Zepotha Mania and House Hacking

"omg u look EXACTLY like that one girl"

Harper's Bazaar’s 2023 Icons issue features Kendall Jenner, Doja Cat, and Paul Mescal; Angelina Jolie hired her 15-year-old daughter as her assistant; and meet Romilly Newman, the Gen Z Martha Stewart taking the food world by storm.

MEET THE HOUSING INFLUENCERS 'HACKING' THEIR WAY TO REAL-ESTATE RICHES, insider
House hacking is lauded as an entry into real estate for millennials and Gen Zers, with influencers pitching it as a way to "live for free" while tenants cover the mortgage. In reality, it’s just a slick rebrand of the concept of “landlord” for young consumers. On TikTok, #househacking has 238.1M views.

THEY REVIEW MOVIES ON TIKTOK, BUT DON’T CALL THEM CRITICS ON MOVIETOK, nyt
On MovieTok, reviewers can reach an audience of millions and earn tens of thousands of dollars per post — but don’t call them critics. “When you read a critic’s review, it almost sounds like a computer wrote it,” said Cameron Kozak, 21, who calls himself a “movie reviewer” and has 1.5 million followers. “But when you have someone on TikTok who you watch every day and you know their voice and what they like, there’s something personal that people can connect to.” This is the exact same conversation we’ve seen play out around TikTok restaurant influencers replacing traditional food critics. They’re two very different things! Justice for critics.

'ZEPOTHA' IS SOCIAL MEDIA'S FAVORITE FILM — BUT IT DOESN'T EXIST, nbcnews
Over the weekend, Emily Jeffri posted a video to both platforms in which she suggested a “new bit idea." "What if we created a fake 80s horror movie called 'Zepotha' & started commenting, 'omg u look EXACTLY like that one girl from Zepotha,' or 'wait u look exactly like _____ from Zepotha’ on every thirst trap we see," they wrote. It worked. Jeffri's video has been viewed more than 7 million times, and the hashtag has more than 150 million views in TikTok.

TEENS MUCH MORE LIKELY TO BELIEVE ONLINE CONSPIRACY CLAIMS THAN ADULTS, theguardian
A U.S. study shows that 60% of teens between the ages 13-17 agreed with four or more conspiracy statements compared with 49% of adults. Chilling.

THIS ANTIDOTE FOR TIKTOK BRAIN IS ALSO A PROBLEM, wsj
YouTube Shorts adds ‘short bursts of thrills’ to kids’ digital diets, making it harder to pull away. You’re telling me the TIkTok dupe is just as bad as the real thing? No way.

Longer videos are still on YouTube, but it’s the short ones that have recently captured kids’ attention. YouTube Shorts have a maximum length of 60 seconds. They are now watched by more than 2 billion logged-in users every month, up from 1.5 billion a year ago, parent company Alphabet said last month. Children who used to be able to regulate their YouTube-watching now have trouble pulling away from the short videos, some parents say.

GEN Z'S RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD? IT'S AS COMPLICATED AS THE WORLD THEY LIVE IN, ketchum
Despite being deemed socially conscious foodies, the study reveals a "say-eat gap" where their purchasing behaviors don't align with their stated values. While an overwhelming majority of Gen Z says that sustainability, animal welfare, and LGBTQ rights are important factors when buying food, they are not significant purchase drivers. Other priorities like taste, value, and affordability trump issues that are important to them. (Much like their retail habits…)

One last thought:

@caileeeatsIt’s sooooo comfy 😫

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