social media’s landmark addiction case + first major arrest for sexual deepfakes
can they prove what we all know? The sun rises and falls, the rivers flow, and every other month Zuckerberg enters the defendant’s dock to commence lengthy court proceedings. The Meta owner has had several major run-ins with the law since Cambridge Analytica, mostly over a lax company attitude towards user...
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where ICE agents gossip online + the creeps who set beauty standards
sorry, no good vibes today Welcome back, or hello and welcome if this is your first time with us at the common thred 💌 At first, this week’s edition might seem a bit all over the place: thirst traps on LinkedIn, therapy-inspired dating approaches, beauty standards shaped by the world’s biggest creeps, ICE...
Why brands are struggling to keep Gen Z spending
Economic uncertainty and permanent stress have young people reluctant to fork out cash on purchases they don’t need, at least according to the latest research. What’s causing this hesitation to spend? Are brands and marketers facing a potential crisis in 2026? New research by The Robin Report has described Gen...
Selling love to Gen Z in the ‘sex recession’ era
Sexual activity across generations is on the decline for the first time in modern history. As Gen Z avoid intimacy and love, how do marketers sell romance in an era that seems keen to do anything but? Love. Dating. Swiping. Apps. Anxiety. Does any of that sound familiar? For many Gen...
brands capitalise on 2016 nostalgia + can we even make babies in space?
i don't think we got the facilities for that Well hello there! Welcome (back) to your fave Tuesday stack… the common thred newsletter 🥞 Whether you’re interested in finance, politics, or culture, you should know one very important thing: young people are officially done waiting for these global systems to catch up with...
Living offline has become Gen Z’s quiet luxury
Tech companies and AI slop have taken over the internet. As social media becomes increasingly homogenised, invasive, and polarising, there is now status in actively choosing to avoid the digital world entirely and rejecting the pursuit of a personal brand. Zuckerbergs of the world, beware: offline living is on the...
instagram trials premium + why everyone wants to be chinese
is anyone else feeling a little more chinese lately Hey hey everybodayyy! Welcome back to the common thred (!), a digital space we’ve carved out to cut through the intensity and overwhelm of the 24 hour news cycle. Because honestly, sometimes having news app notifications on is just TMI. We’ll touch on viral trends and emerging tech, as well as the news shaping the world and the way we live it. Think of us as...
gen z turns to religion + embraces micro-retirement
he has rizz'en ya'll Welcome back to another newsletter from all of us at the common thred! ⚡️ If you’re just joining, we’d like to extend a warm welcome to you for the very first time. Either way, you’re here now, which means you’ve made it through another week of e-mails, group chat messages, and headlines that probably made you think ‘are you kidding me?!?’. We can relate, and that’s why this newsletter exists. Our mission...
Gen Z are turning thirty…do they look it?
As the eldest Gen Zers start turning 30, many have pointed out that they seem to look a lot younger than their parents did at the same age. Is it a real phenomena, or just a symptom of our youth-obsessed social media era? Are Gen Z ageing slower than their parents did? If you’ve been on TikTok or Instagram the past few weeks, you may have noticed growing discussion around turning...
The rise of #RichTok, Gen Z’s latest escape
A specific brand of TikTok luxury is doing the rounds online, known as #RichTok. Wealthy creators are unashamedly flexing their expensive lifestyles for millions of followers, showing off homes, jets, meals and branded clothing. Unsurprisingly, Gen Z are using this content as a way to escape, though not everyone is pleased. Ever heard of #RichTok? If you’re an older Gen Zer or millennial, we wouldn’t blame you if you hadn’t....
