Male Perms and Coronation Core

tiktok news hell

Rihanna will play Smurfette in the new Smurfs film; the Jonas Brothers now dress like Nolita Dirtbags; Super Mario Bros becomes the first movie of 2023 to hit $1 billion globally; and happy first Monday in May — i.e. Met Gala day! — to those who celebrate.

TIKTOKERS PREPARE TO BLITZ FOLLOWERS WITH COVERAGE OF THE CORONATION, theguardian
This is the first-ever coronation on TikTok, and videos on the topic are booming, highlighting an appetite for updates and insightful analysis about the British monarchy among young people. The hashtag “Prince Charles” has 3.8 billion views on TikTok, while “coronation” has 350 million. “There’s potential for the younger generation (Gen Z) to get really engaged with the royal family for potentially the first time here – being able to witness the pomp and pageantry where the monarchy shines for the first time,” says one expert.

HOW MARTA MAE FREEDMAN'S AIR MILKSHAKE BECAME THE GIFTING SUITE OF THE INTERNET AGE, wmagazine
The 32-year-old Los Angeles-based creative entrepreneur — who also co-founded the cult skincare label Dieux — hosts a highly-curated gifting experience for over 100 influencers twice a year. “An invite is a status symbol, and creators show loyalty and boast affiliation by tagging Air Milkshake as often as they tag the brands.”

WHY HAS THE PERM BECOME SO POPULAR WITH YOUNG MEN?, nyt
The modern male perm has taken off, thanks to K-pop and TikTok. Ben Duong, a 19-year-old student in Greenville, S.C., described his loose coils as “showy, but not in-your-face showy.” His hairdo even convinced two pals who accompanied him to his second perm appointment to try it themselves.

CARGO PANTS ARE BACK, BUT NOT THE ONES YOUR DAD WORE, bof
Sales of parachute pants were up 181 percent in 2022 year-over-year, and the trend has only grown stronger in recent months. As part of the enduring Y2K resurgence, parachute pants are particularly popular among Gen Z consumers, and #parachutepants has amassed 380 million views on TikTok to date.

SOCIAL-MEDIA SHOPPING SCAMS ARE GROWING. YOUNG ADULTS ARE THE TARGETS., wsj
Reported losses from social-media fraud reached more than $1.2 billion last year, up from $42 million in 2017. For adults ages 18 to 29, social media is by far the biggest starting point for fraud: Nearly 40% of the fraud loss reported by this age group in 2021 originated on a social-media site, said the FTC.

MY DESCENT INTO TIKTOK NEWS HELL, politico
One reporter decided to spend an entire day consuming political news only via the app, “to see just what TikTok did to my brain that Twitter, cable news and the fine journalism of my POLITICO colleagues weren’t already doing.”

The overall effect is to create a digital space that feels decidedly outside the “moment” as you might have come to understand it. TikTok exists in its own eternal “moment,” slightly adjacent to the news. What’s served up there isn’t necessarily what’s happening now, but what it senses you’re looking for now.

One last thought: