Hundreds of thousands of users are evading copyright laws and turning to TikTok to watch pirated movies and episodes of TV shows clip by clip.

TikTokkers turn to piracy 

Harvard and MIT scientists have identified six chemical treatments that can rejuvenate the body, taking the possibilities way beyond slower ageing to essentially reverse the process entirely.

Scientists discover path to age reversal

Faced with a prejudicial system that benefits White renters and outright refuses entry to ethnic minorities, people are looking for hacks to conceal their identities from potential landlords.

Ethnic minorities trick racist landlords

Amid widespread strikes, activists are taking to job listings to expose and obstruct companies that engage in anti-union efforts or the mistreatment of employees.

Job listings used as a tool for activism 

Regular people attempting to avoid payment or get things for free is what’s known as ‘friendly fraud’; it has become alarmingly common as people struggle to manage the cost of living crisis.

Levels of ‘friendly fraud’ increase to new high

As Australia inches towards a cashless future, some are pushing back, citing concerns about budgeting, inequality, and security. From generational divides to fears of financial exclusion, this monetary tug-of-war reveals deeper issues about financial control in a rapidly digitising world.

Why going cashless is proving divisive in Australia

Dubbed 'winter arc', a fitness trend aimed towards men is spreading online. Seeped in language and optics that push for self-discipline and productivity, the trend speaks to how body optimisation is quickly becoming viewed as a year-round form of self-improvement for men.

'Winter arc' trend pushes body optimisation in winter

Libraries of Things is gaining serious traction as people search for smarter, more sustainable ways to access items without the burden of ownership.

How Library of Things builds community around rentals

The fifth edition of Homobloc reflects the rise of large-scale queer festivals that celebrate a traditionally underground culture. Yet its expansion has sparked some criticism, highlighting the desire for its grassroots values to be preserved as LGBTQ+ culture becomes more mainstream.

Large-scale queer events offer authentic representation

With rents skyrocketing in major cities worldwide, committing to shared accommodation can feel like a decision not to be approached lightly. Tapping into this, SpareRoom is launching a 'Speed Flatmating' experience in London to help people meet and befriend potential flatmates over a pint.

SpareRoom helps Londoners find the right flatmate

Paperwork takes up an enormous amount of time for healthcare providers. To help clinics focus on their patients’ health instead of admin tasks, a start-up is leveraging artificial intelligence to automate report writing procedures, giving them time back and boosting efficiency. 

Pharos taps AI to ease admin for medical staff

Amid a state of permacrisis, droves of people are battling poor sleep and, in turn, shelling out big bucks on ways to enhance their slumber. But not all sleep aids are safe, leading MIT researchers to develop a headband that helps people fall asleep faster with minimal risk.

Elemind boosts Americans’ sleep quality with audio waves

AI-powered job application bot ‘AI Hawk’ is helping thousands of people apply for jobs on Linkedin. Frustrated by impersonal hiring practices - which increasingly use AI software in the screening process - people are using the bot to outsmart a system they feel is rigged against them.

Job-application bots are gaining traction

Emerging technologies are reshaping creative processes, highlighting a tension between digital tools and a growing desire for authentic, human-driven output. Canvas8 spoke to cultural insider Sorrel Salb to explore the current trends and developments that are impacting the creative community.

Sorrel Salb on the impact of tech on the creative community

Robinhood has responded to the increased sophistication of its users with the launch of a desktop platform and new trading options for its app. People are taking greater ownership of their financial futures amid uncertainty, prompting brands to level up their offerings.

Robinhood courts experienced investors with new features

Thousands of celebrity deepfakes are flooding the web, targeting would-be investors with crypto scams. As people look to the fractured digital space as an authoritative source of information and open-source AI models bring deepfakes to the fore, the scam signals a new frontier for disinformation.

Elon Musk deepfake scam stokes disinformation fears

Despite the 2009 ban on the sale, import, and advertising of e-cigarettes, illegal vapes are becoming increasingly popular in Brazil as they sell through social media platforms. With people finding ways around the ban, there are differences of opinion on how to best move forward.

