Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more

Bricked Up and Algoreform

"the evil Troye Sivan"

Casey Lewis

Jan 13

READ IN APP

The hottest celebs at the Golden Globes weren’t the nominees (they were the Heated Rivalry guys); Dior names Josh O’Connor brand ambassador; Emma Mackey is in talks to co-star opposite Molly Gordon in A24 comedy Peaked ; Millie Bobby Brown launched a teen fashion line at Walmart; and Mattel introduced its first Barbie with autism, headphones on and fidget spinner in hand.

BRICKING YOUR PHONE IS THE NEW DRY JANUARY , businessinsider

“Bricking your phone,” i.e. using devices like the viral $59 Brick gadget to physically block smartphone apps, has become “the new Dry January” as Americans, especially younger ones who “are already drinking less than previous generations,” shift their abstinence focus to screen time reduction. Brick cofounders TJ Driver, 26, and Zach Nasgowitz, 27, launched the device after experiencing their own struggles with social media, designing it to “strike a balance between flexibility and discipline — stricter than app blockers, but less extreme than switching to a dumb phone.” The Wall Street Journal reported a spike in digital-detox resolutions in 2026, and The New York Times predicted “dumb phones” would become a status symbol, with Brick’s biggest consumer base being people aged 20-35 who are “clearly interested in improving themselves.”