Social Media & Internet Culture: #Aged Filter Exposes TikTok Ageism

Gen Z spends more on skincare than any other generation. TikTok’s new AI-powered #Aged face filter challenges this quest for perfection, showing users what they might look like in a few decades. Across the platform, this is revealing a need for more representation of real content creators of all ages, with many users viscerally rejecting even their own artificially aged faces.

Gaming: Pokémon Sleep Activates Idle Moments

Typically built around capturing and training fantasy pets to fight against other trainers, the latest title in Nintendo’s long-running Pokémon series – Pokémon Sleep – rewards players for simply getting a good night’s rest. Such idle games only require brief interaction to progress and unlock daily moments of delight without performance pressures.

Music & Sound: TikTok Music Expands Social Streaming

TikTok is cashing in on its cultural influence over music’s billboard charts with TikTok Music, its premium-only music streaming subscription service. With its peer-to-peer sharing and personal curation tools, TikTok Music is ready to serve consumers hungry for social-media-aligned listening experiences (see Key Stats).

Publishing & Broadcasting: Barbenheimer’s UGC-Powered Media Takeover

The blockbusting success of the Barbie and Oppenheimer (Barbenheimer) release weekend (the fourth biggest ever in global box-office history) was down to more than just huge marketing budgets. As legions of prospective fans eagerly designed their own aligned online content, Barbenheimer demonstrated how creative opportunities for empowered audience participation can generate big media moments.

One to Watch: NPC Streamers Craft White-Noise Content

A new genre of influencers has risen to the top of the weird world of live social video: NPC (non-playable character) streamers. These content creators emulate the behaviours of NPCs in video games, reacting to audience tips with repetitive catchphrases and robotic actions. Their popularity sheds light on the value of ambient content with micro-participation moments.