Selena: Selena Gomez spoke out about the ongoing conflict between her and Hailey Bieber, asking her fans not to attack Bieber and condemning recent death threats against her.
What brands should consider: This “drama” has been on the forefront of pop culture conversations for the last few weeks and has clearly escalated past a laughing matter. Brands should avoid getting involved at all, regardless of their take on it.
Love is Blind: Twitter users are taking to the timeline to discuss the new season of the hit Netflix dating show that dropped last night.
How brands can jump in: Is your audience watching and reacting to the show? What about your social manager? Send out a tweet relating to something that happened or expressing your feelings about the season release. Make sure not to give out any spoilers or mention any names!
Congress’s Hearing on TikTok
What it is: Yesterday TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before congress to argue against the platform being banned in the US and discussing the Chinese government’s participation in the platform. Questions from Congressional members ranged from how TikTok utilizes home wifi networks, to facial recognition data collection (which Chew explained was only used for face filter to find where your eyes are). In a poll reported by NBC News, Gen Z voters oppose banning TikTok, while millennials support a prohibition, however, there is a growing concern among young voters seeing members of congress ask questions about a platform they clearly do not use, and make decisions that feel hasty and uneducated.
What brands should know: While the nearly all young voters have expressed concerns about China misusing the app, this is not a new concern as other social media platforms, especially Meta, have been in the spotlight for their potential data privacy issues. Because of it’s influence and size, this banning of this platform will be a longer uphill battle for Congress than a simple yes or no, and therefore wont be an immediate decision
Examples: 1, 2, 3
New Singles:
"Eyes Closed" - Ed Sheeran
"Fly Girl" - FLO (feat. Missy Elliott)
"Candy Necklace" - Lana Del Rey (feat. John Batiste)
"Hello" - Grouplove
"The Best Part" - Florence Pugh
"One Drink Away" - Wrabel
New Albums:
So Much (For) Stardust - Fall Out Boy
Memento Mori - Depeche Mode
Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. - Lana Del Rey
A very tiny iguana drinking water!!!!!
The world can’t shut up about Pedro Pascal, which, I get it.
Bon Appetit’s week in TikTok recipes and restaurants.
The Brave Little Toaster did some irreparable damage to my psyche that this post about a stuffed cow made me unwell.
Thanks for reading! Today’s issue was created by Shelby Jacobs. Want to subscribe? Reach out to Steph Caruso and Shelby Jacobs.