Out of Scope Issue 52: The Euphoria Teens are Coming For Your Vibes
Why everyone’s talking about a “vibe shift,” among other things
This week, we’ll give you the quick hits on Super Bowl ad news, dive into Web3’s latest drama, examine the very timely love languages, and consider whether TED talks have ever really… done anything.
💡ON OUR MINDS
Celebrating Black History Month
We’ll start each newsletter this month with a couple of spotlights on Black communities and individuals who have helped advance the media and communications industry.
The HL team is proud partners with Hue, a community-centered nonprofit providing career-building resources for BIPOC in marketing and employers looking to hire BIPOC. Learn more about their dedication to talent of color or get involved here.
Julia Ringwood Coston founded the first illustrated paper for black women in 1891. According to Timelines of American Women’s History by Sue Heinemann, the introduction to the first publication of Coston’s Ringwood’s Journal of Fashion states, “[The Journal] makes its advent to satisfy the common desire among us for an illustrated journal of our own ladies. The injury of the absence of the cultivating influence which attaches to a purely published, illustrated journal devoted to the loving interests of our homes, and to the weal of our daughters, was felt by me when a girl, and is recognized by me now when a woman. Knowing that this injury of absence could only be overcome by the presence of such a journal, without measuring the intellectual ability required, we have published Ringwood's Journal.”
Will Web3 Bring New Internet Stars?
After the identities of the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT founders were unveiled by BuzzFeed, media and crypto Twitter have been engaged in a simmering battle over the state of anonymity in Web3.
Crypto Twitter firmly believes that by publishing the names of the founders, BuzzFeed engaged in doxxing (a form of harassment by which an individual’s personal information, such as address and phone number, are released on the Internet). Meanwhile, journalists, who are frequent targets of doxxing, are taking aim at critics and argue the identification was justified since they are now notable public figures.
All is to say, Web3 presents the opportunity to rewrite the Internet as we know it, and with it, the rules we all abide by. The future of the Internet, if driven by the crypto vision of decentralization, could mean far fewer “central figures” and the acceptance of pseudonymity that presents barriers to seeking accountability.
Here comes the vibe shift
Euphoria High School is coming for us all - here comes the vibe shift.
Though many have been hunkered down in their homes for the past two years, culture hasn’t stopped transforming - and that’s what Allison Davis shares in her viral article in The Cut.
The authenticity of the early ‘10s and brand loyalty of the late ‘10s is out: here come the roaring ‘20s in all their nihilism-inspired glory.
While the trending piece certainly might appear to be centered on party culture in New York, the vibe shift is coming for consumers, and therefore marketers, around the world.
We also appreciated Charlie Wenzel’s very honest springboard off the trend for his newsletter “Galaxy Brain” for The Atlantic: “The oldest trick in the book is to take something that lots of people are talking about and engage with it briefly and in a shallow manner in order to talk about what you want to talk about.” Read about why Web3 is also part of the vibe shift here.
📡 ON OUR RADAR
An interesting perspective on how to report changes in COVID trends: treat it like a weather forecast. Experts say that when people understand why something is happening (like rain), they’re more likely to accept the inconvenience (bring out the waterproof gear). But is it too late for this communication style to work after all the botched and often confusing efforts from authorities? Or is it exactly what we need as the virus appears to become less intrusive on our daily routines?
The LA Times highlighted a nonprofit that distributes the losing team’s Super Bowl swag overseas, serving as a good physical reminder that we must prepare for every outcome in communications.
TED Talks: what are they good for? In this piece from The Drift, it seems as though the utopian future TED promised was never realized, or even applied, and its classic style of “middlebrow megachurch infotainment” speechifying may have even held consequences for individuals and organizations making their pitches without the same interesting/inspiring approach that TED has taught us to hold above all else. The author asks, “With some distance, now, from a world in which TED seemed to offer a bright path forward, it’s time to ask: what exactly is TED? And what happened to the future it envisioned?”
“The Five Love Languages,” a 30-year-old concept by NC-based pastor Gary Chapman that outlines five general ways that romantic partners express and experience love, is just as popular as ever these days. What is it about this concept that has so many people hooked years past its inception? We’re thinking it has something to do with its oversimplified diagnoses and understanding of human behavior combined with its constant presence on social media, from the early days of Facebook and Twitter discourse to trending TikToks.
TikTok has been known to popularize parts of the vernacular, and therapy speak is no exception. After “gaslighting” and “love-bombing” cemented themselves in the TikTok Hall of Fame, this past month users have turned to mock self-described empaths. While more humorous than past buzzwords, it’s nonetheless a continuation of the unsettling trend in which psychological terms, devoid of context, are turned into trend-fodder by the extremely online.
The families from the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook reached a $73M settlement with Remington, the company that manufactures the AR-15 style rifle used by the shooter. They won the settlement by claiming that Remington's marketing tactics were targeted to "at-risk, young males" by using the phrase: “Consider Your Man Card Reissued.” Marketing makes a big difference.
They say defense wins championships, but not necessarily in the comms world. Sometimes, it’s better to be on the fast break — especially if you’ve been caught flat-footed in the past. In an effort to control their own narrative both internally and externally, Meta has reorganized its communications hierarchy. Nick Clegg, the newly-promoted president of global affairs, will lead the newly-named team, “Communications and Public Affairs,” shifting policy-making and PR responsibilities away from CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Still skeptical about the metaverse and everything it entails? If the Super Bowl ads didn’t convince you, then maybe this report from Gartner will. The company projects that 25% of people will spend an hour a day using the metaverse to shop, socialize, and everything in between.
Parag Agrawal, Twitter's new CEO, announced that he’ll take paternity leave after his second child is born. It's not abnormal in the tech world (Meta’s Zuckerberg and Reddit's Ohanian both did), but it is still a hotly debated topic. The U.S. is pretty far behind other Western countries in offering this benefit. Perhaps Agrawal’s decision is just another symptom of how norms at work are changing in the face of a pandemic that has forced us to focus on well-being. Or maybe this will prove to be a true tipping point in how the U.S. treats paid parental leave.
🥊QUICK HITS: Super Bowl Edition
In case you missed these ads and hot takes this week.
Last week we were pumped about Super Bowl ads (and the Super Bowl). We weren’t alone - the Big Game averaged 112.3 million viewers.
We loved Dolly and Miley teaming up for T-Mobile to parody the celebrity ad anthem.
We were also impressed by the strategic nostalgia of Coinbase’s bouncing QR code, which was so successful it crashed their app.
In our favorite crypto plug of the night, Larry David naysays across history for FTX.
Not everyone loved it as much as we did, though. This FastCo ranking of the worst crypto ads is a fun read.
We’ll see you here next week! 👋
HL
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The fine print:
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