Brazilians use social media to hack national vape ban

JobJump, a trending AI tool for interview prep, exemplifies a broader shift toward tech-driven problem-solving. As people seek to outsmart traditional systems, AI assistance in professional settings raises questions about authenticity in a growing culture of using tech to get ahead.

Live AI can help candidates cheat in job interviews

The surging property prices coupled with the meagre supply of rental units has left many people without a stable roof over their heads. An Australian  report suggests that this could be tackled by making use of millions of houses and rooms that currently sit empty across the country.



Empty rooms may solve Aussie’s housing crisis

Obesity rates in the US have dropped 2% from 2020-2023, coinciding with the rise of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic. This is reshaping industries and making them adapt their offerings, from fashion resale markets to gyms and food companies. The cultural impact is expected to grow as more Americans get on board.

US obesity rate drops for the first time in 50 years

Aussies are engaging with loyalty programmes to save money, while also gaining emotional rewards through gamification and a sense of community. As travel priorities shift, loyalty programmes for airlines and hotels provide exclusive experiences and incentives that cater to Aussie individuality.

How Aussies reap emotional value from loyalty programmes

In recent years, the phenomenon of digital twin technology has emerged as a transformative force across varying industries. What are the benefits of digital twin innovations, and what can brands learn from the rise of these cutting-edge advancements in predictive technology?




How digital twin tech is shaping the future of business

Clothing resale app Depop has launched an AI-powered tool that uses image recognition technology to help streamline the uploading process for sellers. It’s part of a range of AI-based tools that are improving the online second-hand shopping experience for buyers and sellers alike.

Depop launches AI-powered image description tool 

Indian Gen Zers are preparing for an uncertain economic future by changing the way they manage their money. They prioritise value, are more entrepreneurial, and have more open discussions about finances. They want to enjoy life now while securing their future, making careful spending decisions that reflect both prudence and aspiration.

How is India’s Gen Z changing the way they earn and spend money?

Gen Yers and Zers in India are building financial independence by establishing various (mostly passive) income streams like investments, content creation, and freelancing. This is their solution to economic uncertainty, but how can brands help them in their quest to gain control over their finances?

How varied income streams give Indians economic certainty

The healthcare multinational has launched a digital ecosystem that supports people on their journey to healthy ageing. As Britons’ appetites for digital health and wellness coaching continue to grow, there’s an opportunity to cater to older adults who are often underserved in this space.

Bayer personalises healthy ageing with tech companions

Filipino commuters are turning to e-trikes as a way to avoid high levels of traffic congestion. With metropolitan transport in a state of crisis, people are looking for more efficient ways to get around, and new micro-mobility solutions are emerging to answer this demand.

Filipinos hack the commute with electric three-wheelers

What do people want from their car purchasing journeys? What are the key initiatives driving inclusion in the sector? How are people hacking transport systems for their immediate needs? Why is the desire for self-expression finding its way into mobility and transport choices?

Getting Around Sector Snapshot: September 2024

By tokenizing assets such as stocks, bonds, and gold, Swarm Markets aims to enable investors to trade more efficiently and cost-effectively. How could this technology revolutionize how professional and retail traders access different assets by providing them with a better experience? 

Why Swarm Markets uses tokenization to empower traders

Rising costs, declining work-life balance, and widespread screen addiction are keeping more Americans awake at night. To understand how people are improving and optimizing their sleep, Canvas8 spoke to seven Americans about the steps they’re taking to doze off despite tensions.

How are Americans sleeping amid the permacrisis?

As the emerging sleep economy offers a variety of products and solutions for effective recharging, what is the place of sleep in Britons’ increasingly busy and hectic lifestyles? Canvas8 spoke to seven people across the UK about how, when, and why they sleep.

How are Britons sleeping amid the permacrisis?

