Pop Culture Pulse November 2026: Spooky Branded Gaming, Location-Sharing Clout & Podcasting Power-Ups
Published 14 November 2025
Our Pop Culture Pulse is a monthly download of the buzziest cultural developments, emerging fandoms and audience trends. This month, we’re taking a dive into branded horror games feeding audience hunger for jump-scare catharsis, a new social-discovery app delivering location-sharing comfort for Gen Z, and the big moves into podcasting from Netflix and TikTok.
Gaming: Gentle Monster’s Survival Game Harnesses Horror’s Cultural Upswing
Social Media: Social Discovery App Mmotion Taps Gen Z’s Avid Location-Sharing
Music & Sound: TikTok & Netflix Vie for Podcast Takeover
Tapping into a growing audience appetite for discomforting and deviant media (see Grotesque Entertainment in Look Ahead 2026), South Korean luxury eyewear brand Gentle Monster has launched a horror-themed A/W 25 campaign comprising a retro-inspired point-and-click survival game accompanied by a slasher-inspired short film starring American actress and model Hunter Schafer.
Tapping into a growing audience appetite for discomforting and deviant media (see Grotesque Entertainment in Look Ahead 2026), South Korean luxury eyewear brand Gentle Monster has launched a horror-themed A/W 25 campaign comprising a retro-inspired point-and-click survival game accompanied by a slasher-inspired short film starring American actress and model Hunter Schafer.
New social-discovery app Mmotion uses geolocation to help people discover local hotspots and find new friends based on shared interests. With 65% of US Gen Z saying they’re likely to use location-sharing apps, Mmotion hopes to fend off competition from Snapchat and Instagram with a focus on safety and friendship, as well as delivering the offline connectivity younger netizens crave.
Climbing global demand for podcasting – 40% of people globally listen to podcasts for more than an hour a week – is pushing entertainment giants to take big leaps into the sector. Netflix is set to launch original video podcasts to live alongside its other programming, while the incoming TikTok Podcast Network will deliver shows created and hosted by prominent influencers.
Pop Culture Pulse November 2026: Spooky Branded Gaming, Location-Sharing Clout & Podcasting Power-Ups
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