Keep scrolling for the tea on Taylor Swift’s (not-so) private jet.
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In a recent piece for Vox, Rebecca Jennings breaks down the latest phenomenon on TikTok, where creators are hoping to go viral by coining phrases.
From “almond mom” to “girl dinner,” TikTok terminology dominates culture. While having a plethora of phrases to match any feeling or mood can be helpful, Jennings posits that it is all a bid for virality.
“There is a case to be made that the constant stream of phrases vying to become widely used slang exemplifies a deep appreciation for language among the extremely online,” she writes. “But chances are, either you have never heard of any of these terms or you have heard of so many that you are starting to become a little bit fatigued by them.”
While users may simply be trying to reach TikTok fame, the revolving door of popular labels and phrases is a symptom of the rise of microtrends.
Jennings notes that with the fast-paced trend cycle, the trendsetters have shifted. In the past, it was a "top-down" model, with movies and films shaping language. Today, it is Gen Z themselves.
“Gen Z are nothing if not marketing geniuses,” Casey Lewis of the After School Substack newsletter tells Jennings. “When we were kids growing up, magazine editors and fashion designers were determining trends, but now editors are literally just reporting on what people on TikTok are doing.”
Claiming ownership of slang and turning it into a money-making venture is nearly impossible once it goes viral. Jennings points to Kayla Newman— the Vine user who coined "on fleek"— emphasising that "she never made a dime off of it."
However, the driving force for internet users isn't necessarily the prospect of financial gain but rather the allure of gaining "authority and clout" in the online world.
Even though it may not be lucrative, journalists and culture pundits embedded in the digital world are following suit.
“Journalists on the culture beat are essentially captive to whatever happens to be trending online in the hopes they might capitalize on its existing virality. So, what the hell, I might as well join in: I’m calling the rash of tryhard slang online ‘trendbait’,” Jennings finishes.
Read the full story via Vox.
Could Trisha Paytas give birth to King Charles III’s reincarnation?
In truly chaotic internet news, the chronically online are convinced that Trisha Paytas’ new baby will be the reincarnation of King Charles III after news broke of his cancer diagnosis earlier this week.
Trisha has been linked with the British Royal Family since the birth of her first daughter, Malibu Barbie, in September 2022.
On September 8th 2022, Trisha went viral after tweeting that her cervix was 1cm dilated, indicating that she was going into labour soon.
Hours after Trisha’s tweet, the Palace released a statement that Queen Elizabeth II was in poor health, followed shortly after by the news of her death.
This led to widespread (and quite honestly unhinged) speculation that the Queen would be reincarnated as Trisha’s baby.
In November 2022, Trisha shared that she and her husband Moses are expecting a second baby. She made the announcement on Instagram and YouTube livestream for her podcast.
Soon after the news broke, her followers started flooding comment sections, joking that members of the British Royal Family should be concerned.
With Trisha’s pregnancy coinciding with King Charles III’s illness, internet users are convinced that the “prophecy will be fulfilled.”
Trisha addressed the viral meme on the latest episode of her podcast, explaining that the joke makes her slightly uncomfortable.
“I don’t know how I feel about it. It made me feel sad… and I really do feel it is karma…Apparently the internet is trolling me now for my years of trolling,” Trisha says. “ I don’t know I feel like it is so real. When enough people say something, it comes to fruition. So, I really hope him a speedy recovery and a lengthy life.”
Watch Trisha’s response via the Just Trish Podcast.
Taylor Swift doesn’t want anyone tracking her private jet
From winning Album Of The Year at the Grammys and announcing her new album, to resuming the Eras Tour in Japan, Taylor Swift has had a busy week. But that hasn’t stopped the singer-songwriter’s team from threatening legal action against a social media user who tracks celebrity private jet mileage.
The user in question is a college student named Jack Sweeney. He has had multiple accounts across different social media platforms tracking celebrity flights.
The accounts use publicly accessible data from the Federal Aviation Administration, tracking aircraft belonging to billionaires, politicians, and other public figures.
Along with sharing departure and arrival times, Jack also estimates the carbon emissions of each trip.
In December, Jack received a cease and desist letter from Swift’s attorneys saying that they would “have no choice but to pursue any and all legal remedies” if he did not stop his “stalking and harassing behaviour.”
