[SIC] DAY TWO HUNDRED FIFTY THREE

Vol. 2, No. 93

Unlocked: Atypical Wednesday Links post. Photos can wait for Christmas.

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[SIC] DAY TWO HUNDRED FIFTY THREE

1. Mainstream Is Now Fringe, and Fringe Is Mainstream. The current state of media is total anarchy. The future of media has arrived—but people above a certain age won’t even recognize the names.

2. Hence Lili Anolik on How Long Gone saying Eve Babitz today would be Caroline Calloway.

3. And Matty Matheson on Kara Swisher’s Pod talks the good bad and ugly of restaurants.

4. While Timothy Chalamet on Theo Von’s Pod says a city has to have crime to have good restaurants.

5. Speaking of: Bend OR tells residents to stop sticking googly eyes on its statues. The comedy eyes have appeared on statues and murals around the city causing a viral sensation, and now The city has spent $1,500 on removing them from seven of the eight sculptures impacted.

6. Apropos of “viral” slop: SOCIAL_Commentary_Vol.6. Critical meme analyses. When we consider the exponential production of content and data, how much of that do we actually care about?

7. What they actually want: Taco Bell Cantina is introducing chicken nuggets marinated in jalapeño buttermilk flavor and then coated in a mixture of breadcrumbs and tortilla chips because its younger customers want nuggies.

8. So…Pop culture collabs: Is mainstream the way to go? Brands chase viral moments through partnerships with artists and entertainment icons.

9. Espesh since Sneaker Collaborations So Boring? Sneaker giants often have a ‘cheat code’ for tie-ups with indie designers, insiders say, reflecting a lack of innovation among legacy players in the industry / BoF

10. Speaking of Back to basics: 100 Thieves rejuvenated its sponsorship business in 2024 by refocusing on esports and brands paying the team a fee in exchange for a set number of deliverables, which can come in the form of social media posts, content pieces and jersey logo slaps, as well as more bespoke custom activations.

[SIC] DAY TWO HUNDRED FIFTY THREE