0 comments
(AI is also not your friend)
Helloooo everyone and welcome back to another newsletter!
Spooky season is upon us, so let’s savour it well before the inevitable wave of the holiday decor is thrust upon us at the strike of midnight on November 1st. I’ve already seen quite a few creative Halloween costumes online (my fave being Louvre robbers in plastic diamond tiaras and fake gold chains), but if you have any better ideas, feel free to share them in the comments. 🎃👻
This week’s edition is comprised of culture (Gen Z’s shifting, anti-sex media preferences), tech (China’s new credential laws for influencers), and world news (Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and an update on Gaza)… with a foodie recommendation you won’t want to miss at the end.
Let’s get into it 🙂
🎬 culture corner
The verdict is in… Gen Z is disenchanted with sex and romance in film and television. Surveying 1,500 Americans aged 10 to 24, UCLA’s Center for Scholars & Storytellers found that young audiences want to see authentic and platonic connections on screen more than the romantic stories traditionally pedalled by Hollywood. Around 60 percent of respondents said they wanted to see more stories about friendship, while over half said they wanted to see a focus on characters who are not pursuing romantic relationships at all. They also said that triangles and toxic relationships are among the most overused and least appealing storylines. Perhaps most interestingly, almost half (48.4 percent) said they think there is ‘too much sex and sexual content’ in modern entertainment. Young audiences are leaning into animated films instead, which they feel are more creative and emotionally engaging. The overall preference for animated content among young people rose from 42 percent in 2024 to 48.5 percent this year.
Petition for women-only tube carriages in London racks up 12,000 signatures – thred
More than 12,000 people have now signed a petition which states that women-only carriages should be introduced across the London Underground network. The petition comes shortly after Transport for London’s (TfL) service-wide anti-harassment campaigns went viral, and reflects a clear sense of unease among female travellers taking public transport. During the first six months of 2025 alone, TfL stated there were 907 sexual offences reported across its services, an increase from 879 in 2024. In countries like Japan, India and Brazil, women-only train carriages have existed for years, but despite the ongoing petition, TfL has said it would not support implementing them across London’s network. Instead, its spokespersons say that making current operations more safe for female travellers continues to be one of its key priorities.
🕵🏻♂️ tech talk
China’s new law: only degree-holding influencers can discuss professional topics – iol
A new regulation in China is now targeting the credentials of online influencers. Introduced by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the new law requires anyone making digital content about subjects like medicine, law, education, or finance to prove their qualifications, with the aim of stopping the spread of misinformation and to ensure a higher level of accuracy in expert-driven fields. Effective from October 25th, creators are now required to present degrees or professional licenses before posting on regulated topics on Chinese platforms such as Douyin, Bilibili, and Weibo, which now carry the responsibility of verifying these credentials and enforcing compliance going forward. Relevant posts will be required to include clear citations and notes when information is dramatised, or aided by artificial intelligence. Though some people think this is just another way for the Chinese state to clamp down on free speech, others believe it will create an added layer of authenticity to China’s growing influencer economy. Some even believe that this type of law is necessary across the whole world.
Over 1.2m people a week talk to ChatGPT about suicide – sky
OpenAI, the company responsible for creating ChatGPT, has revealed that 1.25 million of its near 800 million users speak to its chatbot about suicide every week. The tech giant says its tools have been trained to direct people to professional resources (helplines, support groups etc) in these circumstances, but admits this isn’t what happens 9 percent of the time. This leaves tens of thousands of people potentially at risk of being exposed to AI-generated responses that could worsen existing mental health problems. OpenAI is currently being sued by the parents of a 16-year-old boy who committed suicide after ChatGPT ‘actively helped him explore suicide methods’ and offered to draft a note to his relatives. The pushback on the ‘behaviour’ of AI chatbots in sensitive conversations has been widespread as of late, with a campaign by the AI firm ‘Friend’ on the New York City subway system heavily vandalised with anti-AI graffiti by local artists and citizens. Amongst the various graffiti etched on the $1 million subway campaign were messages like ‘AI WILL ENCOURAGE SUICIDE WHEN PROMPTED’ and ‘AI IS NOT YOUR FRIEND’. Worryingly, tech companies will have a lot to answer for if these issues continue to go unaddressed.
🌎 world news
A category 5 storm named Hurricane Melissa is set to hit Jamaica with catastrophic and life-threatening winds, flooding, and storm surge. If it retains its current strength upon landfall throughout Tuesday, Hurricane Melissa will be the most powerful storm to hit the Caribbean island since record-keeping began in 1851. The storm has rapidly intensified in over warmer-than-normal Atlantic waters, and is the fourth one to do so this year. Scientists say a decade-long trend of ocean warming (with last year’s being the warmest ever recorded) is linked to the rapid heating of our planet’s oceans due to climate change. Researchers at Climate Central estimate that such extreme warmth in the Atlantic has become roughly 700x more likely because of fossil fuel emissions, deforestation, and other human activities. ‘Climate change is fundamentally reshaping our weather systems,’ said Bernadette Woods Placky, chief meteorologist at Climate Central. Meanwhile, Akshay Deoras, a meteorologist at the University of Reading said, ‘It’s not just the surface [of the ocean] that’s warm. The deeper layers are also unusually hot, creating an enormous energy source for storms like Melissa.’
Israeli drones, shelling trigger ‘deep trauma’ in Gaza despite truce – al jazeera
The international community has failed to hold Israel to account for ignoring its obligations under the ceasefire, says Sami Al-Arian, a professor at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, including to facilitate the entry of more aid into Gaza. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Al-Arian pointed out that the amount of aid entering Gaza since the ceasefire started has fallen short of the promised 600 trucks a day. ‘All of the conditions of the ceasefire have been violated,’ Al-Arian said. ‘Where is the aid that [Palestinians] were promised? Where is the safety they were promised – the shelter, the medical aid? None of that is coming in. Famine is still a policy that Israel has been upholding,’ he said. Israeli forces are also targeting residential buildings in central and southern Gaza despite the ceasefire. Al Jazeera correspondents on the ground said Israeli forces have bombed and destroyed civilian homes in eastern Gaza City and the Bureij refugee camp, while settler violence continues amidst mass arrests in the West Bank.
🥢 recommendation
It can be hard to find at Western-located Vietnamese restaurants, so if you spot it on a menu in your city – don’t be scared to try it out!
