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- Fake pregnancies and rat holes
Fake pregnancies and rat holes
Izzy White
January 25, 2024
Hi!!! Welcome!! This is the first of many newsletters that are the weekly trends briefing, transformed into the written word. All this information is a weekly digest of current news, trendy soundbites and sharp insights so that you can quit reading and still sound smart. Gathered from articles, newsletters, reports, and TikTok: It's like Blinkist for culture.
Algorithm References
These are moments from the internet that may seem fleeting at first glance, but all come back to larger trends and behaviours that are important to understand.
Pregnancy Filter
There is a filter on TikTok that many are using to see what they would look like pregnant. This has quickly become a joke, where people are holding the filter up to other body parts to enhance them. With younger generations having fewer and fewer children, it’s important to know how social media has influenced this. From the women with the list to the concept of trad wives - we are shown many extremes and it’s up to us to decipher what is right for us. Something as simple as a TikTok filter can contribute to this.
Rat Hole
“I'm loving the community vibe the rat hole has generated and the different perspectives people are projecting onto it ie. the hormone pill offering is amazing. I also like that the hole is not something new. It just needed someone to draw attention to it, giving it a bigger life. It's pure. It's honest. It might not have even been a rat (some say it was a squirrel).
The fact that some killjoy tried to fill it in (due to safety reasons, probably) is a great twist because all of a sudden we have a villain in this story. Is it a silent detractor from the community? Or is it the local council AKA The Capital? It matters not because the people rose up and reclaimed the hole's rat depth and rat shape.
I think people really need things like the rat hole right now, which is a privilege to say ofc, but we do. We need to embrace imperfections and unanswered questions because we've lost our innocence. It's also a very modern way to experience nature.
VIVA LA RAT HOLE!” - Duncan
@nowthis A rat has left quite an impression on a Chicago community — literally. Now, dozens are scurrying to see the Chicago rat hole. #chicago #ra... See more
Speed round of things I’ve been seeing on socials - AI photos of the Eiffel Tower on Fire, the realities of life of tube girl, turning on pets with iphone charger, and finally Kim K’s newest tanning controversy.
Articles
I appreciate any article that recognises that each generation repeats behaviours from other generations, specifically complaining about “kids these days”. The article has some nuanced opinions such as “young people have more bargaining in the labor market than they did before, because there’s fewer of them” this is such s a refreshing take on Gen Z’s approach to the workforce.
While we are at peak immersive art, this isn’t a bad thing. It is a great gateway into the art world, which is often identifiable through its gatekeeping, and snobby energy that isn’t beginner-friendly. Immersive art is society's response to being highly engaged and visually led, and I think this is amazing. It offers audiences an opportunity for a communal experience, in person.
Speed round of articles which I found interesting this past week - Is the idea of ‘Generation Rent’ a myth?, How to do influencer trips right, For Gen Z, anime is bigger than the NFL and finally (something that was discussed last year in trends, but has only just been written about) A 9-Month Cruise Is TikTok’s Favorite New ‘Reality Show’
To keep in line with the discussion aspect of Trends Briefings, here is a question for you to reflect upon… or even message me your thoughts and we can chat
!!Weekly Question!!
How trusting are you of the internet and the media you consume? At what point do you not fact check certain information that is served to you?
Thank you for getting this far. I look forward to hanging out with you all next week!