Love Island tanks as Gen Z cools on influencer culture
ITV’s staple reality series drew just 600,000 viewers for its first episode this year, the lowest in its decade history. Amidst format fatigue and waning relevance, is it possible that Gen Z (and, to some extent, Gen Alpha) has largely abandoned the superficial, picture-perfect aesthetic of the traditional influencer? Love...
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Gen Z rejoining the EU + TikTok nuns are blowing up
we’re going viral, sister If you’re an older Gen Zer like myself (I’m a borderline millennial, I’ll be honest), you may remember the absolute shock of the Brexit vote way back in 2016. We live in an era of constant political upset these days, what with Keir Starmer being booted from...
The UK shuts down social media for under 16s…what could go wrong?
pack it up, it’s over Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced plans to ban social media for under-16s in the UK, starting next year. With Gen Z relying so much on digital communication, could we be depriving young people of niche communities, education, and self-expression? If you’re under 16, social media...
world cup surveillance secret + uk boots u-16s from social media
tsamina mina, eh eh, they’re raiding your apartment, eh eh. You’d love to be in the thick of it, sure, but there is an upside to watching the World Cup from afar… and it’s not just the thousands saved on tickets and drinks. The thing about a global event that wraps...
Why Gen Z is rejecting perfection (and Steven Bartlett)
Self-proclaimed business mogul Steven Bartlett has faced ridicule in recent weeks for lamenting his decision to have several glasses of wine. It’s a sign that Gen Z and social media might be starting to reject perfectionism and over-optimising everything. Picture this: you’ve just finished a six-hour ultramarathon, wolfed down your...
viral loneliness + dating for self-improvement
Recharge your social battery, and your TikTok ring light. Here I am playing games and napping like a dumbass, when I could be going viral. I always associated alone time with being alone: drinking tea, watching Peep Show for the 1000th time, resisting Pornhub. Nothing about wearing cheap pyjama bottoms or wolfing...
If Gen Z drink less, why are Buzzballz booming?
The colourful cocktails known as Buzzballz have exploded in popularity over the past few years, appealing mostly to Gen Z. Not without controversy, these pre-mixed drinks run counter to research suggesting young people are consuming less alcohol. So, what does it all mean? If you’re under the age of 25, I am almost entirely confident that you know what a Buzzball is. If you're a little older (especially over 30), you may be...
entry level: error 404 + YouTube runs cinema
they’ll still need us to run the AIs, right? By the time you have five years’ experience for that entry level job, AI might just render it obsolete anyway. It’s no secret that companies are looking to automate admin roles in the near future. An algorithm isn’t going to book two weeks off in Marbella, or send a message saying it’s got the shits 10 minutes before its shift begins. It’s not going...
gen z obsessed with obsession + murdoch guns for new media
so… that was fucking mental I’m a little late to the party, but last night I went to see Obsession. My God, am I glad I did. It edges out both It Follows and Weapons for me as far as modern high-concept horror goes, and sits comfy amongst Blumhouse’s very best. It also came as an absolute surprise package. The trailer didn’t do the final product justice at all, and I internally...
Wait…is everything a stealth marketing campaign?
An investigation by Vulture has claimed that underground agencies, often living on closed platforms like Discord, are paying ordinary people to post clips and create artificial hype around everything from Justin Bieber to skincare brands. Is every trend and social media conversation secretly being manipulated by stealth marketing? What if everything you see online, such as a viral cultural moment, a skincare product, a controversial celebrity scandal, or an election campaign, was...
