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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 delivering on your cheat sheet to understanding the stuff everyone’s talking about (and the stuff they’re not).
Tap in between classes, while procrastinating at work, or 2 a.m. when your brain won’t stop spinnin’ around. However you get into it, we’re happy you’re along for the ride.
Let’s dive into what’s actually going on, together.
💬 culture corner
Haven’t you heard? Everyone wants to be Chinese now. All over social media, young people are jokingly ‘becoming Chinese,’ posting memes about drinking hot water, wearing slippers indoors, using rice cookers, and letting sweet-sounding Mandarin love songs soundtrack their day. Of course, this is all a little exaggerated and unserious, but it symbolises a growing mainstream affection for Chinese culture that’s still pretty new. So where’s this coming from? Well, polls show that under-30s see China in a far more positive light than older generations, having witnessed China’s global rise via TikTok and Chinese online retailers that dominate their screens next to visions of the country’s sleek cities, shiny aesthetics, delicious food, + memeable culture. There’s also a slight political appeal. As Western governments continue pushing anti-China narratives and target Gen Z’s favourite platform TikTok, celebrating Chinese culture feels mildly rebellious even if those doing it aren’t consciously political. This may be playful and potentially fleeting trend, but it highlights Gen Z’s openness to non-Western powers and their instinct to explore culture through a little bit of humour.
How Gen Z fell for the preppy appeal of the Longchamp bag – vogue
The comeback of Longchamp’s Le Pliage bag wasn’t on my bingo card for the 2020s, yet here we are. Rocked by Kate Middleton at the University of St Andrews and remixed by Alexa Chung, who sported the bag with skinny scarves and Uggs during her Indie Sleaze era, the Le Pliage is now a newly revived Gen Z favourite. On TikTok, the Le Pliage is hyped as the ultimate ‘book bag’ (throwback to using one during my high school days!) and is positioned as a perfect starter designer item due to it’s affordability, practical design, and size which makes it big enough for life’s everyday needs. Longchamp recently leaned into young people’s interest by tapping Netflix stars and Parisian pop culture (yes, Emily in Paris), aligning the bag with a certain kind of European cool. The Pliage is working for Gen Z because it’s not too try-hard, void of loud logos or trendy designs. For a generation growing bored of micro-trends and overconsumption, the Le Pliage offers a chance to feel timeless and low-key chic.
⚡️ wellness + lifestyle
Instead of blowing their hard-earned money on a late night out and feeling crippled by a hangover the next day, young people are choosing to host ‘admin nights’ with their friends. An admin night involves staying in with your besties, wearing pyjamas, opening up your laptops, and dealing with all the annoying life admin you’ve been avoiding… including emails, bills, appointments, or that looming uni assignment. The reality is that free time feels scarce for all of us nowadays. Admin nights offer the chance to be social, but still productive. And unlike going out and getting wasted, you’ll wake up the next day feeling less stressed. Small, compulsory tasks have a tendency to build up and become daunting, but turning them into a shared night in with your bffs makes them feel way more manageable. Who said Friday night can’t be about food, drinks, laughs and progress?
How the supermarket’s cheapest fish became Gen Z’s latest obsession – vox
Oh I know the Boomers are confused about this one. A staple for their generation (tinned fish) is having a moment. Gen Z influencers are tinned sardines them as high-protein, omega-3-packed ‘skincare in a can,’ including them in snack plates, girl dinners, and framing them as a great addition to wellness routines. Though once viewed as a struggle food, sardines are now a healthy and aesthetic choice. And in this economy, sardines are hitting the spot for being cheap, filling, and versatile. They slot perfectly into ‘-maxxing’ culture (whether you view this approach as toxic or not), becoming a triple threat for protein-maxxing, skin-maxxing, and budget-maxxing. That unassuming £2 can of fish on is now viewed as protein, skincare, and an opportunity to save some gualla all at once.
📱 tech talk
Instagram tried to pull a fast one last week and a lot of people noticed. Users opened their app to find their feed wall-to-wall ads unless they agreed to pay £2.99 a month for an ‘ad-free’ version. Meta says it’s optional, but it’s clear that users have to choose between paying up or being bombarded with stuff they haven’t agreed to. What you should know is: Meta is under pressure from UK and EU regulators over data privacy, and the ‘consent or pay’ model would help it tick the transparency box. Subscriptions also offer predictable income which investors loooove. From a Gen Z perspective, the timing couldn’t be worse. Digital fatigue is already a major issue, with users becoming way more conscious of how much time they’re spending online. If every few posts is an ad, we can’t ignore the fact that we ARE the product. Young poeple are already picking up physical media and offline experiences more often, and by putting a literal price on peace, Instagram is putting its relevancy issue on blast.
CEO of $1.25 billion AI company favours less biased’ Gen Z – yahoo finance
Some of the world’s biggest tech CEOs beleive Gen Z’s open-mindedness is their superpower. Ricardo Amper, founder of $1.25B AI company Incode Technologies, says young workers bring unbiased, fresh perspectives that experienced professionals don’t always have. ‘Too much knowledge is actually bad in tech,’ he says. A ‘this is how it’s always been done’ mentality can actually be a bad thing. Amper says striking a balance between young people’s creativity and tech-savviness and the skills of experienced older staff can result in a great team. Other companies like the AI startup DeepSeek says its young workforce is the driving force behind its rapid innovation. Even legacy giants like Colgate-Palmolive are calling on young employees to shake up how they work, bringing curiosity, digital fluency, and fresh ideas. Being young, inexperienced, and tech-native isn’t always viewed as weakness anymore because companies are finally starting to appreciate perspective over years on a resume.
🌏 world
In late 2025 and early 2026, large-scale protests broke out in Iran against its theocratic rulers. Young people, especially Gen Z, are at the forefront of the movement, pushing back against a broken system, where basic life is getting unaffordable, jobs are scarce, and freedom of expression is extremely limited. In response, authorities shut down the internet nationwide, cutting people off from each other and the outside world. Human rights groups say the internet shutdown is intended to hide a huge uptick in state violence and violates basic freedoms. Information that has made it out of Iran suggest the violent crackdown could be one of the deadliest in modern Iranian history, with thousands killed or arrested.
‘Extraordinary’ student could be first Gen Z saint – bbc
A Manchester chemical engineering student who died of aggressive cancer at 21 is being considered as the Catholic Church’s first Gen Z saint. Pedro Ballester has been described as someone who lived ‘an ordinary life in an extraordinary way,’ showing care, love, and consistency every day even while battling cancer. During his time as a patient at Christie Hospital, Pedro got fellow patients of all faiths to sign a card for Pope Francis who he later got to meet. The story of Pedro’s compassion and courage has inspired people of all faiths from around the world, with thousands following his story online and attending his funeral, which drew more than 500 people. Opus Dei, which is promoting Pedro’s sainthood, sees him as following in the footsteps of other young saints like St Carlo Acutis. They hope his example can help Gen Z connect with faith and purpose in everyday life, something that isn’t far fetched, considering they are becoming the most religious generation alive at present.
