Financial Cleanses and Therapy Bots
TikTok’s “financial cleanse” trend is the new “cash stuffing”; Luca Guadagnino’s next movie is an Audrey Hepburn biopic; Gen Z queen Billie Eilish is on the cover of Vogue; and Sydney Sweeney is the new face of Armani Beauty.
KEEP IT REAL OR LOSE GEN Z, wired
I’m going to be honest with you: I’m not entirely sure this isn’t 1) Accel spon-con (it’s written by a VC partner) or 2) a Gen Z SEO keyword grab (it happens! a lot!). After reading it twice, I don’t think it’s either — though it may be both? — but either way, she has some salient points.
In 2023, social media will change, with young users increasingly pushing for more meaningful online interactions. The dominant “legacy” players, like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, will give way to platforms that prioritize simplicity and authenticity.
NYC BANS STUDENTS AND TEACHERS FROM USING CHATGPT, vice
“While the tool may be able to provide quick and easy answers to questions, it does not build critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, which are essential for academic and lifelong success,” said a school administrator. OK, but doesn’t that sentiment apply to, like, the entire internet?
SOCIAL MEDIA USE IS LINKED TO BRAIN CHANGES IN TEENS, nyt
Neuroscientists conducted successive brain scans of middle schoolers between the ages of 12 and 15, a period of especially rapid brain development, and found that those who grow up habitually checking their social media feeds are hypersensitive to feedback from their peers.
TIKTOK'S ADDICTIVE ANTI-AESTHETIC HAS ALREADY CONQUERED CULTURE, latimes
Unlike Instagram — “the ‘Live Laugh Love’ pillow of the social media apps” — TikTok’s design is no design. “Handles and avatars of content creators are so minimal they almost elude legibility. I am a fan of numerous creators on TikTok. I'd be hard-pressed to name more than a few of them.”
UNPACKING TIKTOK'S MIELLE HAIR OIL CONTROVERSY, highsnobiety
I rarely think TikTok ‘dramas’ are worth highlighting (there’s just so many of them!), but this particular controversy — wherein TikTok influencer Alix Earle recommended a hair oil by Mielle Organics, a Black-owned brand that specializes in natural hair products — is worth understanding. HighSnob has a good explainer:
In what some have dubbed the "Alix Earle Effect," a slew of (mostly white) creators have taken to TikTok to test out the product. While the buzz surrounding the oil might seem like a win for Mielle, its newfound demand among Earle's predominately white following has consequences for the Black and brown customers that Mielle's products are made for.
To understand these consequences, it's crucial to acknowledge the importance of hair oiling in Black and South Asian hair care. Because curls, coils, and kinks make it more difficult for the scalp's natural oils to moisturize the hair shaft, natural hair is often dryer than straight hair. Hair oils like Mielle's help prevent breakage and frizz resulting from this dryness.
One last thought:
VC Partners are theoretically people too