Telegram groups have been spreading nonconsensual deepfake sexual images across South Korea, and the authorities have vowed to crack down on these sex crimes. Technology offers ample opportunity for abuse, and platforms like Telegram need to find a way to protect their users. 

Korean authorities to crack down on digital sex crimes

A growing number of Gen MZ (Gen Y and Z) employees in South Korea are choosing to forgo promotions in favour of investments and side hustles. Youth in the country are pushing back against the extreme hustle culture, seeking work-life balance and financial gains outside of their jobs.

South Korea's Gen Y and Z choose side hustles over promotions

Weight loss drugs like Ozempic are starting to impact the fashion resale market, with platforms being flooded with cast-offs in larger sizes. While this creates a tricky imbalance in terms of supply and demand, it also presents an opportunity for brands moving into the reselling space.

Ozempic is resizing the fashion resales market

As Canva expands its footprint in the UK, its generative AI model is being embraced by creatives using the accessible graphic design platform to increase their productivity and develop their creative potential. With tech-led innovations being adopted by more workers, how are working norms shifting?

How Canva is using AI innovation to empower UK workers

Prepackaged cups of ice have been flying off the shelves of Chinese convenience stores this summer. As people continue to look for affordable indulgences, cost-conscious young shoppers are experimenting with drink combos to make cheaper cold beverages that don't involve a trip to a cafe.

Chinese audiences turn to ice-cups for affordable drinks

TikTok creators are taking part in debates on the platform in the run-up to the US presidential election. These ‘political battlers’ are building new modes for political engagement and making up to $7000 a month through virtual gifts, but concerns remain about moderation and misinformation.

'Political battlers’ mix democracy with entertainment

‘Meatfluencers’ are encouraging people to embrace meat-based diets that reconnect with an idealised hunter past. Driven by the ‘manosphere’ but also rising among women, carnivorism represents a rejection of ‘woke’ narratives around health and sustainability and a desire for agency.

The US manosphere drives surge in 'carnivore diets’

Gen Zers are becoming landlords in increasing numbers as property investment grows as a side hustle for ambitious young Britons. As traditional career paths fracture, young people are looking for alternative ways to make ends meet, looking for passive income to allow them to pursue their passions.

Buy-to-let culture builds British Gen Z's passive income

Freelance job platform Fiverr has launched a new campaign underscoring the value of freelancers, tapping Martha Stewart to draw attention to the importance of utilizing talent properly. As freelancing grows as a career path for Gen Z, brands are struggling to identify and use talent.

Fiverr highlights underutilized talent in new campaign

TikTok finance influencers have found popularity among Gen Z by doling out advice on how to get rich quickly. With economic insecurity fuelling widespread anxiety among this group, young people are increasingly turning to alternative sources of authority for ways to circumvent a broken system.

‘Hustle bro’ influencers sell financial freedom to Gen Z

Returns have become a significant aspect of consumer culture in America, largely due to the widespread embrace of e-commerce. Yet while this service makes the shopping journey more convenient – often at no extra cost – it presents a major challenge for online retailers. What’s the solution?

How can retailers address returns culture in the US?

Spending on wellness tourism is soaring as health-conscious individuals splash their cash in the pursuit of longevity. But with advancements in healthcare technology advancing at a rapid pace – incorporating everything from biohacking to hormone tracking – how can hospitality destinations keep up?

How will technology change the future of wellness travel?

Modern homesteading has entered the public consciousness, and a budding community of young male creators is building an online niche around their efforts to live off the land. With ongoing systemic failures driving down faith in institutions, interest is growing in more self-sufficient lifestyles.

Off-the-grid homesteaders promote autonomous living

South Koreans’ notion of the ‘home’ is changing with the times. As the nation’s decreasing birth rate is challenged by the rising demand for single-household apartments, people are evolving their interior design choices to meet their needs within city high-rise complexes.

How are South Koreans designing their homes?

GLP-1 weight loss drugs are changing users’ skin, according to plastic surgeons across the US, pointing to unseen side effects from the still-novel drugs. With adoption poised to continue skyrocketing, a market may emerge for skincare products for GLP-1 users to treat these side effects.

'Ozempic face' reflects impact of drug on people's skin

An emerging wave of content creators is drawing attention to ‘unschooling’, a flexible education system that rejects the standard syllabus. After significant pandemic learning losses, Gen Alpha's education remains a topic of concern, and parents are seeking alternative learning methods.  

‘Unschooling’ influencers promote flexible learning

The UK has become a nation of side hustlers, with more people earning outside of their jobs and plenty of platforms helping them do so. From selling second-hand clothes to launching bonafide businesses, why are Britons topping up their pay, and how are their relationships to work changing?

What are the new norms of hustle culture in the UK?

Gen Zers are embracing 'mini-retirements' to travel or pursue personal projects, challenging traditional work models. This trend is gaining traction on social media and reflects a shift toward valuing personal growth and experiences over continuous work, prompting companies to rethink resourcing.

Gen Zers use mini-retirements to focus on personal projects

Chipotle has collaborated with Wonderskin for Lipotle, a so-called 'burrito-proof' lip stain, just in time for National Avocado Day. Unconventional collaborations are growing as a way for brands to get attention, particularly as Gen Zers lean into increasingly messy eating behaviors.

Chipotle unveils smear-free lip stain for burrito lovers

Nibble AI, a chatbot that haggles with customers on behalf of online shopping platforms, has gained notoriety across the internet for the novelty of getting savings from a chatbot. This points to a growing gamification of shopping experiences via AI, as money worries push shoppers to deal hunt.

Nibble AI changes sales culture with haggling chatbot

Right-wing rioters turned to Telegram to organise and spread misinformation. With mainstream social media platforms under scrutiny for their role in monitoring and mitigating the spread of disinformation, the use of Telegram speaks to a hacker mindset when it comes to subverting safeguarding online.

Right-wing rioters hack social safeguarding via Telegram

The youngest members of Australia’s workforce face challenges as they find ways to make a path for themselves amid a cost of living crisis. As they navigate a competitive job market, they are unafraid to break down long-standing norms to find career options that suit their goals and preferences.

What’s driving Gen Z careers in Australia?

Expedia, Wells Fargo and Mastercard have unveiled two new co-branded credit cards offering enhanced benefits for U.S. travelers. As people continue to prioritise experiences over material goods, they're seeking more holistic loyalty programs that integrate seamlessly into their lifestyles.

Expedia travel credit card rewards everyday spenders

Japan’s healthcare system is undergoing a digital overhaul. Meanwhile, healthcare apps and personalised wellness tools empower citizens to take charge of their health. However, Japanese hospitals are still expensive, leaving room for brands to step in and make healthcare more accessible to all.

Health-conscious Japanese people turn to digital therapeutics

Originally intended for people with diabetes, the marketing for Ozempic shifted to focus on weight loss for women in the late 2010s, and start-ups are now encouraging men to man up by slimming down. But is this approach to male weight loss just another form of toxic gender stereotyping?

Are Gen Y and X men in their ‘Brozempic’ era?

Optimize by Equinox takes luxury wellness a step further by integrating longevity-focused health values into its exclusive program – specifically tailored to HNWIs. As its high price point and exclusive access underscore its status as a premium service, is luxury set to take over the fitness space?

How Optimize personalizes fitness longevity for HNWIs

British Gen Zers are looking for ‘baby’ versions of their favourite alcoholic drinks, driven by health concerns to seek bite-sized cocktails. As Britons cut down on their drinking, opportunities exist to find fun ways to get damp-drinking Gen Zers to enjoy alcohol in moderation.

Damp drinking Gen Zers opt for 'baby' cocktails

South Koreans have become more health-conscious post-pandemic. The demand for dietary and body fat reduction supplements – available in various forms – is rising. This shift is driven by innovative product offerings and the seamless shopping experiences of leading health and beauty retailers.

What's driving South Koreans' fascination with supplements?

Indian fintech startup Jupiter is refashioning banking in India at breakneck speed. With its live expense tracking, easy investment channels and smart saving tools, Jupiter takes on the role of a financial partner to Indian Gen Y and Z. But how did it make its name in the sacred space of banking?

How Jupiter simplifies money management for Gen Y Indians

As fashion becomes increasingly important to people’s identity, young shoppers are turning to tech to ‘hack’ their personal style. From social media to AI tools, technology is revolutionizing how Gen Zers dress. What does this mean for fashion's future, and how should brands respond?

Why Gen Zers are using tech to hack their personal style

Belong is a new savings app targeting UK Gen Yers who feel priced out of the housing market. It wants to help them find new approaches to building their personal wealth, but how can their strategies help to boost people’s financial outlook in the long term?

How Belong helps Gen Y Brits build long-term wealth

Idols and actors who promote flawless and healthy skin through 10-step routines and effective products dominate South Korea’s beauty industry. In 2024, quick ‘tweakments’ that promise natural results are on the rise. But with fads evolving faster than ever, can K-beauty keep up?

Are ‘tweakments’ the future of K-beauty?

Inflation and a lack of affordable housing have driven Australians to do it themselves. With their connection to DIY building spanning decades, Aussies today are tapping into their roots and creating personal multifunctional spaces for themselves. What does this mean for the property landscape?

DIY projects flag Aussies’ aspiration for multifunctional spaces

Time-poor, wallet-conscious Britons are looking for ways to speed up their home cooking and eating routines so they can free up precious leisure time. From AI solutions to meal prep, Canvas8 spoke to seven people across the UK about their favourite food and nutrition hacks.

How are Britons optimising their nutrition?

Americans are striving to find time-efficient, cost-effective, and healthy meals, but striking a balance is challenging. Canvas8 spoke to seven people from across the US about their favorite hacks, shortcuts, and quick-fix solutions for caring for their nutrition in an increasingly fast-paced life.

How are Americans optimizing their nutrition?

The nutraceutical start-up Wellbeing Nutrition has launched a campaign that uses humour to promote its dissolvable oral nutrient strips. As more Indians adopt a ritualised approach to health and wellness, brands can be assistive by showing how customers can build new routines around their products.

Wellbeing Nutrition makes health rituals fun for Indians

With cannabis undergoing a cultural renaissance and legal transformation, Mesobis is emerging as a standout brand, blending Latin American heritage with modern wellness. It infuses traditional flavors into hemp-derived gummies, leveraging demand for culturally authentic, accessible cannabis products.

Why Mesobis is pioneering a Latin cannabis lifestyle

Luxury spending in China is on a post-pandemic rebound, but shoppers may not be where you think. Instead of travelling overseas, citizens are choosing to fly domestically. What does this mean for the future of luxury shopping in the country, and what can brands learn from this post-pandemic shift?

Chinese shoppers fly domestic for luxury spending

South Koreans seek technology that boosts connectivity, increases workplace efficiency through AI, and provides innovative social and entertainment experiences. Their demands drive significant investments in digital infrastructure, allowing brands to focus on trendsetting and immersive experiences.

What do South Koreans want from their tech?

A study has found that ‘travel now, pay later’ (TNPL) arrangements are garnering traction among young Indians. As growing disposable incomes make travel a more affordable reality for the country’s middle class, brands are dialling up the flexibility around trip planning to entice holidaymakers.

Indian vacationers are keen on ‘travel now, pay later’

Americans are consuming more yogurt due to the popularity of GLP-1 appetite suppressants, signaling possible changes in American diets. As the number of GLP-1 patients grows, brands are looking to offer high-protein, nutrient-dense foods that meet these new dietary needs.




GLP-1 drugs are changing American diets

With monthly sale days embedded into China’s e-commerce scene, brands might run out of ways to keep buyers interested. However, for its very own 618 shopping festival day, JD.com pulls out all the stops, changing its sales strategies and empowering customers through the latest technology.

How JD.com finds ways to elevate celebratory shopping

Once a symbol of women’s sexual freedom,  young people are now turning away from the contraceptive pill. Amid increasing concerns about the side effects of hormonal contraceptives, many young women are opting for methods that align more closely with their health and wellness values.

Gen Zers ditch the pill to explore natural contraception

Fashion retailer giant ASOS has warned its creative, marketing, and production teams that they may face disciplinary action if they don’t attend the majority of meetings in person. This act signals the growing tension between innovation and remote working seen across many industries.

ASOS discourages staff from remote working

‘Go organic, go local’ is on the minds of Aussies as country folk and city slickers have embraced urban farming, transforming their backyards into productive gardens. Can urbanising agriculture offer a sustainable solution as global populations rise and natural disasters shadow like a dark cloud?

Why are Aussies growing their own food?

South Korea's Gen MZ (Gen Y and Z) is driving a significant surge in functional foods and transforming gift-giving into acts of self-care. Leading wellness brand Jung Kwan Jang captures this dynamic market by turning traditional products into innovative, trend-savvy offerings.

How Jung Kwan Jang reroots functional foods for Gen MZ

In Africa, there’s a desire to adopt digital literacy and improve technical skills to keep up with the rising demand for tech jobs. By offering innovative educational solutions, platforms such as AltSchool Africa are closing the digital skills gap and equipping Africa’s workforce for the future.

How AltSchool impacts digital education in Africa

In Australia, two supermarket chains dominate the industry – Coles and Woolworths. They’ve been authorities for years, influencing products, pricing, and tech. This duopoly has impacted smaller retailers, many of whom struggle to compete, and has caused a shift in the shopping mindsets of Aussies.

Trouble in store: Aussies are tired of the supermarket duopoly

Temporary piercings are infiltrating the beauty space, with several Gen Z tastemakers sporting pierced looks in recent months. The move falls in line with a wider rejection of conventional beauty standards among young people, who are prioritising experimentation and self-expression over conformity.

Fake piercings offer non-committal rebellion for Gen Z

Single older women in Australia are taking innovative approaches to battling the housing crisis, such as living in converted tiny homes and caravans. But given that older women are the fastest-growing homeless population in Australia, signalling a need for more sustainable solutions.

Older Australian women face higher risk of homelessness

Trader Joe's Pronto is the company's new store format designed to cater to the needs of time-pressed, health-conscious Americans in New York. By offering a curated selection of grab-and-go meals, snacks, and beverages in a compact and convenient store layout, it's making on-the-go options easier.

Why Trader Joe’s Pronto is making on-the-go food easier

Increasingly, young people are opting for convenience and efficiency in their transport, and the app Hiyacar provides the perfect solution. By enabling people to rent out private vehicles, the start-up leverages the sharing economy to offer personal transport for Britons with car commitment issues. 

How HiyaCar found new routes to car ownership in the UK

Upwork has become the world's largest work marketplace for freelancers, connecting businesses with highly skilled independent professionals worldwide. As many people turn to freelancing amid more flexible and remote working lives, the platform provides exposure and access to paid opportunities.

How Upwork provides a framework for the freelance boom

Telehealth start-ups are emerging to offer Ozempic and similar GLP-1 weight-loss drugs to men, who are often left out of these appeals. While this represents an underserved market for these products, education, and sensitivity are needed when talking to men about weight-loss drugs.

Start-ups attempt to address male Ozempic gap

UK-based digital platform Unibuddy is a masterclass in connection, community, and content for higher ed colleges, schools, and universities. It makes the admissions process smoother and more efficient for students and institutions via an AI chat function, online hub and educational webinars.

How Unibuddy helps higher-ed communities thrive

American Gen Yers are ‘quiet vacationing’ rather than officially taking time off for fear of looking lazy to their bosses. The trend indicates a continued lack of support for work-life balance, signaling a need to shift workplace culture towards valuing rest and relaxation.

US Gen Yers are quiet vacationing at work

The rising popularity of weight-loss and appetite-suppressant drugs has the potential to drastically change people's relationships with food. 
Nestlé is taking it as an opportunity by preparing to launch a range adjusted specifically to the dietary needs of consumers taking these medicines.




Nestlé range supports dieters on weight-loss drugs

How does money dysmorphia affect young people and their expectations of the future? What are the pros and cons of the increasingly widespread financial gamification? How is the cost of living crisis affecting dating and family relationships? Why are people turning to financial hacks?




Money Sector Snapshot: May 2024

Ingredient prepping offers the efficiency of meal prepping without the monotony, providing versatile and balanced meals. Unlike rigid meal plans, it supports spontaneity, which is celebrated in eating trends like 'rat snacking' and 'girl dinner', promoting flexible and time-saving nutrition.

Ingredient prepping supports spontaneous mealtimes

Uplifting community organising work, the #PassTheHat TikTok movement encourages major creators to help fundraise for families experiencing violence in Gaza. This trend highlights how people are using their knowledge of social media platforms for good by leveraging algorithms for grassroots movements.

TikTokers drive fundraising for aid to Gazan families

With growing stress and a fresh focus on best practices for healthy living, Japanese people are moving away from supplements and towards functional foods instead. With the shift comes new possibilities for brands to cater to health-seeking snackers – so what opportunities are on the horizon?

Stressed Japanese workers are hungry for healthy, functional food

The Bilt Rewards loyalty program enables users to earn points through rent payments and bypass credit card fees. With people looking to make their money go further through passive income streams, brands like Bilt Rewards are leveraging hacker mindsets through low-effort, personalized rewards schemes.

Bilt enables users to earn points through rent payments

Amid the cost of living crisis hitting Aussies, Gen Zers are finding new ways to save up despite the difficult job market and rising costs of goods. Younger generations are taking control of their finances, holding themselves accountable, and relinquishing their fear of judgement around money.

Why are Aussie Gen Zers embracing loud budgeting?

With Gen Zers fully ready to embrace discourse and products for their gut, brands are working to keep up with scientific and social advancements around IBS and other digestive disorders in line with this shift. As the poo taboo comes to a close, what exactly do Gen Zers want and need?

How Gen Zers are changing the discourse around IBS

Spotify is slowly shifting features behind its premium paywall, with lyrics being the latest to be locked away from lower-tier users. Users of the music app have been calling out the move, which will likely push more people to free lyric sites in other corners of the internet.

Spotify paywalls lyrics (and hopes no-one notices)

Users are hacking TikTok’s algorithm-based blue comments to raise awareness about the ongoing violence in Gaza. The feature allows online activists to reach a wider audience and highlights how knowledge of tech innovation and algorithms can create alternative means for social justice advocacy.

TikTokers utilize blue comments for online activism

Ever inventive and enterprising, Chinese Gen Zers have concocted low-maintenance, low-effort ways to look after their health. But when tried-and-tested solutions get lumped together in the same category as experimental nutritional plans, how can the youth actually stay holistically healthy?

Understanding the effects of ‘lazy health’ on Chinese Gen Zers

Portraying herself as the all-American E-girl next door, June Lapine aka Shoe is disrupting existing narratives about LeftTube, gender, pop culture, and expected progressive positions. What can brands learn from her idiosyncratic content to authentically engage younger audiences?

Why Shoe’s 'bimbo populism' engages diverse fan bases

With smart-home tech advancing, home appliances now boast many functions, but some are only remotely related to their primary purpose. A survey has revealed that Americans are prioritizing performance over perks and just want tech that does its intended job easily and well.




Americans prioritize performance over perks in home tech

Thumbtack's app provides automated maintenance tips, DIY guides, and AI-based expert searches. It features maintenance and specialized guides for energy efficiency, babyproofing, and landscaping, with task details and cost estimates, helping homeowners personalize their houses.