The Daily Valet. - 8/19/22, Friday

✔️ We Use It Daily. Too Much?

August 19, 2022

Friday, August 19th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

How much time do you think you spend on social media, really?

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

The State of Social Media

The changing landscape and the subtle, but important differences between ‘dissociation’ and addiction

Social media is a part of all our lives, whether you’re actively on it or not. Of course, young people have always been on the leading edge of this space. And a new Pew Research Center survey of American teenagers has found (perhaps unsurprisingly) that TikTok has rocketed in popularity.

But it’s actually not the top platform. That belongs to YouTube—used by 95% of teens. TikTok is next on the list of platforms that were asked about in this survey (67%), followed by Instagram and Snapchat, which are both used by about six-in-ten teens. It’s hard to believe there was a time when Facebook was remotely popular with teens, but Pew points out that back in 2015, it dominated with 71% (these days it hovers around 30%, perhaps just to keep in touch with their parents).

And speaking of parenting, new research—the result of 32 different studies—is offering up guardrails for parents that will hopefully reduce pre-teen and adolescent anxiety and depression resulting from social media overconsumption, as well as minimize the negative effects of cyberbullying.

After all, it’s easy to get sucked in, right? Anyone else tap an app to check a notification and suddenly lose an hour of productivity? (Yeah ... me neither.) That loss of control isn’t an addiction, but rather a form of “dissociation,” according to the latest science.

Researchers from the University of Washington found that dissociation is part of healthy cognitive functioning, but online, it can sometimes reflect zombie-like behavior—not being aware to one’s surroundings while scrolling, or scrolling on autopilot and then realizing you haven’t actually paid any attention to what you’ve read. “I think people experience a lot of shame around social media use,” one of the study’s lead author said.

Interestingly, the research team built an app called Chirp, which was connected to the study participants’ Twitter accounts. It allowed them to scroll normally, but the research team could control their experiences by adding new features like a “you’re all caught up!” message, and a page that displayed participants’ activity to help them better understand how (and how much) they used social media. If that sounds like something you’d want to try, there are apps available to monitor and cut back your social media screen time.

↦ FYI: Actor Tom Holland is the latest celebrity to announce a break from social media.

Judge May Release Trump Affidavit

The DOJ has said public disclosure of the document could undercut its investigation

The Florida judge who approved the search warrant for former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence said he's “inclined” to unseal some of the affidavit related to the search. He is giving the U.S. Department of Justice until next Thursday to file a redacted version.

The affidavit has become the latest flash point in a criminal probe scrutinizing sensitive and classified materials taken from the White House. And releasing even part of it would shed light on new details of the investigation—perhaps even the probable cause that warranted the search.

But the Washington Post reports the government argued that its investigation was in the “early stages” and that release of the affidavit could chill potential witnesses, risk the safety of those already interviewed, reveal future investigative steps and disclose significant amounts of grand jury material. The DOJ is investigating possible violations of the Espionage Act, among other potential crimes.

On Thursday, Judge Reinhart acknowledged that the redaction process could often be extensive and sometimes turned documents into “meaningless gibberish.” But, for now, it seems to have struck a middle course between those who wanted to keep it sealed and House Republicans and several news organizations, which requested that it be released in full to the public.

↦ Meanwhile: Allen Weisselberg, the former Trump organization chief financial officer, pleaded guilty Thursday to 15 felony charges, striking a deal with prosecutors.

Partner

Need more energy? Put down the coffee. You don't need caffeine, but you could very well be deficient in a vital bodily element.

Can We Reverse Extinction?

A ‘de-extinction’ startup wants to bring back lost animals and celebrities are sold on it

The Tasmanian tiger (also known as a thylacine) went extinct after the last of its species died at a zoo in the 1930s. Now, a genetic engineering company (which last year announced plans to put thousands of woolly mammoths back in the Siberian wilderness) has added the unique looking marsupial wolf to its de-extinction docket.

Colossal is the company and its mission is to bring back species wiped off the face of the planet by things like climate change and humankind. As Gizmodo points out, those two threats go hand-in-hand, and plenty of other animals are on the verge of disappearing, too. So maybe this will be necessary technology.

Of course, anyone who's seen Jurassic Park knows that this could be a reckless idea. But, then again, when has that ever stopped progress? And these two animals are uniquely positioned for this since both already have their complete genomes sequenced, thanks to the amount of material they left behind.

You've got to admit, it is an exciting prospect. Perhaps that's why the start-up has attracted some high-profile investors. Chris and Liam Hemsworth, the Winklevoss twins (made famous by their roles in the early days of Facebook, dramatized in The Social Network) and Paris Hilton have all chipped in.

A Weekend Pairing

‘Orphan: First Kill’ + a Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

Do you remember Orphan? It debuted way back in 2009 and was something of a sleeper hit. According to Entertainment Weekly, it earned back nearly four times its $20 million budget at the box office before finding an even bigger streaming audience later. The movie's big twist was that Esther, the young girl that a well-meaning Connecticut family adopted, was in fact, a murderous old crone.

Now, more than a decade later, we have a prequel to the original. The film (streaming today on Paramount+) investigates what Esther was up to before she was adopted in the first film. Isabelle Fuhrman reprises her role as the evil “child” and the film follows her as she escapes from an Estonian psychiatric facility and then takes on the name Esther so she can pass herself off as the long-ago abducted daughter of a wealthy, Connecticut-dwelling parents (played by Julia Stiles and Rossif Sutherland). So far, the reviewers seem to be enjoying the bad seed's scares: IGN says it's “chaotically ambitious” but “a joy to watch” and Mashable calls it a “cunning horror movie with dark laughs and its own sick twist.” Even the highfalutin New York Times says that “it lacks the original's scares and suavity,” but the film's fluid takes and “sheer derangement” make it “more interesting than standard straight-to-streaming schlock.”

↦ Your Pairing:In the movie, there's a suspicious smoothie in one pivotal scene and it got me thinking about something sweet (but not deadly). This protein-packed peanut butter smoothie is healthier than a milkshake, but tastes like a Reese's Blizzard. The recipe doesn't call for it, but trust me ... add a pinch of salt before you blend.

In Other News

↦ U.S. Streaming Tops Cable TV Viewing for First Time, Nielsen Says

↦ Deshaun Watson Suspension Increased to 11 Games, Receives Largest Player Fine in NFL History

↦ Japan Urges Its Young People to Drink More to Boost Economy

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Whipped sunscreen

Vacation sex

These mini mullets

Partner

Maximize Your Workout Gains

LMNT is the key to preventing soreness and a sluggish recovery

It's one of the most important rules when it comes to fitness: Don't overlook your recovery. Because this is when your muscles rebuild to get stronger and bigger. The key, of course, is to focus on recovery after substantial activity. Something that a lot of us tend to forget.

I've learned this the hard way. An avid weekend cycler, I found that when I push myself and clock 50+ miles on the bike, I'll be sluggish and sore for a couple of days—if I don't take care of myself. Downing some LMNT upon returning home has been amazing at ensuring a less painful “day after”.

That's because during a workout, dehydration occurs when fluid losses (be it from sweating, increased core temperatures or even breathing) are accompanied by the loss of electrolytes—vital minerals that aid in healthy cell signaling and function. LMNT packs a wallop of a punch with a science-backed ratio of sodium, magnesium and potassium. There's no sugar or mystery ingredients, but there is a refreshing taste—especially after a hard workout. But the real bonus is keeping all that unnecessary pain away.

↦ Try It: Valet. readers get a free LMNT sample pack with any purchase.