides of life is worth applauding. Try NOT to talk about anxiety more meaningfully after seeing Inside Out 2.
Continue the conversation:- Do you agree with the order of #20-11? Why or why not?
- What else stood out to you as culturally significant from this year?
- Out of these 10, which ones do you think will have the biggest effect on 2025?
That’s it for things 20-11! Come back next week for our countdown of the top 10 biggest cultural events of 2024. And before then—from all of us at Axis, we hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
Parenting together,
The Axis Team
P.S. Know someone who could use our conversation starters with their teens? Share the CT with a friend!