Zigazoo and 90s Con
Gen Z's top car is a Toyota Camry; a Super Mario Bros Movie beauty collab is on its way; Gucci taps Halle Bailey, Julia Garner, and NewJeans’ Hanni for its Horsebit 1955 campaign; and MSCHF'S Big Red Boots are already being replicated and duped.
Today’s letter is brought to you by Day One Agency: Is Depop the new cultural lingua franca? Are Luddite clubs a thing? How sober curious are Gen Z, really? Perspective — the editorial hub from my friends at Day One Agency — relaunched with a fresh look to dissect the latest Gen Z insights, cultural trends, and everything you need to know about the future of media. Check it out here.
AFTER GEN Z HELPED ELECT BIDEN, WHITE HOUSE WORRIES A TIKTOK BAN WOULD ‘LOSE EVERY VOTER UNDER 35, FOREVER’, fortune
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo offered hyperbolically, “The politician in me thinks you’re going to literally lose every voter under 35, forever.” Guys, I’m genuinely worried.
“I’m a Democrat, but I’m not voting for Biden,” said Mark Buehlmann, a 20-year-old Arizona State University student who said he likely would abstain if Biden is the Democratic nominee, as expected. “He’s maybe capable of doing a good job, but he’s not capable of gathering the troops, rallying the people. Especially the Democratic voter base. I don’t think he’s a strong candidate.”
KID-FOCUSED SHORT VIDEO APP ZIGAZOO LAUNCHES A TIKTOK COMPETITOR FOR GEN Z, techcrunch
Zigazoo, a startup that’s positioned itself as a secure, “nontoxic” TikTok for kids, is launching a separate app for users 13 and older. In addition to prohibiting negativity on the platform, the app includes other safety measures, such as optional private accounts, human-in-the-loop moderation, and an algorithm that promotes positivity.
THREE TIKTOK USERS GO VIRAL FOR THEIR PRANK TROLLING TRUTH SOCIAL APP, nbcnews
A couple of Gen Z friends — Ari Cagan, Peter McIndoe Jr. (of Birds Aren’t Real fame), and Adam Faze (an influencer that I was sure founded the FaZe Clan until a minute ago, when a Google search revealed that’s actually not the case) — are behind the online prank that made “#Desantis2024” the top-trending hashtag on Trump’s own platform this week.
THINK GETTING INTO COLLEGE IS HARD? TRY APPLYING FOR THESE GYMS., nyt
Memberships range from $595 to $2,750 per month and offer everything from cryotherapy, I.V. drips, a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, a lymphatic compression suit, meditation classes, sound baths — and young professionals can’t get enough of them.
“If you’re making widgets in Akron, Ohio, they may not want you, even if you have an apartment in New York,” said Mr. Atwood, comparing the selection process to how exclusive club bouncers choose people to enter their venues. “They’re looking for cool people.”
GEN ZERS ARE BASING THEIR TRAVEL PLANS ON WHERE TV SHOWS LIKE 'THE WHITE LOTUS' ARE SET, insider
The Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea in Hawaii and the San Domenico Palace in Taormina, Italy — both of which featured prominently in The White Lotus — have seen a surge in demand after the series was released.
THE DREAM OF THE NINETIES IS ALIVE AT 90S CON, rollingstone (w/o paywall)
The Connecticut Convention Center turned back the clock for 90s Con, a nostalgia-soaked convention that brought out a big crowd — half of whom weren’t alive to enjoy the decade they were celebrating. “I teach high school,” a guy in the burger line tells me. “I ask my students, ‘Who’s seen Full House? Who’s seen Saved By the Bell? Every hand goes up. It all comes and it all goes. With the Internet, nothing ever goes away anymore.”
One last thought:
I would love to go to 90s Con. It looks a lot more than fun that I expected it to.