A live-action Rugrats movie is in the works; Alix Earle’s little sister Ashtin was profiled for Nylon’s “it girl” issue; Sabrina Carpenter is reportedly on the Grammy ballot for Best New Artist despite releasing her sixth album this year; and Taylor Swift has either lost or gained — no one can seem to agree — nearly 2 million Spotify followers since she endorsed Kamala Harris for president.
Today’s newsletter is sponsored by youth culture agency Archrival.
Brands spend millions to try to place themselves at the center of the cultural conversation, only to find that Gen Zs think they’re being cringe. Archrival and Tumblr partnered on a new study that uncovers a way to bridge this disconnect: community — and fostering digital spaces that are less about content saturation and more about meaningful engagement.
If you work for a brand that wants to activate community the right way, join Archrival and Tumblr for a ‘State of Community’ happy hour on Thursday, October 10th in NYC.
Limited spots available. Request an invite here.
SURVEILLANCE PARENTS FACE THE ULTIMATE FIREWALL: FRESHMAN YEAR, wsj
Today, 44% of parents interact daily with their kids at college, up from 37% in 2023, though this story suggests that these parents — who are used to keeping tabs on their kids with tech tools like Life360 and FindMy — wish that figure was even higher. Not only do parents chat more with their kids, but 70% now expect at least weekly communication from the college itself. (Between the rise of the helicopter parent, last week’s story about young men and their failure to move out of their family homes, and yesterday’s piece about students not being able to read books, I worry maybe, just maybe, we might be coddling kids a bit too much?)
THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND, esquire
I read this piece about how single young men are increasingly turning to AI girlfriends immediately after finishing an article The Cut published yesterday on the divorced men falling for Trump. Together, they paint a pretty dark picture of the gender divide, but I do take comfort in the fact that not all young men are incels, as Jessica Grose wrote earlier this week, and in fact, most aren’t.
WELCOME TO THE 'LOVER GIRL' DATING ERA. IT'S TIME TO EMBRACE ROMANCE., mashable
According to new research, 60% of women surveyed by Bumble identify as “lover girls” and are "celebrating romance with renewed enthusiasm.” The reserach also found that old-school romantic gestures are also having a moment, with 42% loving unexpected gifts, 42% enjoying forehead kisses, and 38% liking handwritten love notes. (The study did not address allegations that dating apps are now a scam; maybe next time.)
CHAPPELL ROAN AND HER FANS MIGHT CHANGE CELEBRITY, TOXIC FAN CULTURE FOREVER, teenvogue
Reporter P. Claire Dodson interviewed two dozen Chappel Roan fans at All Things Go in New York, who ranged in age from 15 to 55, about the singer dropping out of the festival and their thoughts on the intersection of fame and mental health.
“I think the Swiftie-ism of it all has bled into how people interact with every celebrity even when they haven’t necessarily opened up those boundaries,” says Kara, a 24-year-old festival attendee in Manhattan. “One of Taylor Swift’s whole things is, ‘We’re friends, you’re my friend, I’m your friend. Chappell’s whole thing is completely opposite of that.”
SOMEONE PUT FACIAL RECOGNITION TECH ONTO META'S SMART GLASSES TO INSTANTLY DOX STRANGERS, 404media
Students at Harvard built facial recognition technology into smart glasses that can automatically identify someone and pull up their personal information. One of the kids behind the project told 404 Media that when the pair showed the technology to other Harvard students and people on the subway, some said, “Dude, holy shit, this is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. How do you know my mom’s phone number?” The project, called I-XRAY, aims to raise awareness about the potential dangers of such technology.
YOUTUBE TAKES ON TIKTOK WITH LONGER SHORTS, TEMPLATES, AND TRENDS, techcrunch
If (when?) TikTok is banned, YouTube Shorts is going to be ready in the wings. A series of new updates — longer videos, sophisticated templates, trends discovery — better positions YouTube’s short-form video app to compete with Instagram Reels should TikTok disappear.
TIKTOK IS DOUBLING DOWN ON LIVE SHOPPING AS IT LOOKS TO REPLICATE THE E-COMMERCE SUCCESS OF ITS SISTER APP IN CHINA, businessinsider
TikTok, meanwhile, seems focused not on an impending ban but rather on the holiday shopping season. A couple of weeks ago, the company gathered 300 TikTok Shop partners across 200 agencies in a hotel near its office in Culver City, California, for its first invite-only partner summit. "Probably 60% to 70% of the discussion was around livestream," reported one attendee.
One last thought
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