TikTok will be sharing ad revenue with creators for the first time; Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney is the face of Miu Miu’s new handbag; and Penn Badgley is recording a podcast devoted to the awkwardness of adolescence.
NYC’S TIKTOK ZOOMERS WANT YOU TO MEET THEM IN WEST VILLAGE, hellgate
Hell Gate is a brand-new indie news publication from a bunch of veteran reporters, and they came out the gate swinging with one of the funniest articles I’ve read on the internet in, uh, a long time. Basically, the latest thing on TikTok is calling “the West Village” simply “West Village,” absolutely no “the” allowed. If it sounds dumb, well…don’t get me wrong, it is. But it’s also so hilarious.
In one video, we have a woman giving a tour of an apartment in "one of [her] favorite neighborhoods in the city, East Village." In another, a well known TikTok presence says "you walk around West Village and you know you’re the main character." A younger TikToker has less positive things to say about the West Village, arguing in a video about dating red flags that "[one red flag is] if he lives in West Village. It’s the new Murray Hill." [Ed. note: This person also called Governors Island "Governor Island."]
THE MEME-IFICATION OF THE JOHNNY DEPP AND AMBER HEARD TRIAL, vice
TikTok fancams and #megapintofwine videos inspired by the court livestream are just the tip of the very troubling iceberg; I spent a whole lot of time following this trial yesterday, and my god is it bleak. (For further reading, read Luke Winkie’s latest — if you’ve been even remotely following the trial, it’s a must-read).
QUITTING TWITTER? WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT LIFE AFTER SOCIAL MEDIA, wsj
A fascinating window into the brave new world of people who leave behind social media platforms: “The only way I’ll go back to Instagram is if Elon Musk ruins Twitter,” says Oliver Murray, 18, of Fayetteville, Ark.
TIKTOK INFLUENCERS ARE LEADING GEN Z OFF A CLIFF WITH A TRENDY NEW FORM OF DEBT, POPULARIZED BY SAN FRANCISCO TECH FIRMS, sfgate
I will not rest until BNPLs are dead!!! This is a particularly harrowing look at the Afterpays of the world and how they’ve successfully trapped young consumers.
Retailers, too, shill for buy now, pay later services, which can significantly boost their revenues by encouraging people to spend more. Consumers, on average, spend $365 on a single purchase using Affirm, according to data the company provided to SFGATE. The average cart size across the internet in 2020 was about $100. That’s more than worth the 3% to 4% cut the services take. Afterpay has gone as far as to roll out its own consumer holiday, in the spirit of Amazon’s Prime Day: Afterpay Day.
HARNESSING GEN Z’S SUMMER TRAVEL WANDERLUST, adweek
On a brighter note, 72% of Gen Z respondents plan to invest the same or more in travel this year than pre-pandemic, and an equal percentage of Gen Zers are already planning a big trip this year (vs 68% of millennials, 60% of Gen Xers, and 51% of baby boomers). Will Gen Z be paying for these ballin’ vacations with BNPLs? I don’t want to talk about it.
One last thought:
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