$NOT and K18

These are real proper nouns, I swear

$NOT is one of Gen Z's most mysterious rappers; Cameo expands beyond celebrity shout-out videos…to, unfortunately, NFTs; speaking of, Kobe Bryant's estate is joining the metaverse; and TikTok has made celebrity dads very uncool.

$NOT, which is pronounced exactly how you think

HOW K18 TOOK OVER TIKTOK, glossy
When K18, a “molecular repair mask” — the new Olaplex, basically — first launched in December 2020, it focused on the hairstylist community. A year later, its TikTok campaign with the hashtag #K18hairflip has 9.5 billion views.

THE “THAT’S NOT MY NAME” TREND WAS CREATED BY AND FOR CELEBS. NORMIES CAN’T JOIN IN., buzzfeed
This viral moment — which involves a famous person showing off clips of their most memorable movie and/or TV characters set to a 2008 song by the Ting Tings — is one of the few TikTok trends that not everyone can get in on. On a platform that rewards relatability, this you-can’t-sit-with-us trend is an outlier

I suspect the trend originated from one of the few agencies that provide celebrities with social media managers, and then it bounced from account manager to account manager until enough actors trying to build their online presence suffocated the entire trend.

‘GHOSTS’ HAS BECOME SUCH A BIG HIT THAT EVEN CBS EXECS ARE SURPRISED, variety
Ghosts — a single-camera half-hour, adapted from a cult U.K. series — was just renewed for a second season and has already become a breakout averaging 8.1 million viewers season-to-date. How? TikTok, of course! “TikTok is blowing up over ‘Ghosts,’ which you might scratch your head and say ‘really, CBS has a show that’s doing really well on TikTok?'”

THE ROYAL TREATMENT: WHY IS A BLAND ROMCOM A NETFLIX SMASH HIT?, guardian
How did a “no-stars, no-buzz, no-budget film about a hairdresser falling for a prince” shoot to the top of the global charts? Because Netflix knows its audience.

PAY ME MORE OR I QUIT: WORKERS PLAY RISKY GAME WITH THEIR BOSSES, bloomberg
If offered outside roles, nearly two-thirds of people would quit their current jobs, with millennials being most likely to bounce, followed by Gen Z, Gen X, and, finally, Boomers.

CHESLIE KRYST’S DEATH ISN’T A TRUE CRIME DRAMA, slate
The suicide of a former beauty queen has taken an even darker turn now that TikTok detectives have gotten involved. How do we “get from people leaving a zillion ‘rest in peace’ comments and dove emoji to posting cruel conspiracy theories”?

One last thought:

Leigh Whannell @LWhannell

Okay last nostalgia related tweet: if someone bought one of those dead malls near you and turned it into an 80s theme park with cinemas, period food court, bowling alley, arcade, bars etc and you had to turn in your phone before entry to keep up the illusion, would you go?