Finding Meaning

Industry veterans attribute the drop to a mix of economic pressures, production constraints, and Gen Z’s (alleged) disinterest in on-screen sex. As Masters of Sex creator Michelle Ashford notes, many streamers are instead opting for “vanilla” programming meant to offend no one and appeal to everyone.

Instead, she seeks friction, referencing Kyla Scanlon’s recent interview for The Ezra Klein Show : “There’s value in things being a little bit difficult,” Scanlon said.

Writer Laura Pitcher looks into how Gen Z is increasingly using ChatGPT as a spiritual tool, from decoding dreams to crafting tarot readings. Dubbed “algorithmic conspirituality,” this unlikely trend merges AI with New Age practices. Pitcher talks to several users who treat ChatGPT not as a machine, but as a mystical mirror of sorts; one person, fo... See more

Last week, The Cut reported on the rise of #MonkMode, a TikTok-fueled aesthetic and lifestyle shift where mostly young women romanticize monastic living (single beds, stone cells, quiet rituals) as a rejection of hustle culture and algorithmic optimization. While the hashtag originally targeted men seeking discipline, Gen Z women are reimagining it... See more

TIKTOK’S LATEST VILLAIN (OR HERO)? A SPELL-CASTING ETSY SELLER , fastcompany

It was a big week for Etsy witches. Influencer Jaz Smith hired one to keep the rain away from her heavily-TikToked wedding, a Knicks fan paid $8.48 to Priestess Aurora to curse the Pacers before Game 5, and a woman accused an unnamed sorceress-for-hire of breaking client c... See more

This is where they want to go around and get drinks and run into people and look cool,” said Hruska MacPherson. “It’s like Disneyland for them. Let’s let them be young and have fun, even if we cringe at it. Let’s let them have their Aperol spritzes. We were also discovering ourselves.”

But Gen Z’s spiritual awakening isn’t heading back to church in any predictable way. It’s splintered, with queer‐affirming congregations distancing themselves from partisan politics on one side, and tradwife influencers turning devotion into lifestyle content on the other. Whether this moment leads to a true return to organized religion or not, one... See more

People need to be in strong communities to flourish, defined as being in a state where all aspects of their lives are good. That’s what the Global Flourishing Study found last week. People are more likely to flourish in countries like Indonesia and the Philippines, where people report finding more meaning or purpose in their lives, than those in ma... See more