Teen magazines shaped my life in a pretty profound way and led to an enduring fascination with the media industry (even if the media industry itself doesn’t always feel so enduring!).
Today’s episode of After School is about media — the state of it, the future of it, and everything in between.
First, I chat with Kassydi Rone, a journalism student at USC and one of the founders of SCene Magazine, about the print resurgence, influencers versus journalists, and what she thinks about Willa Bennett taking over Cosmopolitan.
I also talk with the one and only Gutes Guterman, perhaps the only cusper in America who has founded not one but two media properties covered by the New York Times. We discuss AI in journalism, the merits of being “aggressively out,” and what it’s like to launch a print publication when everyone else is pivoting to TikTok.
Throughout the episode, you’ll hear voice memos from readers with their thoughts on media.
After Taylor Swift's endorsement, it took just one hour for the Harris-Walz campaign to start selling friendship bracelets; Teen Vogue profiled one of my favorite nepo babies Romy Mars (and suddenly it feels like the old Teen Vogue!); Willow Smith looks so good on the cover of Dazed; and Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter are among tonight’s performers at the MTV VMAs.
AUSTRALIA MOVES TO BAN YOUNG PEOPLE FROM SOCIAL MEDIA, semafor
Legislation for the ban will be introduced to parliament by the end of 2024, after testing a way to reliably verify users’ ages. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has obviously read Jonathan Haidt’s latest book, indicated the minimum age would be set between 14 and 16. “I want to see kids off their devices and onto the footy fields and the swimming pools and the tennis courts,” he told reporters.
‘IT’S ALMOST SHAMEFUL TO WANT TO HAVE CHILDREN’, latimes
Climate change and environmental concerns are significant factors influencing the reproductive decisions of young people, writes Jade S. Sasser, a professor whose research explores the relationships between reproductive justice and climate change. “I know that things aren’t going to get better. So why would I want to put a child through that?,” says Elena, 22. (Climate anxiety isn’t the only reason young people aren’t having kids — almost 1 in 4 millennials and Gen Z-ers say they won't have kids due to finances, according to a survey from MassMutual survey published this week.)
YOUR KID’S CLASSROOM NOW HAS BETTER DECOR THAN YOUR LIVING ROOM, wsj
Young teachers used to sharing their lives on social media and especially driven by “aesthetics” are decorating their classrooms to resemble “West Elm for kids.” Melanie Ralbusky, the co-founder of a Michigan-based school-decor company called Schoolgirl Style, pulls in about $4 million in annual sales. On Pinterest, searches for “cozy classrooms” have surged 430% since last August, and searches for “preppy” classroom ideas were up 360%.
GOOGLE IS LOSING ITS STATUS AS A VERB, businessinsider
"So long Google, the verb…Younger audiences are 'searching', not 'Googling,’” wrote analyst Mark Shmulik in a note to investors this month, citing new research that 45% of Gen Z are more likely to use “social searching” on TikTok and Instagram instead of Google. This has been a long time coming: More than two years ago, a Google SVP told the audience at a tech conference that almost 40% of young people are turning to TikTok over Google for search. (Funnily enough, the DNC unveiled a youth voter campaign just yesterday encouraging them to “Google Project 2025.”)
SAUSAGE ROLLS AND OASIS: ‘BRITISHCORE’ TIKTOK TREND DRIVES INTEREST IN UK CULTURE, theguardian
TikTok reported a double-digit rise in posts under the hashtags #ukcomedy, #ukfashion, and #uktravel since January, while #OasisReunion has had more than 100M video views over the last two weeks. “This summer we have seen an explosion of British pop culture on to the global stage,” said Louisa McGillicuddy, a trend specialist at TikTok’s UK operation. “From the phenomenon of Brat to the excitement around the Oasis reunion…the TikTok community in the UK and beyond have been embracing all things Britcore.”
CONFESSIONS OF A HINGE POWER USER, wired
Turns out not everyone has grown weary of dating apps: Wired interviewed some “chronically hinged” power users who, as they put it, “tirelessly stalk dating apps in search of connection.” “You never know which date is gonna hit or not. It’s a crapshoot,” says a New Yorker in his mid-30s who has used apps for the last decade. “It’s low-key addicting.” He’s been on close to 200 dates in the last year and a half, just under three dates a week.
P.S. if you work in social media, make sure to fill out Rachel Karten’s Link in Bio Social Media Compensation Survey. Rachel’s newsletter is one of my must-reads and this is an especially fascinating project — her last one was in 2021, so I suspect (and hope!) things will have changed quite a bit since then.
One last thought:
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and to think I coined the epithet of a whole generation ... 🙃
Man I deeply, deeply dislike the whole "Irresponsible to have kids because of the climate" thing. It's straight up disinformation that no climate scientist endorses. It just fits the vibes of journalists who don't push back on it, and I find it deeply irresponsible on the part of the journalists who parrot it uncritically.
Something like half of zoomers think they have 'no future' because of climate change and its just. not. fucking. true. Can we be serious for a second? Why is the media reinforcing that as though their misinformed social media vibes are more important than the actual facts? Climate change is going to cause many bad things to happen but this kind of 'the world is doomed' stuff is nonsense. Maybe journalists completely giving up on their responsibility is part of the reason kids have a mental health crisis going on. Stunning lack of self-insight.