Rawdogging Boredom

PRESENTED BY CREATOR.CO

Time to hit the ground running, Future Party. There are already some major shifts underway in 2026. For one, Instagram head Adam Mosseri has admitted that the platform’s feed is “dead.” People simply don’t use it anymore to share personal moments. Instead, they’re sliding in and out of DMs and posting selfie Reels. Mosseri’s theory? The increasingly polished, AI-driven aesthetic has made flawless-looking content… well… uncool. The new movement favors “unproduced, unflattering images.”

In other words, don’t stress about posting that holiday family photo where your dad’s eyes are closed, your sister is mid-sneeze, and your dog is showing his rear end. That’s how people will know it’s real.

OpenAI is ramping up its audio capabilities as it expects users will primarily interact with upcoming ChatGPT devices through sound.

The Big Picture: Big Tech companies like Meta and Google are working on AI devices that could replace smartphones, and they all seem to have landed on the same idea: that conversing out loud with chatbots is the innovation that will divorce people from their screens. But that shift would require a major cultural change in how people use technology — especially in public spaces.

Behind The Device: OpenAI wants you to talk out loud… just not to yourself.

Closing Thoughts: OpenAI plans to release the new audio model sometime early this year… ideally giving people enough time to adjust to talking to ChatGPT before a device rollout in 2027. Right now, most people interact with the chatbot through text-based prompts — but OpenAI didn’t spend $6.5 billion to acquire iPhone designer Jony Ive’s io just so users could keep tapping a touchscreen. Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman want to replace the iPhone.

It may be OpenAI’s most ambitious bet yet.

The Future: OpenAI’s biggest hurdle in getting people to adopt its ChatGPT devices may be convincing them that talking to a chatbot out loud isn’t a faux pas.

What if the biggest unlock for your CPG brand isn’t a packaging refresh or a promo blitz — but creators telling the story your audience actually wants to hear? That’s exactly what happened when this everyday grocery staple shifted from traditional ads to a creator-led, UGC-powered strategy built for scale.

Instead of pushing polished product shots, the brand activated creators across food, lifestyle, and everyday routines — pairing premium gifting with seasonal moments and culturally relevant hooks. The result wasn’t just content; it was momentum. Snack boards, game-day recipes, self-care rituals, and kitchen-counter creativity started taking over feeds, delivering 560K+ views, 247K reach, 9K likes, 2K saves, and $58K EMV — all from authentic storytelling that felt like discovery, not advertising.

More importantly, it became repeatable. Mid-tier creators expanded visibility. Micro-influencers added warmth and trust. And with Creator.co managing recruitment, briefs, and delivery, the brand built a scalable content engine — everything from 71K-view recipe videos to 600+ saved snack hacks. As one marketing leader put it, “The team is accessible, easy to work with, and provides frequent updates — all our data was right at our fingertips.”

When UGC becomes the heart of your strategy, your product stops blending in and starts belonging in the lives (and carts) of your consumers.

👉 See how creator-led storytelling can fuel your brand’s next breakthrough.

One of the fastest-growing online trends is “rawdogging boredom” — filming yourself sitting in silence, doing absolutely nothing.

Why It Hits: Rawdogging boredom (an evolution of the rawdogging flights trend) isn’t just about the joy of watching paint dry. People claim it’s a stunt they want to turn into a practice — a way to rebuild the attention they’ve lost (or maybe never had) in the always-connected culture of modern life.

Between The Lines: Have you sat down and done literally nothing lately?

Daydreaming: So, does rawdogging boredom actually work? A majority of neuroscientists, psychologists, and sociologists agree that the dopamine rush of notifications and the constant connectivity of social media have cratered our concentration. The ability to get a hit of empty-calorie gratification from TikTok- or Instagram-fueled distraction leaves little space — or time — for creative thought. It also makes us restless about not maximizing every moment of the day, pushing us toward productivity hacks that keep us checking off an endless list of superficial tasks.

Granted, James Danckert, who runs a “boredom lab” at the University of Waterloo in Canada, says that simply reading a book or finding an analog hobby is probably enough to reclaim your attention… you know, for those who might find rawdogging too hardcore.

Prediction: Hobby culture is already coming back with a vengeance… now it may become a wellness necessity.

55.2% of you voted Not at all — follower count doesn’t matter to me. in Friday’s poll: How much does follower count matter to you when deciding whether to follow or engage with someone on social media?

“I try not to follow people I don’t actually know IRL.”

“I look for political and social alignment in their timelines.”

“I deleted all social media last February, so this truly isn’t applicable to me — one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself.”

“Going viral can boost your presence as an influencer, and finding a strong, influential advisor can help you achieve higher yields on any platform.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

🎟️ A new EntTelligence study found that 780 million people went to the movies in 2025 — a 5% drop from 2024 and a roughly 20% drop from before the pandemic.

🏆 Zootopia 2 is now the highest-grossing animated Disney movie of all time with over $1.46 billion at the global box office.

🍿 The finale of Stranger Things made about $25 million at the box office over the New Year’s holiday — Netflix’s biggest theatrical debut ever. Here’s the twist: tickets were technically free.

👓 Apple is pulling back investment in the Vision Pro after shipping only 45,000 units during the holiday season.

🚗 BYD has overtaken Tesla as the world’s top EV seller.

🎥 Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker floated the idea that cinemas could get more people in the door if they used AI to superimpose audience members’ faces randomly in the movie they’re watching.

💨 Saks CEO Marc Metrick has bowed out of the fashion brand as it readies to file for bankruptcy.

🍝 Some restaurants are testing lower-cost, smaller-portion dishes as GLP-1 use has led more people to eat out.

🍔 Pokémon is taking over McDonald’s Happy Meals for the media franchise’s 30th anniversary.