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What’s up, FutureParty people. The word on the street is that TikTok is testing a new Instagram (and maybe X?) rival. The platform’s called “TikTok Notes” and will support still photos and text. Will 2024 be the year that photos make a comeback?
In other news… beauty opts for upcycling, and the layoff-to-content-creator pipeline is trending.
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YouTube – “Soaked” - Shy Smith
X
(Twitter)– Jon SnowGoogle – Real Madrid
Reddit – Civil War
TikTok – #solareclipse
Spotify – “Austin” - Dasha
.BUSINESS.
When life gives you oranges… // Illustration by Luke Perrotta with DALL-E
The beauty industry opts for upcycling
The Future. Upcycling — the term for recycling something to create a new, more valuable product — is all the rage in the beauty industry. Brands are reusing agricultural byproducts to make perfumes and lotions and to sell the idea that their products are virtuous. If consumers buy that idea, the beauty industry may be able to make a lot of money from nothing.
Trash = treasure
Beauty brands are churning out products based on every part of agricultural waste.
Citrus peels are especially popular, with grapefruit peels, juiced oranges, and entire lemons repurposed for soaps and perfumes.
Cedarwood is also in high demand, with some vendors using cedar branches, twigs, and leaves to make conditioners and soaps, while other sellers make perfumes from cedar shavings.
Less popular ingredients are being snapped up, too. Plum kernels, jackfruit extract, orange blossoms, and more are getting diverted from landfills to create candles, soaps, scented oils, and flavored water.
Playing dirty
Making use of agricultural waste products is commendable. But “upcycling” is also a buzzword, carrying associations with greenwashing.
As sustainability becomes more of a consumer priority, beauty brands will have to convince people that upcycling’s impact is real — and if they manage that, they can sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
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63.8% of you voted No in yesterday’s poll: Would you ride in a robotaxi?
“Maybe in a few years, but not yet.”
“Definitely not a Tesla robotaxi.”
“I won’t be one of the first, but eventually, yes.”
.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT FINANCE BUZZ
The laziest ways people are making extra cash
Feeling lazy but still want to earn some extra dough?
We've done our research and found some unusual (but legit) ways that people can stack their bank accounts without having to leave their house.
Some will help you save. Others will help you pad your wallet right away.
If your bank account could use a boost, but you don’t want to get a second job, then these could be right for you.
Media, Music, & Entertainment
Faith-based movies are having a field day at the box office as studios try to replicate the commercial success of Sound of Freedom and similar titles. [Read More]
Peloton is still kicking after an enormous post-pandemic crash, but now it’s more of a media company than anything else. [Read More]
Coachella is investing in a VR Fortnite experience to stay relevant and drum up interest before the festival this year. [Read More]
Fashion & E-Commerce
Gen Z is sick of detoxes and diets that don’t work, so wellness brands are opting for smaller, gentler suggestions. [Read More]
Everyone, from Beyoncé to Louis Vuitton, is getting into Western clothes right now — here’s how you can, too. [Read More]
Shopsense (the AI shopping platform) lets users scan media for products with their phones and immediately purchase them that way. [Read More]
Tech, Web3, & AI
X is hiring a lot of people for “brand safety” so that advertisers will trust them, but the amount of employee turnover doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. [Read More]
Robots are entering the meat-packing industry, automating a sector of famously difficult jobs. [Read More]
TSMC, or the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, is getting $6.6 billion to build and upgrade factories that’ll supply the US with chips. [Read More]
Creator Economy
Linktree is pitching itself as the platform that’ll enable creators to make more money off their content than other platforms typically do. [Read More]
Cannes Lions 2024 will give content creators their own festival. [Read More]
YouTubers Dude Perfect received a nine-figure investment from Highmount Capital to explore larger, more ambitious projects. [Read More]
.MEDIA.
Suit up // Illustration by Kait Cunniff with Muse AI
The layoff-to-content-creator pipeline is a thing now
The Future. Thousands of employees, particularly in tech and finance, have found themselves without work in recent times. Instead of seeking traditional employment, many are pursuing careers in online content creation. As job paths become less conventional, and creating becomes more accessible, the creator economy could see a banner year.
The new wave
Laid-off workers are diving into the creator economy.
Over 260,000 tech workers have lost their jobs in 2023 and 2024, according to TechCrunch.
Facing a tough labor market, many are turning away from recruiters and seizing the opportunity to create content around their passions and hobbies on platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
The pandemic reshaped attitudes towards work, and as many people return to office or hybrid models, they’re finding that they prefer the flexibility and autonomy that content creation offers.
Not all sunshine and roses
Content creation comes with its own set of challenges, though. Building a successful career as a creator requires substantial time, energy, and resources, with income often being unpredictable and dependent upon algorithms, audience engagement, and brand partnerships.
But many people are up to the task, reflecting a broader shift in cultural attitudes towards work. In other words? More and more folks are willing to take the road less traveled.
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.A WORD FROM OUR FRIENDS AT NIKE.
Have you heard about Nike’s clearance sale?
Refresh your athletic wardrobe with Nike at unbeatable clearance prices, up to 40% off.
Read: Social psychologist Jon Haidt dissects how social media is a cause of the epidemic of teen mental illness in After Babel.
Listen: Dax Shepard of Armchair Expert dives into Taylor Swift’s most recent documentary, her business savvy, and how she reached “fever status” in America.
Watch: Shakira sits down with Hot Ones to eat spicy wings and discuss her first studio release in nearly seven years, Las Mujeres ya No Lloran.
LATEST PODCAST EPISODE
Today we get into how there may be a new IMDb specifically made for content creators, how those very same content creators are moving away from video into writing, and Endeavor's announcement that they are going private.
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Today’s email was written by Luke Perrotta and Melody Song.
Edited by Boye Akolade. Copy edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.