fear and loathing in the slopconomy

ALSO: 31% of gen z trump voters regret it, Kalshi x the weather, the era of the influencer-investor, and more

Happy Friday, August 28th! Sorry this is so late y’all, they were NOT joking about 2L being the busiest…

FYSA, every Tuesday and Friday, I’ll be in your inbox with the latest in politics, tech & social media, culture, and other relevant topics – and I’ll share some notes and tips on what I’m keeping my eye on.

I’M ALSO LOOKING FOR MORE PEOPLE TO DO MINI INTERVIEWS like the one below :) Tips, thoughts, concerns, good jokes, bad jokes, tea, etc?

And finally, if you enjoy this newsletter and want to share it with your network (and/or your chronically online friends), or buy me a matcha, that would be so appreciated 🙏

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I had a *very* weird content week, and almost all of it was simply happening in my own head. The TL;DR is that I deleted two videos this week, thereby making the TikTok algorithm very mad and the IG one slightly less so. The first I pulled down because I was 85% sure the image was real, not AI, because I could find some corroborating photos, and people were talking about it. However, I then went down the spiral of not being able to verify who these people were and the stress that the analogous photos could also be AI… (if anyone has tips on better verification, please let me know lol). It was garnering a lot of views, and I just couldn’t stomach the 15% doubt that I was pushing out slop.

The second was me making a joke (but a fairly critical one) about something that a lot of people enjoy. It was live for about an hour before I realized that it felt too negative and just didn’t need to exist on my page.

Both of these instances were an important reminder to me that when I decided to start making content here and there for my personal page, I had an unwritten set of rules in my head: provide high-quality information, be positive, don’t feed the trolls or be one, etc. While these ideas feel so simple, there have been moments where they’ve been really hard to practice (especially when I’m tired or in a bad mood, which is definitely not great when you’re your own fact- and vibe-checker, as most of us are).

And, I can’t lie, it really sucks taking down a video. I usually feel a combo of sad that I didn’t do a good job (and need to take it down for that reason), frustrated that I took time on it, and annoyed that I know I’ll be in views jail for a little while.

That last point, however, is the one that really sticks with me. It’s pretty common knowledge that deleting videos is bad for growth. That, to me, seems like a pretty perverse incentive to keep up any videos that contain misinformation, are maybe more extreme than the creator actually intended to be, capture a moment in time that shouldn’t really have been posted, etc. It deeply encourages a lack of reflection and/or accountability. And we already know (as do big creators) that the algorithm rewards and encourages posts that ragebait.

So putting it all together, the places where we spend most of our time and that thousands of people rely on for income and/or support encourage us to be annoying, upsetting, or even hateful and then punish us when we feel like we made an error and try to correct it. This is something we all obviously know – but it’s helpful, for me, at least, to see it written down sometimes. There really is no winning, even when it may feel like you are.

I’ll leave it on that positive note lol. But curious if folks who make content (or anyone) have thoughts or reactions to any of this.

Gen Z regrets Trump support and is midterm motivated

Thirty-one percent of Generation Zers who voted for President Trump say they regret it, a recent Navigator poll reports. Millennials followed at 28 percent, with 20 percent of Generation Xers and 10 percent of baby boomers saying they regret backing Trump, too. (The Hill, 8/28)

• Lucy’s note: shot…

Trump is pulling every lever to reshape U.S. elections

The mail-voting fight is just the latest front as Trump has used executive orders, federal agencies, Justice Department lawsuits and the bully pulpit to rewrite election rules largely set by the states and Congress. Andrew Garber, senior counsel with the Brennan Center for Justice, says the president has no constitutional power to set election rules. “There’s really just no room in our system for the president to step in,” he says. (Axios, 8/27)

Americans are cheering for vigilantes who take down Flock cameras

Support for Flock vigilantes has gone beyond internet comments. In one recent case, an Air Force engineer accused of cutting down 13 Flock cameras in Virginia has received over $44,000 for his legal defense from supporters via GoFundMe. In another, felony charges against an alleged Flock vandal in Ohio were dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict the suspect. (The Verge, 8/27 – free version)

