Basically Gen Z

In this episode, Kaytie and Ellie examine the current e-commerce landscape. Partially inspired by seeing people sell slightly greasy BTS X McDonald’s paper bags, Kaytie and Ellie recount their stories of buying/selling ~things~online. 

Links to articles we discussed:

16- year old makes 6 figures selling shoes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlevin/2016/07/27/meet-the-16-year-old-sneaker-reseller-earning-six-figures-from-yeezys-and-air-jordans/?sh=67c511437078 

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It seems that today’s diet-based activism centers around plant-based or meat-based diets. While the vegan diet is quite popular in pop culture, certain vegan figures (thatveganteacher on tiktok) have gotten banned off platforms due to their militant activism. On the other hand, there are figures like Mikala Peterson that are championing the all-meat (carnivore diet). Both perspectives have valid points; Kaytie and Ellie decided that the core issues of diet/health centers around refined sugars and artificial additives.

Food and diet culture in different countries vary widely. The conventional “American” diet (think pop tarts, sugary cereals, and diner foods) are larger in portion size and have more processed sugar than their European and Asian counterparts. This difference in attitude towards food became more evident as Pixar Animations changed broccoli to bell peppers in their Japanese release of Inside Out. In the American version, the emotions Anger and Disgust reject broccoli; in Japan, this would not make sense since Japanese children actually enjoy broccoli.

Supermarkets and food companies have also adapted to the tastes and demands of the current consumer. Oatly stock went public earlier this year, Crossroads Kitchen has created a vegan egg yolk made from yellow tomatoes, and sugar-free, dairy-free, etc-free foods are widely available.

Some of the new diet trends center around the exact type of macronutrient that one should be consuming (think carbs vs fats) and the time periods for eating. The keto diet and intermittent fasting are two popular ways of eating that focus on lowering insulin and burning fat.

This episode is quite heavy in information, so it ends off on a light note: Katie’s review of the new BTS x McDonald’s collaboration meal.

Links to everything discussed in the podcast:

Controversy around thatveganteacher: https://plantbasednews.org/news/social-media/who-is-that-vegan-teacher-and-why-is-she-going-viral-on-tiktok/

Oatly going public: https://www.reuters.com/business/oprah-backed-oatly-seeks-10-billion-valuation-us-ipo-2021-05-11/

Egg from yellow tomatoes!!! https://www.insider.com/these-vegan-eggs-are-made-from-whipped-yellow-tomatoes-2019-12

Artificial sweeteners: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/artificial-sweeteners-sugar-free-but-at-what-cost-201207165030

Intermittent fasting: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156

Apologies for the audio quality - we had quite a bit of technical difficulties recording this episode D:

What even is a metaverse? Katyie and Ellie explore this question in today’s episode as they talk about UC Berkeley's virtual commencement (Blockeley), virtual music idols (aespa), and the mind-boggling what-ifs of NFTs.

Links to articles that we mentioned in the podcast:

https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/05/11/what-is-the-metaverse

https://digiday.com/marketing/how-roblox-is-paving-the-way-for-a-new-era-of-branded-gaming/

https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/how-the-hell-do-you-throw-a-music-festival-in-minecraft/

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Over 70% Gen Z follow at least one influencer on platforms like Youtube, IG, or TikTok. In this episode, Kaytie and Ellie explore the differences between content creator vs influencer, Kaytie does a little case study on her admiration of bestdressed (aka ashley), and Ellie analyzes the appeal of living the main-character life vicariously through carefully crafted narratives (and y/n fanfiction).

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Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! In this episode, Ellie and Kaytie reflect on their experience of growing up in a majority Asian town in the US. We hear about Kaytie’s experience of being called “oriental” by a customer at work, Ellie explains the subtle tensions between different groups of Asian Americans, and we try to figure out what it means to be “white-washed”. Also, is it Ranch 99 or 99 Ranch?

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Um, so, like yeah, we use a lot of filler words. In this episode, Ellie and Kaytie reflect on the most cursed phrases in the English lexicon, explore the etymology of “like” and undergo a challenge to avoid said curse words for an entire episode.

Filler words and puff words often have a negative effect on other people’s perception of a speaker. Here a link to a LinkedIn post about filler words and academics that is referenced in the podcast: 

How did “like” become so common in everyday English conversation? 

https://www.businessinsider.com/why-americans-say-like-so-much-2020-3

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/11/the-evolution-of-like/507614/

List of Plague words to avoid: http://guidetogrammar.org/grammar/plague.htm

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In today’s episode, we take a trip down memory lane as Kaytie reads through some of the dialectical journals she wrote for Catcher in the Rye. Kaytie and Ellie chat about Holden Caulfield, growing up, and their concerns for imminent adulthood.

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Welcome back to another episode of Basically Gen Z! This episode was inspired by Ellie’s computer science teacher Twitch streaming BTS on April Fool’s Day. In this episode, Kaytie and Ellie share their experiences with teachers, TAs, and mentors from high school, college, and work; they explore the role that “adults” play in the guidance realm of young adults.

Disclaimer: Our personal stories are for entertainment purposes only; please take our tidbits of advice with a grain of salt! Sometimes, relationships with those who have “authority” are complicated, and it is always good to use your best judgment! Also, most teachers and faculty on public school campuses have mandated reporting laws to follow; do with this information what you will.

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Hello and welcome to episode 4! Kaytie and Ellie take a trip down memory lane to reminisce past trends and ruthlessly judge current trends. Tune in for their takes on throwback jams (who remembers Gangnam Style?), men in crop tops, and nature’s ~cereal~.

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Contact us: [email protected] 

Welcome to Episode Three of Basically Gen Z! In the last episode, Kaytie and Ellie talked about their freshman college stories. As spring rolls around, Kaytie and Ellie dish their feelings about the pros and cons of living on campus versus living at home. Tune in to hear about Ellie’s roommate’s disgusting 14-day old salad, the time that Kaytie found a creepy wig beneath her bed, and campus squirrel elitism. 

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