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- Modern Fandom Gone Too Far and Not Editing Content
Modern Fandom Gone Too Far and Not Editing Content
Izzy White
August 25, 2024
Hi!!! Welcome!! This is a newsletter that has taken the IRL weekly trends briefing, and 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.
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Long Form
After some time off, I have to fully acknowledge the brat, Kamala campaign - where people are showing they know more about American politics than their own country. This article took me by surprise, because of my age when Obama was running and my lack of awareness of what was actually happening. But apparently “...the Obama era — that earnest, optimistic, energized, celeb-obsessed, self-conscious, cringeworthy time.” This article speaks to the energy that was around in 2008, and the role that pop culture played in showcasing the new world that we might experience with the first Black president. The whole phenomenon is fascinating because, without a connection to this time, one might think this is unchartered water - but is a repeat of the past, just like most of the internet.
According to this article, content that is barely touched is performing best across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. It’s hard to say how accurate this is, but the appetite for this format has always been there. Seen through Trisha Paytas’ completely unedited 60-minute vlogs years ago, people want to see the real side of a person’s life. This “shift” only seems to be crucial for creators, rather than brands, but it would be interesting to consider how a brand can approach content in a less edited way - that isn’t just lo-fi social posts.
Chappell Roan has come to TikTok, asking people to stop being creeps and stalkers. While many think that these behaviours come with fame, it still doesn’t warrant or mean that this behaviour is right. Parasocial relationships have been a big point of discussion over the years, with people at any level of celebrity asking for more privacy or having to set boundaries with “fans”. Despite these pleas, fans haven’t adjusted their actions or behaviours and as we’ve seen with some YouTubers, if nothing changes boundaries might escalate. Here is one of the videos if you were interested
It seems like weird has become the new quirky. This newsletter is connected to Addison Rae, who has survived every smear campaign. It feels similar to Miley Cyrus, how their confidence just allows them to act unscathed and keep moving to the next project. Addison’s ability to be weird, and eye catching is what has pushed her and others into the lime light. The key takeaway from this newsletter is that weird is the new way to be loud in this attention economy, and this can feel daunting for brands at first but really is an opportunity for increased permission in creative outputs!
Ad World was loud this week
These next fews articles are from different ad sites, so as always it’s an echo chamber but still offers insight into the bubble
Reverse mentoring in advertising—how junior employees can help senior execs - this industry is filled with ageism, and this article feels like a nice intersection of all those impacted. It’s a guide on how junior employees can help senior execs understand what else is happening in the world and provide juniors with the respect they deserve when they share that information. It all should be basic decency, but it’s not, and at least we’re talking about how to improve it and move through it.
Why the creator economy is a profound threat to advertising agencies - definitely is biased when you see who the author of this is, and still a worthwhile reflection on the role of advertising agencies amongst influencers and creators. There has been a steady increase in hiring in-house creators at agencies, and while this is great and makes sense I am curious about the sustainability of relying solely on a creator to make all social content ‘viral’.
General long form that is relevant to all of you!
I Want It. I Got It. I #Restock It. - social media has really allowed us to visually showcase the different ways we can have our lives together. Restock videos are incredibly satisfying, and I get why it feels like we all need to be doing it in order to have everything perfect.
Scrolling through online videos increases feelings of boredom, study finds - this is a nice way of wording what people have tried to connect to a lack of an attention span, where really it’s we are constantly seeking engagement and then maintaining that level.
Why everyone is obsessed with toys right now - Cannot believe articles are still being written about this!!! If you don’t know what a Sonny Angel is, please click this article! Please!
Imane Khelif’s Punch and the Culture Wars - everything that this woman has gone through is disgusting, and with her lawsuit, JK Rowling has stopped tweeting… so at least there is that.
American Express is using Olivia Rodrigo concerts and F1 to attract Gen Z in Europe - more of a tell on how Gen Z (and many ppl) are interesting in experiencing exclusive, or cheaper access to forms of entertainment and it’s been sold to us that the only way to do that is through a credit card.
Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed - a 2010 piece that is 100% worth the read!! Such a good outlook and critique of working 40 hour weeks. A great point from it says “Keeping free time scarce means people pay a lot more for convenience, gratification, and any other relief they can buy. It keeps them watching television, and its commercials. It keeps them unambitious outside of work.”
How the Streetwear Customer Is Evolving - nice read if you think that hypebeast or drop culture has disappeared. Quite the contrary, it just is taking different shape and brands. According to Highsnobriety, Corpcore has taken over streetwear (lol)
The Most Important Room in a Restaurant These Days Is the Bathroom - what a bathroom looks like is a big part of a conversation around the table at a new restaurant.
The Hotelification of Offices, With Signature Scents and Saltwater Spas - this sounds great and Google’s office model still works, as long as there is mutual respect for employees and employers (that’s where many business fail in the discussions).
Levi Coralynn and William Conrad on the age of ‘provider women’ - I want to share this article purely so that this (seemingly) lovely couple show up on your feeds and you think “ohhhh I saw this in that newsletter”!
Unpacking The Millennial Brand Era With Eugune Healey
Short Form
I came across this website for people who live in countries where TikTok is banned, to have access to the fyp
Strave Mules/Surrogates are apparently a thing, where someone will be paid to run for another person to track it in Strava… this video explains more than enough of what you’ll need to know.
Cannot tell you where talking like this came from on TikTok, but Girl, It’s Morning, Girl to you too. I suspect there will be many articles about this in a week
Maccas Strawberry Matcha lies. A creator and her friends have posted videos stating that Maccas now has strawberry matcha… which is such a random lie. The only reason I can see why they’re doing this is to “troll” ppl and go viral, or if they’re launching their own Matcha brand… which every other creator has done this past year. This person called Maccas to debunk this random lie.
The Metro has opened!! As you can see by these references sent by Chloe like this This dancing video of Zac Jeremiah, or this nswgov post hoping on the ‘very demure’ bandwagon. Australia has felt so patriotic and proud lately, surprised by its own abilities as we saw with out pride in the Matildas during FIFA, or our excitement with the Olympics.
Loewe has such cute content like this bag popping out a small bag
This dolphin trend hadn’t had a song attached to it until someone decided that “Sympony” by Zara Larsson was the perfect match. People are stating dark confessionals with the backdrop of these whimsical dolphins. Zara herself, acknowledged the trend by saying “What the fuck is happening”
My feed has been riddled with fun and unique design and creative resources - this one includes some font and mock up sites and another has 3 Pinterest alternatives.
These insane transition videos are still popular and do so well on TikTok… the amount of likes feels like it’s attached to a phone farm, but who knows.
This great video by ARCA that speaks to “late-stage social media” which is fascinating
Weekly Question
