Digitized AF1s and Blue Chips

"anti-sex zeal"

Angel Reese scores her first beauty deal with Mielle Organics; Karol G covers Elle June/July 2023 music issue; a Swedish newspaper is having AI rap its articles in an attempt to get young people interested in the news; and Jennie from Blackpink enters her actor era at Cannes.

GEN Z IS CHALLENGING THE WAY WE DATE, SAYS TINDER REPORT, mashable
According to Tinder's Future of Dating Report 2023, a “dating renaissance” is upon us, “driven by Gen Z's desire to disrupt dating and relationship norms carved out by previous generations.” Notably, Tinder reports that Gen Z — specifically, 18–25-year-olds — now make up more than 50% of its user base. The report also found that 18–25-year-olds are 32 percent less likely to ghost someone than people over the age of 33. Have them spend a few more years on dating apps, and then get back to me…

PURITANISM TOOK OVER ONLINE FANDOM — AND THEN CAME FOR THE REST OF THE INTERNET, vox
On social media, outspoken anti-sex advocates increasingly cry “gross” at everything from R-rated rom-coms to fictional characters and queer people having sex to consenting adults with slight age gaps to dating short people. Such anti-sex zeal increasingly forces sex-positive communities back into the internet’s underground. It also aids and abets the larger cultural shift toward regressive attitudes and censorship of sexual minorities and sex-positive content.

SOCIAL MEDIA IS DRIVING TEEN MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS, SURGEON GENERAL WARNS, nbcnews
In a report released Tuesday, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a warning that social media use is a main contributor to depression, anxiety and other problems in the nation's teenagers. Up to 95% of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 say they use a social media platform, according to the report. About a third say they're scrolling, posting, or otherwise engaged with social media "almost constantly.”

AFTER NIKE’S VIRTUAL SNEAKER DROP, NFT CYNICISM IS MAKING WAY FOR INTRIGUE AMONG MARKETERS, digiday
Last week, Nike wrapped up its first digital sneaker drop on its web3 marketplace .Swoosh — but the company marketed the digitized Air Force Ones on offer as "virtual creations" and not, crucially, as NFTs. That’s because the average consumer only cares about experience, rather than the underlying technology that makes this possible.

Between the low price point and the involvement of the Nike fanbase, it’s clear that the company has prioritized community involvement with its latest sneaker drop over hard returns. In other words, it was a brand building play — an attempt to connect a group of people through content as opposed to finding smart ways to trick them into watching an ad individually.

SHEIN BETS ON THIRD-PARTY MARKETPLACE, POP-UPS TO GROW ITS FOLLOWING IN THE U.S., modernretail
As Shein aims to grow its following in the U.S., they’re focusing on a steady stream of pop-ups — the company said it hosted more than 40 pop-ups globally last year, about a dozen of which were in the U.S. They’ve also quietly launched a third-party marketplace, similar to those from discount shopping apps like Wish and Temu. First launched in Brazil last month, the fast-fashion giant has confirmed that the marketplace is now live in the U.S.

YOUNG INVESTORS IN COLLEGE CLUBS EMBRACE WILD MARKET RIDE, wsj
Sam Eckert, a rising senior at the University of Chicago, oversees an equity fund that is beating the S&P 500 this year. He’s the investment committee chair of the school’s undergraduate investment club, the Blue Chips — “one of many college clubs where teenagers and 20-somethings are learning about investing by managing tens or hundreds of thousands—even millions—of dollars in assets.”

One last thought: