Illustration by Leah Mandel
Social Media Got You Down? Be More Like Beyoncé
Jenna Wortham, New York Times
NYT's brilliant tech writer takes a look at Beyoncé's social media presence, "in high-definition contrast," as a role model in a time when, as Wortham put it, "social media has stripped away our ability to tell what is O.K. to share and what is not. It’s not just that watching people vie for your attention can feel gross. It’s also that there’s a fine line between appearing savvy online and appearing desperate." Take a word of advice from Wortham and base your Instagram on Bey's. Less is more.
Also from NYT this week: a story on Baltimore state's attorney Marilyn Mosby, the woman who prosecuted the cops who murdered Freddie Gray (and lost).
FLOTUS Michelle Obama: The Case For College
Michelle Obama, The FADER
The First Lady of the United States of America really wants you to fill out your FAFSA form and go to college. A higher education, she says, is the key. FLOTUS is on point as always.
Teen-Focused App Musical.ly Is the Music Industry's New Secret Weapon
Emilie Friedlander, VICE
"Approximately 50 million people under the age of 21 — or roughly half of the teens and preteens in America — are on musical.ly," THUMP's editor-in-chief wrote in this piece on an app that I honestly had no idea existed before reading. But Dae Dae and D.R.A.M. apparently know what it is — they've promoted songs on musical.ly, and it seems like other artists would do well to do the same. Friedlander's got the lowdown.
Out Of Hand
Stephanie M. Lee, BuzzFeed
"Virtually none of Silicon Valley’s inventions, from the clunky Macintosh 128K of 1984 to the sleek iPhone 7, have been designed with respect for the human form," BuzzFeed new reporter Lee found, in this piece about how our smartphones and laptops are ruining our bodies. Lee's piece details the phenomenon through the lens of a few kids who've ended up at a place called the Text Neck Institute with a real disorder called text neck. Plus, tips on how to avoid letting your devices mess up your bod.
Why Luke Cage Is Perfectly Suited For The Black Lives Matter Era
Miles Marshall Lewis, The FADER
Luke Cage was the first African-American superhero to star in his own monthly series. Now, 44 years after Cage's origin, there's a new Netflix series based on the Marvel comic. The show is good, and relevant because, as Lewis wrote, "the hoodie and hip-hop mood and cultural authenticity result directly from the involvement of a black showrunner, Cheo Hodari Coker." This is why the series is what we need in these erratic times.
ReflexLOLogy: Inside the Groan-Inducing World of Pun Competitions
Peter Rubin, Wired
"I was raised to speak two languages, both of them English," wrote amateur punner and author of this story Peter Rubin. "See, there’s the actual words-working-together-and-making-sense part, and then there’s the fun part." Personally, I love a good pun — and so does Rubin, who competed in an actual, real life pun competition for this story. Many a pun to be found here, but mostly it's an ode to the elasticity of language.