This was a bit of a free-range episode, so enjoy our tangent-filled conversation! Here’s what we covered today: A lo-fi Instagram show following an NYU grad's friends running mundane errands around NYC has us thinking about the internet's hunger for unproduced, human content, Olivia Rodrigo's surprise $25 Brooklyn show (box office only, no online sales), and a fun-yet-messy public spat between infamous internet scammer Caroline Calloway and the Good Noticing podcast got us talking about why we love low-stakes internet drama.

Timestamps:

🎬 0:00 - We dig into "Errands," a viral lo-fi Instagram show that follows an NYU film grad's friends doing actual chores (mailing packages, installing an AC unit) with no celebrities, no sponsorships, and barely any production value.

* Errands Are Boring. He Makes Them Fun., NY Times

🎤 7:54 - Olivia Rodrigo's same-day-announced $25 surprise concert in Brooklyn (tickets sold in person only) got us talking about why Gen Zs need more spontaneity in their lives and Melissa Blum reminisces about living in NYC in the 2000s.

💬 24:41 - Caroline Calloway calls out the hosts of the Good Noticing podcast in a public rant, and we break down why this kind of low-stakes, messy internet drama feels increasingly rare now that most creators are guarding a personal brand.

Lastly, quick question:

See ya next week!

Today's topics: Reddit is adding native video and a "spoken Reddit" text-to-speech feature to grab back the audience that's been ripping off viral posts for TikTok, MySpace's owners insist a relaunch is coming (eventually), and OpenAI's first-ever influencer brand trip read more like an ad for a Hudson Valley hotel than for ChatGPT.

Timestamps:

* 🎥 0:00 - …

Today's topics: Meta is working to combat the “creepy” reputation that their smart glasses have and why [some] lifestyle influencers are ditching luxury hauls for low-stakes rage bait like $130 DoorDash orders.

Timestamps:

* 🕶️ 0:00 - Weeks after we called out Meta's glasses branding problem, activist groups have plastered anti-surveillance ads across New …

Today’s topics: what a new USC Annenberg study reveals about Gen Z’s relationship with live sports, and why brands are ditching mega-influencers for regular people with a few hundred followers.

Timestamps:

🏟️ 0:00 - A new USC Annenberg and ACC study finds that nearly 80% of Gen Z only goes to live sporting events for celebrity sightings, concerts, and br…

Today’s topics: the new social media app that promises no algorithm and no ads, Spotify’s move into music videos, and charli xcx’s “anti-marketing’ prediction and what it says about super fan culture.

Timestamps:

📵 0:00 - A new app called Yope has raised $20 million on a promise of no ads and no algorithms, built around “micro-communities” [think family and friend…

What’s on the docket today: the Dunkin’ x Parke collab, the bean soup-ification of TikTok, and social media’s AI slop problem and how Substack is fighting against it.

Timestamps

🍩 0:00 - Dunkin’ Donuts is partnering with clothing brand Parke [Gen Z’s fav sweatshirt brand] on a new line of drinks and a limited-edition clothing collecting featuring two di…

Today we're talking about the Gap x Hailey Bieber jean drop and what it says about the brand's comeback, why ballet is having a moment, and the Phia affiliate scandal that's put Bill Gates' daughter under scrutiny.

Timestamps

👖 00:00 – Gap and Hailey Bieber launch “The Hailey Jean,” a ‘90s-inspired denim capsule. We talk through why the campaign works, …

Today, we're talking about why Meta pulled its new AI image feature just days after launch, our thoughts on Time’s 100 Creators of 2026 list, and whether an app can actually fix the loneliness epidemic that tech helped create in the first place.

Timestamps

🤖 00:00 – Meta pulls its Muse Image feature days after backlash. We revisit last week’s conversatio…

Today, we're talking about why friendship is becoming one of the internet's biggest status symbols, why Meta's latest AI rollout has creators [and users] concerned, and how Netflix is making its boldest move yet to compete with YouTube.

Timestamps

🤝 00:00 – Are influencer friend groups the internet’s newest flex? We dive into why creators are building en…

This Wednesday:

* Taylor Swift’s wedding felt anticlimatic [00:00]. The wedding finally happened, but was the speculation more fun than the event itself?

* When brands should sit out the meme [~00:08:00]. We discuss Silence, Brand!’s piece breaking down all the brand posts that came out of the recent Empire State Building climb.

Behind the paywall:

* The rise of utility creat…