Pippi Longstockings and Ski Bunnies
"young millennial ruth westheimer"
Welcome to the Paige Bueckers era of March Madness; Charli XCX and Tyler, the Creator star in Converse's new campaign; and my money’s on Timothée Chalamet this Sunday.
HOW 12 AMERICANS SEE LIFE AFTER WATCHING A LOT OF TIKTOK, nyt
A fascinating look at how TikTok has become so deeply embedded into the lives of Americans in just a few short years. (And not just young ones! A quarter of the people interviewed for this piece were in their 50s). “What I really like about TikTok is that it’s basically an extension of my personality,” said Daniel, 19. “One app is uniting all of us, and we’re seeing what’s actually happening in the world,” said Ivana, 33. The app’s pitfalls are acknowledged too, lest you think this is TikTok propaganda, but flaws aside, two-thirds of the group say they wish TikTok could be their job.
YOPE IS SPARKING GENZ (AND VC) INTEREST WITH AN INSTAGRAM-LIKE APP FOR PRIVATE GROUPS, techcrunch
A new photo-sharing app that’s basically a private version of Instagram is gaining traction among Gen Z. Yope, which just raised a $4.65 million seed round, has 2.2 million monthly active users, largely due to the success of its ambassador program, which has generated over 56 million views on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. The company says “70-80%” of its users currently join through direct invitations.
WHEN THERE’S NO SCHOOL COUNSELOR, THERE’S A BOT, wsj
Schools are turning to Sonny, a hybrid AI-human chatbot, to address the shortage of mental health counselors. “Our school counselors are very busy,” said 17-year-old Michelle Herrera Rojas, “but I have someone to talk to one-on-one who’s only focused on me.” Designed to meet students where they are — their phones — Sonny offers support with issues ranging from college stress to grief, using AI-trained in motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy.
THE INTERNET’S FAVORITE SEX RESEARCHER, theatlantic
Aella, a former cam girl turned self-styled sex researcher, has built a massive online following by analyzing intimate data on human sexuality. Her viral surveys — like a "Big Kink" study, which had over 700,000 responses and uncovered, among other things, that “pigtails” are a more popular fetish than “armpits” — provide insights that mainstream academia often overlooks. Justin Garcia, an evolutionary biologist from the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University, sees Aella as the young millennial version of Dr. Ruth Westheimer.
THE SKI INDUSTRY IS IGNORING GEN Z, bloomberg
Though my TikTok FYP has very recently been overrun by young people frolicking around Aspen, the ski industry is apparently failing to attract Gen Z. The median age last season was 37, up from 30 a decade ago. In 2013, skiers 24 and under accounted for 41% of visits compared to 34% in 2023. With daily lift tickets averaging $250 at top resorts, the sport has become financially out of reach for many newcomers. (Even the toast is financially out of reach for many newcomers...)
One last thought (and related reading!):
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