Kalshi and the Weather Co. Join Forces on Climate Trades

The companies said they want to explore new weather markets for sporting events, for example, citing local ski conditions and marathon race days. Consumers use Kalshi to trade on predictions ranging from what the highest temperature will be in Los Angeles on a given day to whether 2026 will be the hottest year ever. The platform said it chose the Weather Co. because it is one of the most trusted meteorological brands. (WSJ gift link, 8/27)

• Lucy’s note: every time I think we’re getting to the end of stuff we could possibly commodify, I’m wrong

Why Countries Are Pushing Social Media Bans Despite Their Flaws

In Australia, where a law is meant to have excluded children under 16 from some platforms since December, the government said that more than 80 percent of children who were surveyed reported using at least one age-restricted service three months after the ban started. (NYT gift link, 8/28)

Dolly Parton, secular saint

Her ability to project radical kindness without sounding naïve, and to address moral questions without looking partisan, inspired near-universal adoration at a time when Americans can agree on virtually nothing and no one else. And her strategic ambiguity around both her personal life and her political views allowed everyone from Christian conservatives to New York City gays to claim her as their personal representative. (Vox, 8/26 – free version)

25 Most Influential Creators of 2026

Instead, we focused on those who have become industry leaders, entertainment darlings, and go-to experts while still keeping up on the platforms that made them stars. Rolling Stone received submissions from staffers, contributors, and industry experts to craft our initial list; we then weighed follower counts, growth, engagement rates, and our own editorial judgement to narrow it down and rank our final choices. All that’s left is to introduce it here: the 25 most influential creators of 2026. (Rolling Stone, 8/27 – free version)

The Rise of the Influencer-Investor

According to Goldman Sachs, the creator economy could approach half a trillion dollars by 2027; at the same time, Vogue Business reports that brands are moving influencers upstream from campaign execution into product development, marketing strategy and consulting roles. Equity is a logical extension of that shift, giving influencers a claim of the long-term value they help create and brands a partner capable of meaningfully influencing topline growth. But as more influencers pursue investment opportunities, harder questions emerge about how their value should be measured, who bears the risk, and how an influencer’s financial interest changes the relationship with their audience. (Vogue, 8/26 – free version)

Delaware Becomes the New Florida For Retirees, Straining Beach Towns

As the US ages, the senior population has increased almost everywhere. But many Boomers on the move are looking beyond traditional retirement destinations such as Florida and Arizona, Census Bureau data show. Driven by Sussex’s growth, Delaware’s population 65-or-older has soared 23% since 2020, more than any other state. (Bloomberg, 8/26 – free version)

• Lucy’s note: the Joe Biden effect???

Wisconsin kitten with 29 toes breaks world record for most toes on a cat

Erebus’s unprecedented wealth of toes is evidently attributed to a genetic trait, polydactyly, that causes some cats to be born with extra phalanges and – according to a 2016 article in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery – is relatively common in Maine coons. (The Guardian, 8/25)

@mills_kellyNothing screams siblings on holiday like this #Siblings #vacation #brother

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Extra Credit 🤓

Substacks That Really Substacked This Week 🤌

• Love at First Prompt: How AI Appointed Itself Your Wingman from shit you should care about + Bridget Todd

• Do 2,400 Senate Staff Résumés Tell Us Anything About Party Priorities? from Young Men Research Project

Sneaky Links

TL;DR I’ve inexplicably started receiving codes to stuff… here are the things I actually like :)

• My BNTO code for August is LC7QE5 for $20 off (if you know me IRL, you know my rant about the Nuulification of the 20-something city dweller)

• I also have a code for CampSnap??? And I do love my CS8 camera from them but like I don’t think I said that online? Either way, it’s LUCYR7 for 7% off

That’s all for now – I’ll see you on Tuesday!