Flannel World and Gap Years
Discover more from After School by Casey Lewis
Flannel World and Gap Years
stomp and holler 2.0
Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny make it official in Gucci campaign; Billie Eilish’s ‘Happier Than Ever’ follow-up album has entered ‘final stages’; and new favorite nepo baby just dropped.
IN NOAH KAHAN’S FLANNEL WORLD, YOU’RE THE MAIN CHARACTER, vulture
Reporter Rebecca Alter documents her “evening of teens and tears with the newly crowned prince of Stomp and Holler 2.0.” I was deep into Stomp and Holler 1.0 (can’t tell you how many times I saw the Lumineers live in my early 20s!), so I feel a little too old to listen to Kahan, but I am deep into #KahanTok.
I start chatting with 20-year-old UNH English major Emma and her 18-year-old friend Hailey. They belong to a segment of Kahan’s fan base that self-identifies as “long-distance daughters” who post TikToks of themselves, sometimes crying or freshly post-cry, with captions about all of their big feelings — guilt, heartbreak, loss, wistfulness, nervousness — concerning moving away from their hometowns and families. They plan on getting matching tattoos of the Kahan lyric “I do not exist to die.” It’s the introspective, emo alternative to RushTok with millions of girls narrating their first summers away from home as if they’re each starring in their own coming-of-age Sundance feature.
THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN NOW WANTS TO GO VIRAL, politico
The president’s reelection team is formally launching its campaign war room on social media. With the handle Biden HQ, it will serve as a rapid response operation aimed at reaching voters by pumping out content — lots of content. It’ll be “hotter,” “fast” and “might be a little funny,” said Rob Flaherty, Biden’s deputy campaign manager.
GOOGLE IS OPENING UP ITS GENERATIVE AI SEARCH EXPERIENCE TO TEENAGERS, techcrunch
The expansion to teenagers comes as Google notes that since the launch of SGE (Search Generative Experience), it’s found that the technology is more popular among younger users. Google said the highest satisfaction scores are among those ages 18-24, who the company believes like to ask their questions in a more conversational manner.
YOUNG PEOPLE IN CHINA CALL THEMSELVES ‘SPECIAL FORCES’ OF BUDGET TRAVEL, washingtonpost
Young Chinese travelers are pushing themselves to the limit with packed itineraries and extreme cost-cutting measures, cramming their limited vacation time with as many social-media-worthy stops as possible while shunning expensive hotels to sleep in internet cafes or cars. The trend of budget travel is being driven by a number of factors, including the rising cost of living, the economic downturn, and the desire to have fun while still saving money.
GEN Z AUSTRALIANS ARE TRADING GRITTY GAP YEARS FOR GRAND TOURS OF EUROPE’S CULTURAL CHARISMA, theguardian
The number of young Australians traveling for extended periods is falling, but those that do are increasingly choosing Europe, with 15% choosing continental Europe for extended travel, up from 9.5% in 2005. Europe's accessibility, cultural appeal, and visa arrangements make it a prime destination for extended travel and potential relocation for young Australians.
EUROPEAN CASTLES, PRIVATE CHEFS, AND A STARTUP SCHOOL: THESE FAMILIES ARE DITCHING THE US TO LIVE THE AMERICAN DREAM ABROAD, insider
Gen Alpha education is already shaping up to be quite different. Boundless Life, a startup aiming to create a global network for digital-nomad families with elementary school-age children, offers project-based education, a supportive community, and furnished homes for three-month stays in different locations.
I came to Sintra thinking Boundless might be too good to be true, but perhaps that was a failure of my own imagination. Maybe I, like so many others, am still too attached to the idea that school ought to look like 20 students facing the same way in a classroom for seven hours a day. Sure, Boundless is an expensive, turn-key study-abroad experience for elementary-school-age children and their parents, but it's also a refreshing take on what it means to give a child an education, which, especially in America, is in need of a refresh.
One last thought:
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