The Daily Valet. - 4/12/23, Wednesday
✔️ Plugged in or Checking Out?
Wednesday, April 12th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
It’s a very tech-heavy newsletter today. Was it written by AI? Who can say?
Today’s Big Story
Plugged in or Checking Out?
Social Media is seemingly everywhere, but some users are breaking their habits and even Influencers are giving it up
News flash: social media is huge these days. But in all seriousness, despite an overall decrease in the amount of time that people spend using the internet as a whole, new research from GWI shows that people are spending more time than ever using social media at the start of 2023.Plenty of us claim social media can be terrible, but few of us ever cut the cord. According to data from Pew Research Center, 64% of U.S. adults say social media has a mostly negative impact on life in this country, but 72% maintain at least one social media account.Headlines point at social apps to explain upward trends in anxiety, depression and loneliness among all Americans, but especially among young people. Then again, people of all ages keep turning to social media to build communities. Amid our gripes and widespread distrust, social media serves as a new public square, where news develops, leaders debate and some users form potentially lifesaving connections.Of course, there's little wondering why we're all essentially addicted to our social accounts. Common features such as the like-counter and infinite scroll can hook the brain with intermittent hits of dopamine, experts say, while algorithms collect signals about which content intrigues or upsets us so the apps can show us more. But that's not to say it's impossible to cut back or even quit.As debate over the costs and benefits of social media hits a fever pitch, a new breed of unpluggers are shutting out the noise. Met with admiration or subtle annoyance (like those who announce they don't own a TV), they say it's working for them. Even influencers are backing away from lucrative brand deals, according to the New York Times.
Pop Quiz:
Do your social media habits need a reset? Take this quick quiz from the Washington Post to find out.
The Duality of Modern TV
We’re really in a “best of Times, worst of times” situation here
We've been hearing for a while that we're enjoying Peak TV and that it could be ending at any moment. But sadly, it does seem like it might be winding down, thanks to a range of events.First, if it feels like there's almost too much good TV on at the moment, you're right. Right after The Last of Us, we were thrown into streaming BEEF and waiting for the next episode of Succession. That's because the streamers and premium cable competitors of the new guard are releasing new seasons with an eye to Primetime Emmy Award recognition. That means they're all scrambling to finish airing by the end of May.What's more, we're about to witness a prestige TV farewell tour, as Decider calls it, when a handful of television's greatest shows—from Barry to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel — all wrap up for good. And to ensure maximum emotional destruction, their series finales will premiere back-to-back over a somber six-day stretch. And as the Financial Times points out, we might not get much quality replacing them anytime soon after Hollywood's production spree came to an abrupt halt last year as the Federal Reserve started to raise interest rates.
FYI:
Why film and TV writers are preparing to stop working; and how a potential strike could change everything.
Weather forecasts are always a game of prediction and probabilities, but these apps seem to fail more often than they should. At best, they perform about as well as meteorologists, but some of the most popular ones fare much worse. ”
- The Atlantic’s Charlie Warzel
Think Before RSVPing ‘Yes’
Thanks to inflation, weddings are more expensive than ever, even to attend
As we head into “wedding season,” let's just acknowledge that planning one in 2023 is no small financial undertaking. The average cost of a wedding today is around $35,000, according to the wedding planning platform Zola, thanks in part to 77% of vendors raising their prices due to inflation. And it's not just pricey for the happy couple ... but also for the guests who attend the wedding, too.InsideHook reports that roughly 62% of those attending weddings this spring have at least one financial concern and nearly one in four believe that the costs will strain their budgets. Perhaps that's because—between travel and accommodations, gifts, and attire and grooming—it will cost the average wedding guest in the ballpark of $611 to $774 on wedding guest expenses.Further, younger generations are getting hit hardest of all, with 38% of Millennials and 37% of Gen Z planning to attend at least one wedding this year, and 23% of Gen Zers and 22% of Millennials slated to attend more than one. So start saving and make sure you wear something that you can rewear at the next one.
Getting Hitched?
A wedding planner weighs in on how to lower costs for your wedding guests.
Substack’s Twitter-Like ‘Notes’ Is Here
You can share links, images, random thoughts and snippets from Substack posts
The newsletter platform Substack's new feature called 'Notes', which functions similarly to Twitter, rolled out to all users on Tuesday. Mashable called it a dupe. Engadget points out that Notes does look and act “a whole lot like Twitter.” Instead of tweets, you have notes. Instead of retweets, you get restacks. You can post external links, images, videos and anything else that you want to share.Whether it will become a real competitor to Twitter won't be known for a few weeks, of course. But Elon Musk apparently feels it might. Last week, he banned all Substack links from Twitter after Substack announced the new feature. Twitter then hid from search results any news stories mentioning Substack. Which maybe actually helped the launch? As tech reporter Casey Newton wrote in his Substack newsletter Platformer, the “chaotic overreaction to the mere development of Notes served to elevate an unreleased feature, overnight, onto an even footing with one of the most import social feeds in the world.” Then again, Notes has one advantage other Twitter competitors like T2, Mastodon and Post never did: Substack already is being used by some pretty big names.
Meanwhile:
Twitter has ceased to be an independent company. It's now part of a newly formed shell firm called X Corp., driving speculation about what Elon Musk intends for the platform.
In Other News
Companies respond to labor shortages and rising wages by moving some positions abroad.
Have you heard about ...
Up Your Omegas
An easy way to supercharge your nutrition
Nutrition is an area where trends come and go all the time. But omega-3 fatty acids have stood the test of time. And for good reason. You might not know all the ins and outs of optimal health, but you've no doubt heard of omega-3 fatty acids. That's because they're incredibly vital to our brains and bodies.There's no one secret ingredient to supercharging your health, but if there were ... it would look and act a lot like these powerful polyunsaturated fats. Nothing else quite does what they do, so let us make a quick case for adding more into your diet today.
Get Started:
The real benefits of upping your omegas and where to find them to supercharge your diet.
Shopping
What We’re Buying
An antiqued mirror
Mirrors are essential in a home. For checking yourself out, sure, but they also act as auxiliary windows—adding light and depth to a space. And while a standard mirror is fine, an antique mirror is so much cooler. This one, from CB2, has intentional dark spots and antiquing to add some well-worn character to an otherwise streamlined modern design. Much like true vintage finds, no two mirrors will be identical.
Get It:
Antiqued mirror, $699 / $489.30 by CB2
Morning Motto
Look for the opportunities.
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