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It’s Friday, Future Party. Netflix announced it has ordered a competition series based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory featuring adventure and strategy gameplay (à la Survivor), social dynamics (like Big Brother), and, of course, a golden ticket granting entry into a chocolate factory. While that sounds cool, we can’t help but wish it was somehow tied to the infamously terrible Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow, Scotland last year. Surviving a trip there would truly be something.

While there’s been plenty of anecdotal evidence of smartphones impacting our mental health, recent medical studies are showing how smartphone addiction is literally rewiring our brains.

Why It Hurts: Expert studies demonstrating how smartphones impact our attention spans, ability to regulate our emotions, and potential for productivity have wide-ranging implications — including a growing no-phones-in-school movement, society’s relationship with social media, and the legality of endless notifications.

Between the Ears: It appears that, yes, our phones are giving us “brainrot.”

Final Thoughts: While places like Newport Healthcare operate treatment centers for teens with smartphone addiction (where switching digital devices for analog hobbies has proven successful), some companies are giving educators the ability to transform brainrot content, a favorite of Gen Alpha, into education materials for the classroom. It’s a classic “if you can’t beat them, join them” mentality. If adopted, it could revolutionize how young people interact with the world… both digitally and IRL.

Elon Musk recently called recycling “pointless” — and he has a point. After decades of effort, a staggering 91% of plastic waste still never gets recycled.

Thankfully, there’s a better way.

Timeplast has developed a revolutionary plastic that doesn’t clog landfills, pollute oceans, or break down into toxic microplastics. Its technology is made with 70% water — and it can be programmed to completely dissolve after a set time once discarded. 

Yes, completely. No waste. No microplastics. No toxic residue. Just… gone. That’s not just innovation — it’s a miracle material.

From packaging to 3D printing, Timeplast has the power to transform industries, so it’s no surprise a Fortune 500 company is already onboard.

With global plastic production set to nearly double by 2040, there’s little time to waste.

Invest in Timeplast today — and help reinvent the $1.3T plastic industry from the inside out.

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A survey by the Global Cinema Foundation found that while many people would love to go to the movies, they feel underserved of the films they actually want to watch more of… so they choose streaming or other forms of entertainment instead.

The Big Picture: Recent data shows that while most sectors of mass entertainment have recovered, filmgoing is still falling short of pre-COVID levels and has a steep hill to climb in order to recover the revenue and admissions it once had. If studios diversify (and increase) their output, they may woo back the audiences still on the couch… and turn them into more frequent customers.

Behind the Scenes: Global Cinema Foundation surveyed 68,000 respondents across different age groups in 15 different markets around the world.

They found that:

Closing Credits: Making more of the movies that people want to see is big business — 64% of respondents said that if there’s a movie they want to see in theaters, there’s nothing stopping them from going. They want to go. Only 6% of respondents said they prefer to wait for the movie to hit streaming.

And here’s another data point that can hopefully make 2025 a banner year post-pandemic: 68% of respondents (including 83% under 34) are excited by this year’s slate of theatrical movies. Let’s see if people put their money where their mouth is.

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36% of you voted It depends on the execution and the brands involved. in yesterday’s poll: How do you feel about brands using ads to call out competitors?

“I work in advertising. Brands rarely actually go after each other. Usually, it’s a coordinated effort or a playful jab on social media — not a legitimate attack. It can be a bit lazy (and boring) if not done well. Taking shots at a competitor can be very buzzy but probably more for people in the industry than for average consumers.”

“If you can’t compete with the qualities that you know your products have, don’t bother me! There’s enough negativity out there, and we’re smart enough to know the difference. Play fairly or don’t play at all... you may be wrong about what you’re calling someone out on and damage yourself more in the long run.”

“It’s even better to just build a brand on quality — and from there comes loyalty.”

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.

🏀 STG Partners co-founder Bill Chisholm led a consortium to buy the Boston Celtics for $6.1 billion — the most-ever paid for a team in any sport.

📺 In a first look at its metrics and financials, Apple TV+ reportedly has 45 million subscribers and loses about a billion dollars a year — a drop in the bucket for the tech giant.

🍿 The first movie to be completely dubbed using AI, Watch the Skies, struck a distribution deal with AMC Theatres to release the film on May 9th.

🧠 Neuralink-rival Synchron has teamed up with Nvidia to put AI in its brain-computer interface and create “cognitive AI.”

🤖 Loti AI, a firm that allows celebrities and public figures to detect deepfakes across the internet, is now open to the general public.

🧐 Meta isn’t the only company that keeps “block lists” — lists of employees to never rehire. It apparently happens at many companies across several industries.

🧖‍♀️ Sensei Resorts, the luxury-hospitality firm built by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, is expanding worldwide.

🛍️ Market-research firm eMarketer reports that over half of US advertisers will pay influencers to hawk products on YouTube this year.

🍔 McDonald’s is partnering with Warner Bros. to bring Minecraft toys to both kids and adults.