[SIC] 267: The Heardabouts

Volume Six, Number Seven

Ben Dietz

Oct 12, 2023

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Hi all.

Heavy week. I won’t presume to add anything of note to the discourse; that’s not a cop-out: like most people, I am not adequately equipped to comment. Unlike many, tho, I’m aware of that reality. Some quoted observations herein that have helped me think through the moment, but I’ve mostly avoided subjective opinions. Have a read through the links and see if they help.

Thanks to Celeste Blewitt, Iolanda Carvalho, Piers Fawkes, James Friedman and Jeff Johnson for contributions this week. And thanks all for being here. Don’t hesitate to discuss in the comments.

Ben

======[SIC] 267: The Heardabouts======

The Macro Narrative

Can I post good news in bad times? Once again, people online are struggling to process real life / Embedded
Well.. Content Moderation Is A Failed Project, so… This is what an unmoderated internet looks like / Garbage Day
Hence?! Why the Internet Isn’t Fun Anymore / The New Yorker
And I can prove it! From Celeste: We Finally Have Proof That The Internet Is Worse' / The Atlantic
“A fully multipolar world has emerged, and people are belatedly realizing that multipolarity involves quite a bit of chaos,” / Noahpinion
Well, at least The “Deaths of Despair” narrative is somewhat wrong? / Marginal Revolution
The Wager That Betting Can Change the World. A coterie of tech insiders believe that “prediction markets” can fix social ills / NYT
Corollary to that: A.I.’s thirst for electricity is about to skyrocket / NYT
Related to that: a Vermont utility wants to give customers home batteries, instead of building more electricity power lines, to help avoid blackouts / NYT
Ibram X. Kendi, Hasan Minhaj, and the Question of Selling Out Is it possible to reap all the rewards of the mass market and still maintain a sense of political purpose? / The New Yorker
Speaking of selling out: If Ozempic is already hurting junk food sales, what other sectors should be on alert? / Quartz
And yet? Pepsi beat analysts’ expectations and raised its outlook for its full-year earnings / CNBC
Hence Noah Brier’s examinations of the underlying contradictions in The Ozempic Edition / Why Is This Interesting
What was 'replying'? Shouting into the void that answers back / Dirt
Also futile? “Parking in New York City Really Is Worse Than Ever” / NYT
The effect of masculine marketing on vegan diets / Food Navigator
From Iolanda: “You have this one?” [SIC] Talks Alum Matt Klein expounds on Foresight as activism – researching vs. making culture / WARC

Generationations

Gen Z is changing the culture of networking / The Future Party
Notable because? Is Retirement a Fading Mirage? / The Lindy Newsletter
Either way: Millennials Will Age Terribly. No elders, only old young people / Salieri Redemption
Or, brand-vatars? Why Gen Z is obsessed with the Duolingo Owl / Fast Company

Platformations

X is flooded with Hamas - Israel War misinformation / Morning Brew
How the attacks in Israel are changing Threads / Platformer
Unfortunate headline given the news cycle, but The all-out revolt against Knitting.com helps explain boycotts at Reddit and Etsy / Quartz
Corollary: What Really Took Down Airbnb It wasn’t the government; it was the housing market / The Atlantic
Elsewhere, how Bandcamp makes more money than Spotify / Fast Company
More money: Gen Z is turning to TikTok for financial advice more than Reddit or YouTube / Fast Company
But, but: going viral on TikTok Shop is fleeting, so sellers are scrambling to fulfill orders before their 15 seconds of fame are up / Insider
Hence? TikTok is allowing users to post directly from third-party apps, such as Adobe Premiere and Twitch / Engadget
Meanwhile, an ex-TikTok employee is building a social platform for content creators to network and communicate anonymously / TechCrunch
And Instagram is launching a Trends feature on Threads in an effort to compete with X and other media platforms/ TechCrunch

