The Ultimate Summer 2024 Trend Recap
+ a Google AI that can 'hear' when you're sick, OpenSea drama, TikTok’s Cucumber Guy and silent boy summer.
For the last few months, trend forecaster and newsletter writer Casey Lewis has been logging every "of the summer" mention ("song of the summer," "shoe of the summer," "drink of the summer") across over 500 publications to compile the ultimate summer 2024 trend recap list.
She joined me this week on Power User to discuss the biggest breakout products and trends of the summer, why the season is a make it or break it time for trends, the role that TikTok and the internet is playing in all of this, and more.
Later in the episode, my producer Zach and I chat about Hasan Piker’s removal from the DNC, fridgescaping, what a Chick-fil-A streaming service could look like, and why everyone in DC wants to destroy food vlogger Keith Lee.
What I’m reading
The Last Social Network
Venmo has become the best way to see what the people you know are up to. - The Atlantic
Tuition: $9,400. Dorm Room Interior Designer: $10,000?
Undergrads are hiring interior designers to completely makeover their dorm rooms at a cost of thousands of dollars per room. - NY Times
The Aging Video Game That Fuels Fake Wars
Arma 3, a cult-favorite computer game with hyperrealistic military action, has become an unending font of misinformation. Its creators won’t change a thing. - The Information
Back to School Is Crayola’s Super Bowl
At its color-drenched crayon factory in Pennsylvania, the company ramps up production every summer to equip classrooms across America. - Bloomberg
Internet Troll Elijah Daniel Enlists Grimes AI to Piss Elon Off and Push for Regulation
Elijah Daniel dropped a snippet of his song 'Nuissance' featuring Grimes' AI, while taking aim at Elon Musk and artificial intelligence. - Rolling Stone
'Being on camera is no longer sensible’
Persecuted Venezuelan journalists turn to AI Journalists are using artificial intelligence avatars to combat Maduro’s media crackdown since disputed election. - The Guardian
Sunk cost: The rise and fall of OpenSea
NFTs made and unmade OpenSea — the largest marketplace for the crypto asset. But insider accounts of the company reveal a chaotic work environment, ever-shifting priorities, and troubles with the SEC. - The Verge
The Trademark Tug-of-War Over ‘Demure’ Shows a Massive Meme Power Shift
Going back to the days of “on fleek,” creators have had a hard time benefiting from their memes. TikTokker Jools Lebron is poised to change that. - WIRED
Stolen photos of European influencers used to push Trump propaganda on X
A phony campaign on X backing Trump ahead of the US election is using stolen or manipulated photos of real women in Europe to push its agenda. - CNN
1 in 10 Minors Say Their Friends Use AI to Generate Nudes of Other Kids
A new survey attempts to quantify just how common it is for minors to AI-generate nudes of other minors. - 404 Media
A night in a Chinatown shuttle with TikTok DJ Nick Cheo
‘This is what four kids from Ohio can do in the big city’ - Dazed
Why TikTok’s ‘Cucumber Guy’ is attracting beauty and hair care sponsors
Logan Moffitt is weaving seemingly unrelated brands into his viral cucumber salad recipes. - Ad Age
Rootless Masculinity Influencers Are Pivoting to Wildly Antisemitic Claims
A number of prominent figures on the far right including “King of Instagram” Dan Bilzerian are once again engaged in energetic antisemitism. - Mother Jones
Google is training AI to 'hear' when you're sick.
It can identify subtle changes in your coughs, sniffles, breathing, and more. - Bloomberg
Everyone Who Made This Happen: Meet the Many People It Takes to Produce One Thing
The act of creation is rarely a solo affair. Here are five outsize teams behind projects ranging from a performance piece to a new pizza. - NY Times
Other fun stuff
New rich people hobby alert!!
Silent boy summer sounds appealing .
Gen Alpha boys are dropping hundreds on designer cologne for back-to-school. We have come a long way from Axe body spray.
Rooting for Rick Paulas of Greenpoint to reply guy his way onto the bestseller list.
Happy Labor Day and hope you’re able to get outside and get an aspirational sunburn!
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Taylor, wanted to get your thoughts on Drew Barrymore’s 10,000 word post about kids and social media. Ngl, I didn’t read it all, I love myself. It was so long and it just seemed so overwrought and it looked like she repeated herself a lot and I don’t really know what she was trying to say. Is she banning her kids from SM? Or just age limiting? Or really monitoring? It wasn’t clear at all, at least to me. It sounded like she had a doctor or expert she was working with to get opinions (not that guy you think is full of shit, I forget his name, Jonathon maybe??). But people were all praising her, I didn’t get it at all. Thank you, you’re the best!!