Finding Meaning

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... See more

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

A wildly popular 15-year-old computer whiz is becoming the Catholic Church's first millennial saint (AP News)

Carlo Acutis, a teenage Italian computer whiz who died in 2006, is set to become history's first millennial saint, generating a global following among young Catholics and inspiring a relatable, modern-day role model. His use of technology to... 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

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.

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.

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,... 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... See more

the oversecularization and undersocialization of modern children