Stylistics

Golf Le Fleur x Lacoste - Tyler the Creator with the new American family odyssey with crocodiles/ IG
Meantime, Ralph Lauren, Designer of the American Dream, Isn’t Done Yet / Robb Report
Hence: Polo Ralph Lauren Returns to Skateboarding for Its Latest Collab / GQ
But also: fashion needs young designers. Why is it still failing them? / Vogue Business
Another OG, Stella McCartney Goes Off the Cuff about what led her to become a pioneer in the world of sustainable luxury fashion / Departures
Speaking of sustainability: Max Lamb turns cardboard boxes into furniture that "can be infinitely repaired" / Dezeen
So should we just make garments made of human hair? A company in the Netherlands certainly thinks so / Articles of Interest
Related in a weird way? Why brands need to pay attention to China’s proposed ban on ‘offensive attire’ / Jing Daily
Corollary: How often you should wash your jeans / CNBC
The Rochambeau Club. It's refined. It's exclusive. It's... not real? / Tone Knob
Speaking of refinement: The Ultimate Travel Shoe Is Actually a Slipper / Departures
Travel-related, tho, from Celeste: “Frivolous but still, a moment in time for bed bugs, fashion week and the concern that has gone with it.” The fear of the Parisienne bedbug! / The Guardian
Elsewhere in Paris: Pharrell's at Louis Vuitton, But Where's the Hip-Hop Met Gala? / Back Row
More ‘brand expansions:’ Zappos is growing its relationships with businesses like Delta and Chewy via a safety footwear program / Modern Retail
And! Rapper 50 Cent will sponsor AFC Rumney, a Welsh under-14 girls soccer team /AS
Speaking of buying in: How the brand developer shops / Valet Mag
And now for something completely different, from Piers: “For moving image / animated design inspiration - monty python meets mario” - Chenxi Ouyang / Arts Thread
Minor Genius Interview : Vince "Bear" Quitugua from Shoyoroll / Minor Genius
Speaking of tastemakers, things [SIC] Talks Alum Jian DeLeon likes (and hates) via Dreambaby Press / IG

Culturations

Bob Lefsetz on Taylor Lorenz’s Extremely Online: “You've got to read it. Like right now. Like click that link and start in” / Lefsetz Letter
Creator-related: Emma Thompson Is Right: The Word ‘Content’ Is Rude / NYT
From Celeste: Why Culture Has Come To A Standstill' / NYT
And Why are brands of today so bland? / Creative Bloq
Blame the olds: Le Corbusier is responsible for architecture's "global blandemic" says Thomas Heatherwick / Dezeen
More revisionism, from Jeff: “Think you will enjoy this one:'“ Letting AI Tell the NFL Story / NFL Weakly
A24 is looking to expand into action and ‘Big IP’ / Vulture
From James: ‘good sic stuff’ [Discogs’ vibrant vinyl community is shattering] / The Verge
Corollary: What do artists really know about the music business? / Song Sommelier
New York City’s public health system has amassed one of the largest public art collections in the U.S. / NYT
More ‘public’ art: El Anatsui: the sculptor on making art from waste, and waking up the artist in all of us / The Art Newspaper
Corollary: Water painting with Joe Henry Baker / Jolie Skin Co
Also fluid: Eddie Martinez Defers to the Desires of His Paints / NYT
There’s Nothing Punk About Punk Orientalism, apparently / Hyperallergic
On the punk / DIY tip: It’s time to buy a cheap mini printer, because physical photo albums are so back / Morning Brew
Also back: spurred by re-emergence of an old story, sports betting websites are taking bids on Banksy’s real identity / Hyperallergic
While Lana Del Rey has beef with a Christian influencer / The Fader
Also beef?! Errol Morris Did Not Like This Q&A About His le Carré Film / NYT
Cool your jets with The Hyperallergic October Art Crossword / Hyperallergic

Technopolis

Here’s how Hamas has fundraised using crypto / Morning Brew
Unrelated but apropos: A crypto news chief discusses where the industry goes from a seeming low point / Wired
Apropos: Decoding 2023’s Web3 retail trends post-NFT rush / Jing Daily
Elsewhere: The making of Prof G AI / Spotify
Corollary: New products, guides and accountability initiatives are proliferating in response to the threat of AI-enabled election misinformation / Axios
While Actors now have a public spreadsheet that requests a growing list of names to be removed from the generative AI tools that can replicate their voices / Google Docs

