Micro Trends and Indie Media

tiktoking on the job

The green bubble problem is about to get even worse; this emoji is taking over Twitter; Shawn Mendes appears to have used the Canadian wildfires to promo a love song; and Martin Shkreli is on TikTok now.

BARBIECORE? MERMAIDCORE? A GROWN-UP’S GUIDE TO SUMMER’S VIRAL TRENDS, wsj
Was honored to talk to Faran Krentcil for this primer on viral trends! IMO, “cores” (or other very niche aesthetics like “coastal cowboy”) are just marketing 101 — the catchier the terminology, the more likely it’ll go viral on TikTok (and the more eager media will be to cover it). I really liked this quote from Jodi Kahn, Neiman Marcus’s vice president of luxury fashion: “Cores, or micro trends, often occur at the intersection of content creation, organic timing, and pop culture, and resonate in a way that encourages engagement, sharing and ultimately shopping.”

THEY’RE HERE TO SAVE INDIE MEDIA, nyt
This story — about a new web publication from a founder of the print-only newspaper The Drunken Canal — has sufficiently made the rounds, so you’ve almost certainly already read it. But a discourse emerged across social media after the piece was published around the ethics of buzzy albeit bootstrapped publications not paying writers — “still?” Twitter screamed! “in 2023?” The detail that contributors to Byline are working for free was revealed exactly one paragraph above the reporter’s mention of the founder’s Gucci slides. I think media is a near-impossible business to make work in the long term (at least in a way that you can be proud of), and I think working for free is sometimes worth it if it’s a project you really love (sweat equity exists for a reason!), and I think the website is aesthetically delightful.

THE D’AMELIO FAMILY IS REPORTEDLY PLANNING TO LAUNCH A $20 MILLION TALENT MANAGEMENT VENTURE, tubefilter
Tentatively titled DamGood Mgmt, the new management company in partnership with music-industry upstart Firebird would work with creators who want to break into the music industry. Charli and Dixie D’Amelio and their parents have more than 400 million social media followers between them and generate $30 million in annual income.

85% OF GEN Z SAYS SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACTS PURCHASE DECISIONS, retaildive
Specifically, 85% of men and 86% of women said social media sways their buying decisions; 45% of Gen Z named TikTok and Instagram as the top platforms influencing their purchasing decisions, followed by YouTube (38%), Facebook (24%), Snapchat (17%), Twitter (14%) and Reddit (7%). 

ANGRY TAYLOR SWIFT FANS PUSH LAWMAKERS TO TAKE ON TICKETMASTER, wapo
Across the country, lawmakers are introducing bills aimed at avoiding a repeat of the November Ticketmaster meltdown, in which many of Swift’s fans tried and failed to buy tickets. The incident sparked waves of ire among Swift fans and policymakers alike, reigniting a debate over whether the company’s outsize market dominance is failing consumers.

IS GEN Z COMING FOR THE GOP?, theatlantic
As many as 7 million to 9 million more members of the racially and culturally diverse Gen Z could cast ballots in 2024 than did in 2020. But while “the generation’s strong Democratic lean in blue and purple states may create growing challenges for Republicans trying to amass the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House,” new analysis suggests that in red states Gen Z voters are mostly supporting Republicans.

One last thought: