TL;DR,
WELCOME TO THE·BY·PRODUCT. A WEEKLY RECAP OF WHAT IS GOING DOWN & WHAT IS COMING UP ON THE INTERNET. ANOTHER WEEK, AND ANOTHER NEWSLETTER. ALL LINKS ARE GUARANTEED GOOD READS. GIVE THEM A CLICK AND SHARE WITH SOMEONE.
THIS WEEK’S HOT TAKE
Viral image-generating is old news.
CATEGORY: VLOGGING
On the “tech girlie” side of TikTok, lifestyle vlogging has given rise to a cottage industry of creators who’ve made working in tech, showing followers the ins and outs of their workday is a key part of their personal brand. The videos often follow a standard format: cheery, upbeat background music plays over quick shots of meeting slides, themed workrooms, and snack drawers. Viewer comments oscillate between contempt and yearning — and employers are similarly split on how to feel about it. / Via The Verge
CATEGORY: ACQUISITIONS
Though they’re technically different business models, consignment reseller Goat’s biggest rival is peer-to-peer platform StockX. A good reason why Goat would acquire peer-to-peer platform Grailed. I remember working on a project for Flight Club, and by the end of the project Goat Group had acquired them fully. / Via Glossy
CATEGORY: TIK TOK PART TWO
A dismal look at the TikTokification of America: “The biggest technology innovators are reinventing themselves in TikTok’s image, not only in developing short-video copycats — Meta’s Reels, YouTube’s Shorts — but in swapping out networks of friends and families for feeds of strangers chasing viral glory.” If you think that sounds bleak, consider this: Soon, TikTok’s model could shape the entire internet. / Via WaPo
CATEGORY: BRANDED CULTURE
To date, PFP projects mostly monetize from either new drops (e.g. Mutant Ape Yacht Club) or through secondary sales. Both can be effective revenue streams, but the vast majority of PFP projects will likely end up monetizing through a much more traditional avenue – selling physical and digital merchandise.
The most successful media franchises in the world – Star Wars, Mickey Mouse, Pokemon, Batman, Disney Princesses – make a majority of their revenue from merchandise. / Via Nystrom
CATEGORY: BIG DADDY
According to a new survey from Piper Sandler, the actor and comedian ranks second on a list of teen's favorite celebrities, after Deadpool's Ryan Reynolds. They surveyed 14,500 teens across the U.S. on a variety of topics, including their favorite celebrities and social media personalities. Taylor Swift, Kevin Hart, and Zendaya round out the top five.
Interestingly, Sandler jumped up four spots since last spring, solidifying his status as a star beloved by teens. If you're scratching your head about this, let me enlighten you. Teens love that despite being a household name and a millionaire, Sandler is just some guy! / Via Mashable
CATEGORY: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
This is getting crazy. Joe Rogan interviews Steve Jobs, but this podcast never happened. Podcast.ai is entirely generated by artificial intelligence. Every week, we explore a new topic in depth, and listeners can suggest topics or even guests and hosts for future episodes.
Whether you're a machine learning enthusiast, just want to hear your favorite topics covered in a new way or even just want to listen to voices from the past brought back to life, this is the podcast for you. / Via SIC
CATEGORY: THE FUTURE
People are increasingly living elastically in the way they shop, consume media, live, and work. They are stretching definitions and flexing and twisting.
The organizations that will thrive in the future will align with peoples’ new expectations and behaviors by being elastic in their structure and approach.
Those individuals most elastic in mindset who are ready to continuously iterate and adapt are more likely to thrive in transforming and changing times. / Via Rishad
CATEGORY: THE FUTURE
Hurricane Ian destroyed these people’s homes. Algorithms stepped up and sent them money. A week after the storm passed, some people in three of the worst-hit counties saw an unexpected beacon of hope.
Nearly 3,500 residents of Collier, Charlotte, and Lee Counties received a push notification on their smartphones offering $700 cash assistance, no questions asked. A Google algorithm deployed in partnership with nonprofit GiveDirectly had estimated from satellite images that those people lived in badly damaged neighborhoods and needed some help. / Via Wired