His accounts have allegedly caused “direct and irreparable harm,” leaving Swift in a “constant state of fear for her personal safety.”
This isn’t the first time Jack has found himself in legal trouble for sharing private jet flight details.
Back in 2022, Elon Musk accused Jack of endangering him by posting his “assassination coordinates.” Jack was later banned from X, but his account has since been restored.
From then on, Jack posted aircraft details after a delay of 24 hours.
The internet’s reaction to Swift’s cease and desist letter has been mixed. As expected, Swifties are rallying around their fave, while other internet users claim the singer-songwriter is “victimising” herself.
It is worth noting that Swift has been in a private jet-related scandal in the past.
In 2022, a sustainability marketing agency, Yard, found that Swift was the “biggest celebrity polluter.”
Swift’s publicist, Tree Paine, soon came to her defense— claiming that the jet was often loaned to other people. This clarification didn’t really help Swift, as many internet users continued to associate her with the label.
That said, many non-Swiftie internet users are reluctant to believe that Swift is genuinely concerned for her safety, assuming that she is only threatening legal action against Jack for PR reasons.
Read the full breakdown via The Cut.
Bluesky, a trendy rival to X, finally opens to the public
Speaking of Elon Musk, Bluesky (widely hailed as the Twitter heir apparent) has opened to the public this week after nearly a year as an invitation-only app.
Bluesky CEO Jay Graber began developing the platform in 2019 when Twitter's then-CEO, Jack Dorsey, announced his plan to build a team and create a new, "decentralised" type of social media.
After Graber joined the team, she soon convinced “Twitter honchos” to let Bluesky become independent, hoping it would give the platform a better chance at success.
Since Twitter's downfall, technology journalists and internet culture enthusiasts, fortunate enough to have gained access to Bluesky during its invitation-only period, have consistently praised the platform.
“Bluesky looks familiar to anyone who has used Twitter or Meta’s Threads, with a feed full of text posts and images from people you follow,” Will Oremus writes for The Washington Post. “Underneath, however, the company is building what Graber calls ‘an open, decentralized protocol’ — a software system that allows developers and users to create their own versions of the social network, with their own rules and algorithms.”
Almost one million new users have joined Bluesky since its launch to the public. However, it will be an “uphill battle” to compete with the likes of X and Threads.
“Early enthusiasm appears to have waned, with high-profile users such as Chrissy Teigen and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) going dormant,” Oremus continues. “Even Dorsey, who remains a Bluesky board member, appears no longer to have an active account.”
While the future of Bluesky and the potential for success remain unclear, it's exciting to see how a new decentralised and “choose your own adventure” type of platform will resonate among internet users.
Read the full story via The Washington Post.
How affiliate links became everyone’s low-lift side hustle
A new piece by Kate Lindsay for Bustle explores the affiliate links epidemic online, noting how “influencers and normies alike are cashing in.“
Affiliate marketing has long been a staple in the influencer universe, allowing affiliated creators to earn a commission for sending followers to a brand's website to purchase products.
But ever since introducing functions like TikTok Shop, Lindsay notes that the average internet user has been able to benefit from this marketing model.
“In 2024, there are almost too many affiliate marketing programs to choose from, but all promise participants roughly the same thing: unique, trackable links to products and a percentage of any sales made using those links,” Lindsay continues. “Making a sale can be as easy as posting a link to a gadget on Instagram stories or creating a TikTok video…”
Not only has TikTok Shop allowed users to monetise their content, but it is also a means for the platform to capitalise on its marketing prowess.
“Influencers are making these recommendations on platforms that, until recently, didn’t benefit from their sales,” Lindsay explains. “But last year, TikTok revamped its model, launching TikTok Shop, through which brands can directly peddle their wares on the For You Page.”
To many internet users, this type of marketing gives off major MLM vibes, often resulting in a negative impact on a creator's reputation. With that said, Lindsay suggests that "it works well as a low-effort side gig for regular people with in-demand expertise."
“[Fostering] friend-to-friend connection is what influencers should aim to emulate…Otherwise, you’re liable to get lost in the noise — yet another person hawking goods on the Internet,” Lindsay adds.
Read the full piece via Bustle.