SZA interviewed Kendrick Lamar for the latest Harper’s Bazaar cover; Tyler, the Creator dropped a new video featuring Ayo Edebiri; and Karlie Kloss and Phoebe Gates teamed up on a new series about reproductive rights that launches today.
DAZE, A CREATIVE, AI-POWERED MESSAGING APP FOR GEN Z, IS BLOWING UP PRELAUNCH, techcrunch
A new messaging app backed by a16z and Maveron has a 156,000-long waitlist ahead of its Nov. 4 launch after going viral on social media. It’s positioning itself as a next-generation alternative to iMessage and WhatsApp (as well as, presumably, Snapchat, which is the defacto chat app among Gen Alpha). It genuinely looks very fun, especially if you’re 14.
KIDS TV IS DEAD, LONG LIVE KIDS TV, thewrap
Ratings for Nickelodeon plummeted 86% from 2016 to 2023, while the Disney Channel fell 90% in the same period, according to Nielsen. What are young viewers watching instead? YouTube, obviously. Children no longer distinguish between “legacy content or creator-driven content,” Katie Kurtz, global head of youth and learning for YouTube, told TheWrap. “That’s very motivating for us to think about.” (It’s similar to how young people no longer distinguish between “celebrities” and “creators.”)
THEY’RE HUGE ON TIKTOK. IS THAT ENOUGH TO MAKE IT AS A DJ?, rollingstone
Influencers like Xandra Pohl and Tinx are leveraging their social media fame into burgeoning DJ careers. The it-girl-to-DJ pipeline is, of course, nothing new — in the 2010s, Alexa Chung and Paris Hilton could frequently be found behind the decks in clubs — but as the creator landscape becomes increasingly crowded, DJing has become a way to “interact with their devoted followers, monetize, and expand their reach beyond the often unstable world of social media.”
SWIFTIES’ ELECTION GROUND GAME: PHONE-BANKING, FUNDRAISING AND LOTS OF BRACELETS, wsj
Even before Taylor endorsed Harris, many of her fans were campaigning for the vice president — but the pop star’s public support mobilized even more of her massive fanbase. “We’re this little silent army,” said one self-proclaimed Swiftie. “We wear pearls. We wear the Chuck Taylor All Stars. People are painting their fingernails blue. They’re wearing friendship bracelets. It’s just all these little things, but it seems to be bringing people together.” What stood out to me about this piece was the range of ages of Taylor Swift fans; the reporter spoke to nine Swifties for this story; the oldest was 60, and the average age was 48.2.
“TRUMP’S YOUNG GUN”: HOW BO LOUDON, BARRON’S BEST FRIEND, IS SHAPING THE 2024 PODCAST OFFENSIVE, vanityfair
Barron and his best friend Bo have emerged as “the Gen Z faces of MAGA,” but while Trump’s son lacks public-facing social media accounts, Loudon — the 18-year-old son of a conservative media personality, Gina, and a former Missouri state senator, John — devotedly shills for Trump, whom he almost exclusively describes as “Rightful President Trump,” to his quarter of a million followers. Swifties aside, I’m worried!
GEN Z'S CLIMATE FEAR, axios
In a survey of 16,000 young people between the ages of 16 to 25 across America, 85% of respondents are at least moderately worried about climate change, with about 58% "very or extremely worried." A majority of respondents (including 37.9% of Republicans) said climate change would make them hesitant to have children and would influence where they choose to live (including 57.8% of Republicans).
One last thought:
Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
That final image killed me 😂
Thank you. I work with young people and in schools. I enjoy their sense of humour. This is great—new subscriber.