TikTok thinks Target is collaborating with Balenciaga; BTS will take a break to complete military service; Phoebe Bridgers will play Sally in Nightmare Before Christmas London concerts; and students protested Clarence Thomas at George Washington University.
THE HOTTEST APP RIGHT NOW? ONE WHERE TEENS HAVE TO SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT EACH OTHER, wsj
One of the founders of TBH — a popular teen app that was acquired, and then promptly killed, by Facebook in 2017 — is back with a new app that’s nearly identical to the last one. Yet another excellent piece by Ann-Marie Alcántara…
Gas asks teens multiple-choice questions about people in their school, letting them choose yearbook-style superlatives such as “the most beautiful person you have ever met” or the classmate who is “never afraid of getting in trouble.” As of Friday, Gas was the most popular free iPhone app and the No. 1 social-networking download in the App Store, despite being limited to a handful of states.
MORE THAN 50% OF NONPROFESSIONAL U.S. CREATORS NOW MONETIZE THEIR CONTENT, variety
77% of creators who monetize their content say only started doing so within the past year, and 48% say that revenue represents more than half of their monthly income. Unsurprising, but still a revealing stat: Half of Gen Zers say they would prefer to start their own creative businesses rather than attend college.
TIKTOK IS RAISING THE AGE REQUIREMENT FOR TIKTOK LIVE, ADDING ADULT-ONLY LIVESTREAMS, techcrunch
TikTok is raising the age requirement for hosting livestreams and they’re launching adult-only livestreams. They’re not coming for OnlyFans — at least not yet: The new age restriction isn’t for broadcasting adult content, “it’s a way for creators to prevent minors from encountering content that’s aimed toward an adult audience or may be uninteresting to them.”
SHEIN JOINS FAST FASHION’S PUSH INTO RESALE, bof
Yesterday, the Chinese fast-fashion giant launched a resale platform that allows customers to offload their worn-out bodycon dresses and seasons-old matching sets. Obviously, Shein is trying to get some goodwill with consumers who are increasingly skeptical about their business practices — but this launch timing is uncanny given a new investigation by the U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 revealing that Shein is far worse than you thought.
THE SPORTY SUNGLASSES CO-OPTED BY FASHION AND FASCISM, fashionista
How did these throwback wraparound sunnies come to be favored by athletes, Proud Boys and Balenciaga baddies, all at the same time?
WHAT THE HELL IS MAGACOMMUNISM?, vice
A number of self-proclaimed communists are pushing the notion that anyone who cares about the working class should abandon the liberal “culture war” and ally with America’s largest anti-establishment populist movement — MAGA — ultimately in the name of inciting a populist revolution.
One last thought: