[SIC] 162: Reverse Catfishing

Vol. 4, Number 6

[SIC] Weekly is made possible by individual contributions from readers at companies like WME, Reddit, Instagram, TikTok, Jing, VICE, Pure Beauty and many more. Join them by contributing here. You can expense it as ‘research.’ Trust me. I filtered all this stuff so you don’t have to.

Barring that, take a sec to turn your smartest colleagues, your business crush or your favorite widely-read Tweeter on to what’s happening here. They’ll probably thank you. - Ben

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Hi all,

Straight to it: [SIC] Talks is back this week with my friend and Culture Club Show co-host Jian DeLeon. There are those who’d say I’m a font of the hyper-specific, arcane and obscure, but I can promise you, I have absolutely nothing on Jian. He’s a bottomless pool of knowledge and reference, and a true artist with takes. Will be fun. Tune in on my IG @dietznutz at 4p ET today, or find the convo thereafter in my grid. Next week’s guest will be Recho Omondi from the “On the Cutting Room Floor” podcast - so mark your calendars for that too.

Thanks also to Jian along with Iolanda, Josh, Kevin, Murphy and David for contributions this week, too. [SIC] wouldn’t get made without help each week - for which I’m super grateful.

One last thing that struck me while compiling this week - is it just me or is it impossible to tell by name which is the band and which is the song title? The Atlantic wrote about how Spotify has turned all music into background music, but it’s something else entirely that naming conventions are vanishing simultaneously. [SIC] Song of the week “Holly Holly” by Wabie not the best illustration, but see here.

Screenshot of the “Fresh Finds” playlist, to wit.

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Trends

• Let’s start with this, via Marginal Revolution: Ruminations on work from home and its future. (Twitter)

• More, from Iolanda Carvalho: “Too many everything 😉” Key Quote: "Our 9th edition of Data Never Sleeps illustrates the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the increasing digitization of daily life and how technology is helping re-imagine the future of work." (Domo)

• Related, a new report from Handshake reveals how young professionals are tossing out the traditional playbook and building their careers in a virtual world. (Fast Company)

• Hence, from Josh Gardiner: “Here's a recent piece about sporting superstars giving their scoops to creators over trad media (Messi going to Paris being the story here). I understand this to be happening in the US with NBA players et al who have a lack of trust/respect for mainstream outlets?” (NYT)

• Meanwhile, via Maekan: To Remain Productive And Sustainable, Eidos Montreal Switching To Four-Day Weeks (Kotaku)

• Why quitting your job is good for the economy (FT)

• Not without a back up plan tho. Via After School: The top stocks Gen Z are invested in (Apple…Tesla…Carnival?) (Go Banking Rates)

• Elsewhere - the movement to give ‘Personhood’ rights to animals is a thing. Legal systems around the world are beginning to confront an existential question: What rights does an animal have? (Reasons to Be Cheerful)

• Unrelated but interesting, via the Micromobility Newsletter: Over the past year, the use of biking directions on Google Maps has increased by up to 98% in cities around the world. (Google)

Style

• There’s a new Buffalo Zine “IRL” mini-issue up. (Publitas)

• A chilling view of fashion’s future — the costumes of Dune. The outfits for Denis Villeneuve’s arid space epic mix ancient with modern and hint at our own climate crisis (FT)

• Starting this month, Chinese consumers can only buy one of each of Chanel’s most popular handbags — the “Classic Flap Bag” and the “Coco Handle” — per year (Jing)

• In Luxury, Mindset Is All That Matters (Jing Daily)

• Hence, via After School: Gucci just opened a wework? (Dazed)

• Gen Z sets trends fast — and they won't hesitate to leave retailers who can't keep up in the dust. (Retail Dive)

• Via Future Party: adidas and resale platform thredUP launched, “Choose to Give Back,” which allows customers to “extend the lifecycle” of old products — including those not from adidas. (Fast Company)

• Speaking of, via Lean Luxe: What happens to the stuff you order online after you send it back? (The Atlantic)

• Via Michael Orenstein: This [Amazon’s “Fairfax”] is going to be all of the #snkrs and #streetwear lolz. (Twitter)

• Meanwhile in getting it RIGHT, big up to [SIC] Talks alum Ruba Abu-Nimah! The biz acknowledges ‘not your mother’s Tiffany is on the right track (BoF)

The Arts

• Via The Slowdown: Fifty writers reflect on the Albums That Shaped Them

• Corollary, via Public Announcement: Our Biggest Pop Stars Are c a s e s e n s i t i v e (WaPo)

• Via Future Party: Museums are betting that partnerships with popular brands will shake out the cobwebs as the pandemic wanes. (Fast Company)

• The Studio Museum’s archive sale is offering catalogs and posters from historic exhibitions featuring Chris Ofili, Faith Ringgold, and more. (Hyperallergic)

• Via Elevator: The 25 most iconic book covers in history. (Lithub)

• Elsewhere in graphic design: Rejected Saul Bass posters for “The Shining” (Design Bloq)

  

Entertainment + IP

• Mike Weissman, CEO of SoundCloud on the Trapital pod on why the music industry should evolve beyond the $10 per month "all you can eat" business model that has dominated the streaming era as NFTs and web3 become more popular.

• Via Simon Owens: Music IP is the next big content bubble. (Bloomberg)

• Related, via Music Redef: What the Music Industry Can Learn From the Success of Video Games (OkayPlayer)

• Via Motive Unknown: Did July 1st 2019 mark the end of Spotify’s music creator dream? The creator tools space is white hot. So why is Spotify backing away? (Music Industry Blog)

• Via Music Ally: Courtney Barnett goes Kanye with neat 'Stem Mixer' site launched in advance of the album. (CourtneyBarnett.com.au)

• Via Garbage Day: A redditor edited every piece of MCU footage together into a 9-part, 100-gigabyte mega movie. It rearranges all the scenes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe into chronological order. (Reddit)

Platforms & Influencers

• [SIC] Talks alum Andrea Hernandez shoots her Snaxshot for Morning Brew

• While newsletter icon and Today In Tabs’s links god Rusty Foster talks his internet to Embedded.

• [SIC] homie Yolanda Edwards talked to Cool Stuff NYC about the world of Yolo (Journal, Intel, etc)

• While mutual buddy Michael Williams talks to Substack about bringing AContinuousLean to Substack. Conclusion: Substack (Substack, substack).

• Surprised by this. Nearly half of tweets sent in the US during the past year came from 16-24s year olds. (Adweek)

• Not surprised by this. Via Protocol: You can now "soft block" on Twitter. (The Verge)

• Also via Protocol: Facebook is separating Instagram and Facebook accounts (Facebook)

• People are using Discord for work, but tech professor Aleshia Hayes said it's unclear if that's a good thing for anyone. (Protocol)

• Meanwhile, via Future of Transportation: Google launches new features to help users shrink their carbon footprints (The Verge)

  

Marketing & Advertising

• Marketing? Have a think about old school porn, storytelling and the value of delayed gratification (The Drum)

• From Iolanda Carvalho: Will everything be a crossover/collab in the future? "Mercedes-Benz and Abloh once again set a new benchmark in collaborative creativity and automotive-fashion-design crossovers" (Daimler)

• On the crossover tip: buy-now-pay-later firms want to be shopping mall apps (Vogue Business)

• Makes sense if there’s white space. To that end, Klarna reports disconnect between what shoppers want and what retailers believe they want (The Drum)

• Elsewhere in ‘everywhere,’ from David Bloom: ‘Squid Game,’ Shopping, and Netflix’s Ongoing Expansion into Everything Else (NextTV)

• And via Front Office Sports: Epic Games is now considering creating an entertainment division that would focus on scripted shows and movies, including a “Fortnite” film. (The Information)

• While (also via FOS), sports merchandiser and trading-card upstarts Fanatics has reportedly discussed the possibility of entering the Regional Sports Network TV business. (Sports Business Journal)

Media Business

• The creator economy is failing to spread the wealth (Axios)

• Wait, no it’s not, writes Simon Owens (Substack)

• Via After School: 19-year-old Elizabeth Flores founded Cripple Media, the first Gen Z digital platform for and by teens with disabilities. (pcmag)

• Complex relied on its consumer research panel to decide whether an in-person festival was worth pursuing. (Digiday)

Metaverse & Web3

• From Iolanda Carvalho: MMMM - By Media Monks: Making the Metaverse (Hubspot)

• Via Axios: Coinbase opened a waitlist for a marketplace that lets the crypto exchange's users mint, collect and trade nonfungible tokens. (CNBC)

• From Jian DeLeon: W. David Marx writes: “Really smart piece on the parallels between NFTs and streetwear. One big difference I hope doesn't get lost: Streetwear had a long period where it was just certain clothes worn by a tight-knit community — not "streetwear."  NFTs, on the other hand, arrived _as_ NFTs.” (Medium, via Twitter)

• Case in point: NASCAR is looking to break into the metaverse (Digiday)

• And via Dirt: there’s perfume for the metaverse. (Decrypt)

• Via Motive Unknown: AI Is No Match for the Quirks of Human Intelligence (MIT Press)

• Can crypto go green? You can listen to the full debate here. (Dealbook)

• This is a fascinating space to watch. Via Declarative Statements: “Rabbithole is an entry-level ‘learn-to-earn’ platform into the world of Web3 and Crypto. So, if you want a hands-on crash course covering the key concepts and skills, then this one is for you.”(Rabbithole.gg)

Food & Drink

• Take me to the River. David Byrne (of all people) writes about how America is winning the war on overfishing (Reasons to be Cheerful)

• Plant-based meat was all the rage. Now plant-based seafood is taking the spotlight (CNN)

• Greeeatttt. Via Axios: The Washington City Paper is hiring a restaurant reviewer to "focus exclusively on takeout."

Miscellany

• Mission-driven types take note: Seth Godin is launching the Carbon Almanac. “It’s a zero-profit venture, a group effort designed to create a print and digital document that fills the vital niche between the cutting edge and apathy … If this is something you have the time and inclination to contribute to, fill out this quick form.” (Google Docs)

• From Murphy: A 100% sustainable skate ramp house

• The hottest Candle Scent Is Heirloom Tomato (The Strategist)

• Via Marginal Revolution: Truly cursed Russian disco mashup of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" proves that everything can not, in fact, be everything.  (Twitter)

• Much better is  “Disco” by Geese, courtesy of Kevin Johanessen (YouTube)

• Elsewhere, as Ruby Dispatch screams excitedly, “WE HAVE A NEW M.O.M RADIO, FROM INDIE ROCK BAND LOOSE BUTTONS!!! (Ruby.fun)

Things To Do:

• NYC: Ultimate source of classified recon, Blackbird Spyplane will be IRL at Leisure Center on Saturday. Meet you there. (Instagram)

• Also NYC: Check out the last weekend of fave artist Steve Powers’s “Texting” show at Public Announcement (Instagram)

• More NYC: Check out Gowanus Open studios (Hyperallergic)

• NYC, obvs: Check out the Push Pin Legacy at Poster House, per [SIC] Homie and Love Injection major domo Paul Raffaele (Instagram)

• Anywhere: Buy a copy of The Gentlewoman x Phaidon’s “Modern Manners” book from [SIC] homies Import News.

• Back to NYC: Mark your calendars. WITI mainstay Eric Mathies helped make this little film - a coda to Dog Town & Z-Boys - which will screen at The Nitehawk in Brooklyn on Nov. 3rd. There's a discussion after with Glen E. Friedman and Wentzle Ruml.

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