Together with
Golden Palm predictions. Hey, Future Party people. The 2023 Cannes Film Festival is halfway through, yet a ton of buzz is already circulating among the premieres — most notably, Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest (both starring Sandra Hüller). With just a few days left before this year’s Palme d’Or winner is announced, it’s anyone’s guess who will take home Cannes’ highest honor.
In other news… Big Tech battles for Gen Z’s text messages, the job market gets weird, and esports finds itself at a crossroads.
Top Trends
YouTube → Five Nights at Freddy’s
Twitter → Jason Sudeikis
Google → Ray Stevenson
Reddit → Aubrey Plaza
TikTok → “Tokyo Drift” - Xavier Wulf
Spotify → “Under You” - Foo Fighters
Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe
TECH
For Gen Z, there’s no difference between texting and Snapping
The Future. While young people mainly use iMessage to talk with their parents, Snapchat is where the real communication is happening, with Zoomers using the app as their go-to form of texting. It’s a phenomenon that Snap, suffering nearly $100 billion in lost value in just under two years, may be working overtime to monetize.
Reply all
For Gen Z, iMessage and Snapchat perform similar functions… for very different purposes.
They use iMessage — the most-used communication app for teens in the US — to talk to family members.
But they use Snapchat — the second most used, with three-fourths of people 16-24 using it — to talk to friends.
Why the preference for Snapchat among peers?
Young people feel safer that their messages disappear.
Group chats can include up to 100 people, as opposed to 32 on iMessage.
They can easily find people and ensure it's them.
They only get messages from approved friends (so no spam).
Snap Map lets them broadcast their location.
The big question is if Snap will be able to retain these young users even as they grow up. There is a good sign that’s happening: Jack Brody, Snap’s VP of product, says half of the app’s users are now over 25.
No way they’re giving up that Snap streak now.
WORK
Robot recruiter // Illustration by Kate Walker
Job searching is now a treasure quest
The Future. People in various industries report that looking for a job has become overly complicated and impersonal due to fake job openings, the SEO-ization of applications, and the sudden rise of AI. The feeling that actually landing a job is impossible may lead job-seekers to go about things the old-fashioned way, printing out a resume and hitting the streets or tracking down the one person in their community who works somewhere they want to.
Application frustrations
Scoring a job is a tech-enabled pain right now.
Why? Because…
Ghost jobs, advertised positions that have no intention of being actively filled, pollute job boards and leave job seekers confused and dispirited after they’ve already applied for hundreds of jobs and are left hanging.
Algorithmic hiring, the process of using AI to filter applicants’ resumes and cover letters for specific keywords, is now commonplace on platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed, leaving many worthy people without interviews.
Robotic interviewing, which uses AI programs to interview applicants (or have them film themselves answering a series of questions), makes people feel far removed from the possibility of landing a job.
Generative AI, like ChatGPT, is coming for entry-level positions, with many companies reporting that they plan on using AI systems to find efficiencies and cut headcounts to reduce costs.
So, as Adrienne Matei at Insider notes: “Finding a job right now isn't only tough, it's deeply weird.”
TOGETHER WITH HERS
The summer blues?
Yes, it’s a thing. And yes, it’s almost time to crank that AC.
Many people are familiar with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or feeling depressed in the winter months. Can the same kinda thing happen in the summer? It sure can. Intense heat and prolonged daylight can disrupt sleep and exercise routines, making some people feel funky.
Hims & Hers has you covered. They’re an online telehealth platform specializing in virtual access to anxiety and depression meds.*
If you have any case of the blues (be it summer, spring, winter, or fall), you can fill out your intake form from home, and a professional healthcare provider will determine if treatment is right for you. If prescribed, you’ll have the ability to benefit from auto-refills and unlimited check-ins with your care team.
Subscription required. For a three-month subscription, after 20% off your treatment plan for the first three months, price is $49/month ($117 for first order, $147 billed quarterly thereafter). Discount also applies to 6 and 12 month subscriptions. Subscription automatically renews unless you cancel at least 7 days before renewal is processed. Prescription products require an online consultation with a healthcare provider who will determine if a prescription is appropriate. Restrictions apply. See website for full details and important safety information. Controlled substances, including amphetamines (such as Adderall) or benzodiazepines (such as Xanax and Valium) are not available through the platform.*
ESPORTS
Competing for industry survival
Esports is losing
The Future. The esports industry has been shaken by dwindling viewership, revenue, and overall interest, upending the narrative that video-game competitions would rise to the cultural status of professional sports. But for players to continue to afford competing at the team level, more developers may need to create profit-sharing opportunities for them within the games themselves, like how Riot Games has done with Valorant.
Leveling off
The esports industry has encountered its biggest challenge yet: post-pandemic reality.
Several top esports groups are selling off their teams, including Counter Logic Gaming, due to missed revenue expectations.
Marquee organizations like Evil Geniuses and 100 Thieves are dropping expensive players and laying off execs.
FaZe Clan, the first organization to go public, saw its stock crash to just 50 cents a share and has been warned by the Nasdaq that it could be delisted.
And the granddaddy of all esports competitions, the League Championship Series, saw its viewership decline by double digits for the second year in a row. That followed a departure in sponsors and ad money to go off with it. Riot Games, the competition’s organizer and the developer behind League of Legends, even had to issue an apology to investors.
Hopefully, this isn’t “game over” for esports.
Highlights
The best curated daily stories from around the web
Media, Music, & Entertainment
Forbes believes Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour has the legs to clear $2.2 billion — $600 million more than the potentially record-breaking haul of Taylor Swift’s ongoing Eras tour. Read more → forbes
Culture-satire kings MSCHF unveiled the “Lethal Dose” series at the Frieze New York 2023 art fair — sculptures that contain the dose of everyday products, like 5-hour Energy and Advil Dual Action, needed to kill a 200lb person via “acute toxicity.” Read more → hypebeast
LBI talent manager Rick Yorn, entertainment attorney Kevin Yorn, and investment banker David Dorfman have founded BroadLight Capital, armed with $225 million to invest in consumer and tech companies. Read more → deadline
Fashion & E-Commerce
adidas’ CONFIRMED platform has struck a deal with Web3 company tokenproof to use blockchain tech to help create more customized discounts for customers, offer exclusive drops, and fight the proliferation of bots. Read more → highsnobiety
Amazon’s palm-scanning tech, Amazon One, is integrating with age-verification services so people can buy beers at places like sports games or concerts simply by hovering their hand over the scanner instead of showing ID. Read more → techcrunch
Fox City Brewing Company in Georgia has introduced a crisp new beer called Revival Lager… which just so happens to be made from recycled wastewater. Read more → bloomberg
Tech, Web3, & AI
The EU has hit Meta with a whopping $1.3 billion fine for sending European user data to the US — a violation of its General Data Protection Regulation. Read more → thr
Blue Origin scored a $3.4 billion contract from NASA to design a lunar landing system for the space agency’s Artemis V mission in 2029. Read more → theinformation
The self-driving taxis are coming full-time to San Francisco: Waymo and Cruise are closing in on a deal to bring the fared service to the city 24/7. Read more → techcrunch
Creator Economy
As soon as next month, Instagram is launching a Twitter competitor that will allow for 500-character posts, have strict safety controls, and be compatible with decentralized platforms like Mastodon. Read more → ICYMI
TikTok’s reigning family, the D’Amelios, have dropped D’Amelio Footwear… in case you needed something to dance in. Read more → tubefilter
Influencer marketing agency Ubiquitous will pay three people $100/hour to scroll through TikTok for ten hours straight in an effort to find emerging trends. Read more → insider
Future Forecast
Get the free weekly briefing that over 30,000+ tech professionals count to stay ahead and build winning products.
Expand your cultural knowledge with the engaging and interactive platform that offers a variety of courses taught by native speakers, making it easy to learn a new language at your own pace.
Grab some goods at Fatty Mart, the eco-conscious convenience store offering multicultural specialties in the heart of Mar Vista.
Stay focused, organized, and calm with the world’s best task manager and to-do list app.
Like what you see? Subscribe Now or Partner With Us
Today's email was brought to you by David Vendrell.
Editing by Nick Comney. Publishing by Sara Kitnick.