7/10 - jump5
Friday Newsletter: hair mist, summer witchcraft, friend-fluencing
Things I’m obsessed with today:
Jump5 - Eric and I were in line for the Underscores set at Elsewhere last night and one of us started singing Spinning Around. I was shocked they knew it because Jump5 was a part of the handful of evangelical pop groups that were actually good. I guess they broke through to the mainstream. I’m several albums deep and, like a sleeper agent, I remember all the lyrics.
JoeWayyy’s TikTok family drama - I can’t get enough of his series where he plays a mom and dad (they are not together), their kid, and occasionally an aunt. The videos are really endearing and his acting keeps me rooting for this little family.
Thought Starters
AI posters covering the city
*article*
I was at a neighborhood favorite, Taq, for dinner this week and the place is plastered in AI posters. It impacts not only the aesthetic of the space and the storytelling of a persevering small business, but the food itself. AI makes pizza, sushi, burritos, look unappetizing as fuck. I love Taq and their food but the infiltration of AI slop in their restaurant was a real bummer. Turns out this is happening all over the world from taxis to surfing lessons. Media 404 dives into this pervasive trend and how consumers are responding.
“The ‘ChatGPT flyer pandemic’ has become a big topic of conversation among graphic designers, musicians, bars, and small business owners who care about design and showing that they’ve put effort into something.”
‘“Your logo, food truck wrap, social media graphics, menus all look AI generated,’ Green said. ‘People are going to be able to spot that from a mile away and choose the competitor next to you that looks like they actually hired a human being,’ she said. ‘It might feel like you’re ‘saving time and money,’ but you’re actually slowly turning your brand into something generic like all the other brands out there using AI tools.’”
“The rejection of ChatGPT flyers infesting real life spaces is real, growing, and cuts across languages and borders. The New Jersey-based sticker company Death By Stickers has started selling a ‘CERTIFIED AI BULLSHIT’ sticker for people to slap on ChatGPT flyers: ‘With your roll of 50 ‘CERTIFIED AI BULLSHIT’ labels you can let everyone around town know when that flyer is AI SLOP,’ the company says.”
“Here’s to bringing back an MS Paint aesthetic, handwritten scribbles, or literally anything else.”
Is friendship the new influencer flex?
*article*
This is such a good take. This is a take I will bring up with my friends over drinks. It’s a take I’ll mull over on the train while I’m waiting for my feed to refresh.
There is a new trend in influencing and it pertains to how they represent friendship, extending their parasocial universe. Everyone is talking about Jake Shane’s friends (and how many there are and how hot they are and how popular they are) and Benito Skinner and Mary-Beth Barone’s podcast has inspired countless fan edits. Trends catch on because there is an interest/engagement from a growing audience. What does this friend content, tell us about ourselves? How does it feel to know the inside jokes of a friendship but play the part of a ghost behind a screen?
“By sharing their friendships online, these creators build their own if-you-know-you-know lexicons, creating an even deeper sense of fandom. As the Therapuss soundbite shows, a single phrase can become a signal of belonging.”
“Chikumbu points to groups like O2L, the mid-2000s YouTube channel that featured the likes of Connor Franta and Kian Lawley, as an early example. While TikTok similarly had the Hype House, former home of the D’Amelio sisters, Lil Huddy, and Addison Rae, the friendships that pop off online today are more likely to feature friends-turned-influencers rather than influencers assembled into a group, and thus, feel more organic to audiences.”
“‘[My roommate and I] have a lot of shared interests in music, too,’ says the 20-year-old. ‘But because the influencers are posting content every week, there’s honestly something for us to participate in more often. It’s almost like its own cultural thing that we talk about more day to day.’”
Things to do
Manhattanhenge Block Party
When: July 11th, 3 - 10 pm
Where: Outside the American Natural History Museum
What: To celebrate the summer and the last Manhattanhenge of the year, ANHM is throwing a party for the neighborhood. They will be playing World Cup games in the museum halls, and host other activities, but make sure to catch the sunset at 8:20 pm.
Product
Hair mist
*beauty*
Olaplex sent me this hair mist to try out and it really does the trick. In the summer, my hair can’t handle the weight of normal hair oil but this mist is light enough that it gives me the moisturizer I need without bogging it down.
What is it? Shine Serum Oil Mist
How much? $38
Going to start saying “this is a good take” as the preview for my takes from now on