This Friday:

* Taylor Swift's "royal wedding" speculation [00:00]. The internet is convinced Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are secretly getting married today. We unpack why the speculation has reached a fever pitch, how Taylor trained fans to look for Easter eggs, and where the line between authentic fandom and manufactured hype begins to blur.

* When fandom …

This Wednesday:

* TikTok’s “hot girl” controversies [00:00]. Two content creators are under fire for trademarking the terms Hot Girls Read and Hot Girl Walk. We unpack what these controversies reveal about ownership, community, and why creators are increasingly treating culture like intellectual property.

* A24's AI backlash [~00:13:13]. Indie darling A24 is …

This Friday:

* Meta wants to be your bookie [~00:03:18]. Meta is reportedly building a standalone prediction market app called Arena, joining the rush toward betting on everything from elections to reality TV outcomes.

* The rise of butter squishies [~00:24:50]. A trip to 7-Eleven leads us down a surprisingly deep rabbit hole of butter-shaped squishy toys. On…

This Wednesday:

* Creators take over Cannes Lions [~00:01:55]. Brand spending on influencer marketing is forecast to hit $12.4 billion this year, and for the first time brands are flying creators out to pitch them, not the other way around. We get into what's actually driving that power shift and whether a 23-year-old who went viral on TikTok has any busin…

This Friday:

* Wired’s deep dive into Fishtank Live, the 24/7 unmoderated reality stream [~00:00:22]. Contestants with nothing to lose live in a house while viewers blast insults through a live speaker system. The hosts unpack why this feels like the inevitable endpoint of reality TV, social media, and a generation using it as an escape from a pretty bleak…

This Wednesday:

* MrBeast becomes the first YouTuber to hit 500 million subscribers [~00:00:22]. The hosts debate whether the number means much when so many “subscribers” are just chasing his cash giveaways, and whether his fan base simply ages out of his content as fast as it ages in.

* Vanity Fair’s exposé on Alex Cooper’s Unwell empire [~00:14:47]. Forty s…

This episode:

* Creators are filling Love Island USA’s content void [~00:00:42]. With contestants’ accounts dormant this season, content creator @NotWildlin has stepped in with hour-long TikTok recaps of each episode.

* Why is everyone drinking Loonen water? [~00:11:14]. The glass-bottled water brand has taken over feeds through what appears to be a heavy in…

This Wednesday:

* Love Island US is going social media silent [~00:00:52]. Season 8 made the call to keep contestants' personal accounts dormant while they're in the villa.

* The Backrooms is the perfect Gen Z horror movie [~00:15:07]. A24's latest just crossed $200M at the international box office in 10 days, directed by a 20-year-old YouTuber.

Below the payw…

This week we cover:

* The rise of snail mail clubs [~00:01:07]. We dive into how physical mail became a growing creative economy and Megan Collins does a live snail mail club unboxing. Plus: why the appeal might have less to do with nostalgia and more to do with craving a sensory experience that your phone just can’t replicate.

* Jay Shetty is leaving YouTube [~00:16:53].…

This week:

* Spotify is reserving concert tickets for superfans [~00:00:35]. Spotify announced it will use listening data (streams, hours, and shares) to identify superfans and hold tickets exclusively for premium subscribers.

* The rise of whimsy [~00:19:10]. A New York Times piece declared whimsy a rising trend among Zillennials.

Beyond the paywall…

* Everyon…