Media-tions

Why TikTok videos on the Israel-Hamas war have drawn billions of views: young people don’t trust mainstream media / WaPo
On that note: People’s (mis)trust of doctors can help us understand their (mis)trust of journalists / Nieman Lab
Related: Five former journalists on why they left the industry / Nieman Lab
Gaming-focused creator brand Rooster Teeth, has removed several of its popular animated shows from YouTube, citing the titles make 5 to 10 times more in ad revenue directly from its website/ Variety
Meanwhile, big Media brands continue to break into the creator economy / Axios
While Disney and Comcast will soon begin to negotiate the ownership fate of Hulu. Expect a bumpy ride / Axios
Elsewhere in ownership: The Daily Mail publisher invests in fast-growing sport of padel / FT
Also poised for fast growth: Medialink might be buying Cannes Lions / Sky

Market / Influence

From Iolanda: 100 years and counting: how centennial media brands stay relevant / Kantar
But If Every Brand Is Funny Online, Is Anything Funny? / NYT
Also is every brand working with (OG [SIC] homie) Steve Aoki? He Has 25 Different Active Brand Sponsorships — Even Beating Out Snoop Dogg / Digital Music News
Apropos of OGs: Unhurried media. Brands are turning to print media for more leisurely, reflective content experiences / Wundermann Thompson
More ‘olds’: Why Chief Creatives Over 50 Bring Invaluable Wisdom to Agencies / AdAge
How does Spirit Halloween, which is just open for two months, continue to grow after 40 years in operation? Memes / Fast Company
Elsewhere: How Pinterest is pitching itself to advertisers in 2023. Pinterest has always seen itself as a full funnel platform, but now it really wants marketers to do the same / Digiday
What Marketers Can Learn From the Art Basel-Tribeca Festival Partnership / AdWeek
Arc’teryx debuts first campaign, ‘No Wasted Days,’ to inspire global wanderlust / The Drum
A look inside 777 Partners, the mysterious company that has bought stakes in soccer clubs around the world — and faces questions about its finances / NYT
Soldiering on, British Basketball League CEO and [SIC] homie Aaron Radin discusses the new season / YouTube
More new: Authentic Brands Group offers text-based shopping. Customers can currently sign up for SMS shopping programs brands including Brooks Brothers, Lucky Brand, Juicy Couture and Nautica / Chainstorage
While Kenzo and Levi's combines Japanese heritage and American workwear, featuring a range of classic with premium Japanese Kaihara denim and sashiko prints / Numero
Related: Gap and Sean Wotherspoon are collabing on releasing reversible denim jackets and hoodies with embroidered details / Hypebeast
Canada Goose is trying to hold itself to higher ESG standards / The Drum
Big Oil’s using Fortnite, TikTok and Twitch in effort to convince kids fossil fuels are cool / Kotaku

Eats, Drinks and Ephemera

Why your favorite childhood drink is suddenly full of booze / YouTube
“You can taste the climate change.” — A French winemaker on how the $333 billion global industry is being hit by rising temperatures and other extreme weather phenomena / NYT
And also climate change is making beer taste worse in Europe / The Guardian
Hence? American’s don’t always drink beer, but when they do, they prefer Mexican / CNBC
Corollary to that: Nothing, the tech company known for its minimalist design, is launching an exclusive (and, yes, minimalistic) beer / Forbes
In contrast: Eric Ripert on Markets, Microdosing, and the ABCs of Cooking / Interview
Unrelated: Why are robots afraid of guacamole? / The Atlantic
Heavy for pescatarians like me: The Crimes Behind the Seafood You Eat / The New Yorker
Hence an Israeli startup developing cultivated bluefin tuna/ TechCrunch
And? Red, juicy, heat resistant: the hunt for a climate-proof apple/ FT

The Natural (?!) World

From Piers: Rucking: The Full Body Workout and All You Need Is a Backpack / NYT
Also mysterious: The invisibility cloak / IG