Charli XCX tops TikTok’s song of the summer predictions; Quavo went to the White House; Gabbriette and Matty Healy are engaged; I’m obsessed with these teen girls who built a bright pink winning race car; and last call for the audience survey (if you didn’t get a chance, this one’s for paid subscribers and this one’s for free — thank you I love you)!
WHY AMERICA IS RUNNING LOW ON ZYN NICOTINE POUCHES, wsj
Gen Z’s favorite nicotine pouch has become so popular that they’re struggling to keep up with demand. On social media, users who can’t find the pouches have jokingly labeled the shortage the “Zyndemic” or “The Great Zynpression,” and have posted photos of signs in stores saying they are out of Zyn. Is the humble cigarette poised for a comeback?
AMEX TRENDEX REVEALS WHAT MILLENNIALS AND GEN Z ARE SPENDING BIG ON THIS SEASON, americanexpress
In case the Zyn headline didn’t give it away, young people are prioritizing fun this summer — and they’re willing to spend big for it. The majority (81%) of millennial and Gen Zers have summer travel plans, with young women, in particular, fueling economic growth: 51% of millennial and Gen Z women plan to attend music festivals and concerts this summer, and many of them plan to travel abroad for events (and by that Amex means…Eras Tour). It’s an interesting shift from the hurkle durkling/bedrot trend among young women this past winter.
TRAVEL AGENTS ARE BACK, businessinsider
Millennials and Gen Zers are taking big trips, but they’re too busy to plan them. Enter the travel agent: “For as little as $100 — or nothing at all, given that some agents work on commission from the hotels and other travel companies they work with — overwhelmed young travelers can have someone take all the pressure off the experience.” In a 2023 survey of 2,000 American travelers, 38% of Gen Z and millennial respondents said they preferred a traditional travel agent over online booking.
AI IS GETTING VERY POPULAR AMONG STUDENTS AND TEACHERS, VERY QUICKLY, cnbc
The percentage of K-12 students and teachers who say they are using AI has risen sharply over the past year, according to a new poll conducted by Impact Research for the Walton Family Foundation. Almost half of U.S. teachers and K-12 students are using ChatGPT weekly, and less than 20% of students say they never use generative AI.
THE TOKYO GOVERNMENT IS LAUNCHING ITS OWN SEX APP, vice
Only Vice would call it a “sex app”; it’s actually a matchmaking app to address the country’s flatlining marriage and childbirth rates, though I’m sure Tokyo hopes sex will be an outcome. Users will be required to produce 15 pieces of personal info, including height, occupation, educational background, and an official tax certificate to verify their annual salary. Sounds better than Tinder tbh. The city has invested $1.28 million into the app, which is launching later this summer.
JAKE PAUL’S NEW PERSONAL CARE BRAND IS FOR GEN Z GUYS WHO ‘WANT TO WIN ON A DAILY BASIS’, wwd
The body care brand — called W, a nod to winning — is launching at Walmart. I already ranted about this on Twitter, so apologies if you’re seeing it again, but it is confounding that brands are still choosing names that are completely un-Google-able and TikTok search-able in 2024. I guess the case could be made that Jake Paul, who has 26M followers on Instagram, could be famous enough that it doesn’t matter; his brother’s energy drink, called “Prime,” was a sensation despite having an extremely generic name.
VOLLEYBALL WAS FOR GIRLS. NOW IT’S BOOMING WITH BOYS., wsj
Long dominated by girls, volleyball is suddenly booming with boys. Nationwide, the number of boys playing high school volleyball teams has jumped 56% in the past decade, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, and more than half of U.S. states now have an official high school championship for boys volleyball. At long last — equality in sports! 🙃
One last thought (this letter is coming to you a little late because I’m crushed about a TikTok breakup):
Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
My volleyball-playing tween is NOT happy about the uptick in boys playing it. "Can't we just have one sport that's ours?"