29 Comments
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Martha's avatar

Gen Z swinging to the right is so interesting & I can totally see it. Instability has never been higher for a generation, no one can afford to buy a house or has job security and that level of insecurity 100% bleeds into your politics, it becomes everything to vote based on economic issues that directly impact you more than anything else. People are tired and pissed off and v poor. Plus social media is just getting more and more politically polarised which deffo feeds it into. It’s tragic extreme political narratives have become so common place.

I think Gen Z has all the characteristics to be more liberal leaning but I think the absolutely fucked economy has taken that leaning and swerved it to the right. How can Gen Z ‘save the world’ if we’ve got no money, housing or jobs?

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

How can Gen Z ‘save the world’ if we’ve got no money, housing or jobs?- I think about this often

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Martha's avatar

Ps great piece I loved the variety!! If no one’s up for it I think you should write the fanfic for Zuck x

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

I hate feeling like a Stan other wise I would!

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Steph's avatar

Would def read more of your writing on the whole “Gen Z is gonna save us all” bullshit — I think that rhetoric is so fascinating next to the actual numbers + what feels like a real cry for help?

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Steph's avatar

ps ty for the trypophobia warning (EEK) and meet-cute girlies unite

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

meet-cute girlies always ;)

yes the rhetoric needs to DIE. I am happy to write more about it. I think I will

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Kathleen Schmidt's avatar

Two things:

-I wonder if Pookie of Pookie and Jett knows about that dating app. They should have filed a trademark!

-Re: book publishing conservative imprints: Correct, protesting will not change anyone's mind because historically, conservative books help pay the bills. They sell better than books by the figures on the left. I agree that publishers need to take a hard look at themselves. They will argue free speech. I argue that it is a bad business decision to keep platforming people who endanger democracy.

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

I wonder why "pookie" a thing now. where did it come from? what does it mean? wow say more about your second point. why do they sell better?!

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Kathleen Schmidt's avatar

I don't know where Pookie came from. It's always been a term of endearment here and there. When Jett and Pookie entered the scene, it exploded.

Conservative books sell better because the audience has more income to spend on books and are more strongly tied to their ideologies. It also depends on the person writing them. The right wing has a lot more vocal superstars than the left. If we look at something like RFK Jr.'s book about Dr. Fauci, it's a perfect case for ideology selling to a cult--that cult being anti-vaxxers. You also have to think about the platforms where conservative books are promoted: Fox News has more viewers than any other cable news channel. Joe Rogan is the biggest podcast. Conservative radio has a stronghold on the US, and so forth. The left does not hold that same media power.

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Jordan Bogigian's avatar

As a dating app success story I still salute the meet cute girlies 🫡

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

thank you for your support. we salute you too!

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emily's avatar

maybe it's just bc i'm in the midst of watching my brilliant friend but i hate to say it, i love the skims x gb campaign. those pictures are gorgeous and absolutely invoking that old world italy we love to romanticize

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

love that show and the book series! and yes hate too ay it but I do love it. Kim knows what she's doing. she wouldn't be where she is if she didnt

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Ines Bellina's avatar

I don’t believe Gen Z will save us at all (and I think the Gen-Xers and Millennials who believe so are washing their hands off their own responsibility to society) but about the liberal

decline–could it be also because “Liberal” has turned into an insult in online spaces, associated with the Dem old guard and the neoliberalism of the 90s? I don’t know what the survey’s options are but if there was “Other” it might encompass more progressive and/or liberal-leaning Gen Zers than we think. At least, I hope 🫠 (This, by no means, excludes the rising conservative faction in the age group, obviously)

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

this is a really good point. I also want more stats on how many people now consider themselves "moderate" and what this means to them. I wander if we even all have the same definitions of liberal/conservative/moderate

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candice's avatar

i just can't tell you how much I love these I feel so Informed

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

then my job is done!

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Hannah Connolly's avatar

you just never miss x

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

I try my best ;)

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sarah cucchiara's avatar

alex consani for jacquemus is perfection

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

its just too good ugh

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Angela Sayre's avatar

W I L D. Just thinking about all of this. Very good read! Ty!

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

haha thank you :)

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Greg Nix's avatar

The Onion may actually be a great test-case for your theory about niche media. A new owner with (theoretically) deep pockets came in like 6 months ago, then they relaunched print subscriptions, and now the InfoWars thing. They have insanely strong brand affinity, so it will be super interesting to see how successful they are at monetizing it in the current/evolving media environment.

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Ochuko Akpovbovbo's avatar

will be watching closely. this is a weird one fs

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August udoh's avatar

Wunderkind

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lala thaddeus's avatar

Hey Ochuko! Do you by chance remember the article you read about employers no longer caring and firing people for the slightest provocation? This was such a good read

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Stella's avatar

TikTokGo, assuming it’s a hyperlocal survey of what a town has to offer, actually sounds like a really good idea

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