Bag charms are everywhere. You’ve seen cute little things dangling off every It Girl’s Balenciaga City Bag; they’re a low-stakes way to express yourself. But what happens when everyone starts doing it?

In this episode, I unpack why bag charms took off in the first place and what their rise reveals about a much larger cultural shift. On the surface, they’re playful and personal. But beyond that, they point to how individuality has become something we increasingly perform and buy.

So what happens when something meant to feel personal becomes a trend? Does it start to lose its meaning? And as that fatigue sets in, how do “personal” items like bag charms evolve? This episode explores where personalization goes from here—and what that says about consumer culture more broadly.

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New episodes every Thursday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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Have ideas, questions, or something you want me to dig into? Send them my way at [email protected] or message me on Substack!

It might look like sports viewership is declining… but what if it’s actually just moving to different platforms?

In this episode, I unpack how our engagement with sports has fundamentally changed, especially for Gen Z. People are no longer only watching two-hour games on ESPN. Instead, short-form media is reshaping how we experience sports. Alysa Liu took over our feeds during the Winter Olympics. TikTok edits of athletes are going viral. Heated Rivalry—which gained traction through its online fanbase—has drawn female audiences into the NHL.

Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are transforming sports culture by making sports visible across new spaces and formats. These more accessible entry points are redefining what it means to be a “sports fan” and why more people might be engaging with sports than ever before—just not in traditional ways.

Subscribe for more!

New episodes every Thursday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe on Substack for written notes on culture and to get new episodes delivered straight to your inbox.

Have ideas, questions, or something you want me to dig into? Send them my way at [email protected] or message me on Substack!

Hi friends! Welcome to Working Theory.

This is a podcast where we unpack what’s happening in culture—across media, internet trends, youth culture, fashion, music, and sports. Each week, we’ll start with something small and build a working theory around what it might reveal about bigger cultural shifts.

New episodes every Thursday.

Have ideas, questions, or something you want me to dig into? Send them my way at [email protected].

See you soon!